In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re honoring a woman whose heroics were immortalized in the pages of Big Read title In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. The book, which is based on true events, chronicles the four Mirabel sisters as they attempt to overthrow Rafael Trujillo, whose brutal, bloody regime dominated the Dominican Republic for 30 years. Three of the “butterflies,” as the sisters were known, were murdered by the dictator on November 25, 1960. Only Bélgica, better known as Dedé, was left behind. Last month, Dedé passed away at the age of 88, but not before she had shared her sisters’ stories with the world. As Junot Diaz points out in the audio clip below, it was she who kept their legacy alive and made the story of the butterflies possible. In this clip, you'll also hear from Neko Case, Ilan Stevens, and Julia Alvarez as they discuss the importance of Dedé's advocacy. Visit the Big Read website to listen to the full audio guide for In the Time of the Butterflies.   

Audio

Mar 07, 2014

Excerpt from In the Time of the Butterflies Audio Guide