In the Time of the Butterflies

Every walk through the house with portraits on the walls brings Dede back into the past. Only she—“the sister who survived”—truly knows how honest and brave Las Mariposas—the “Butterflies,” heroines of the Dominican Republic—were. Patria, full of religious zeal; ambitious Minerva; and carefree Mate—all passed through growing up, love, and dreams of the future. Yet the regime of Rafael Trujillo cast a shadow over their lives, turning the country into a huge cage. For Julia Alvarez, whose family barely escaped the dictator’s repression, the story of the Mirabal sisters became deeply personal. The author gives voice to each of the “Butterflies,” returning them the right to experience doubts, anger, fear, and contempt—to be real. The true events and the writer’s poetic style made this touching novel a national classic and a worldwide bestseller.