Mrs O: “Susanne, what was your inspiration for writing ‘Butterflies’?”
Susanne: I found teen and young adult years hard sometimes. I was searching for who I am, felt insecure, easily crushed inside, but tried not to show it. My parents were post war refugees and I couldn’t speak about my real feelings to them. They worked so hard and did it for me.
I was approached by a girl who had serious burns. She asked me to write about growing up with burns. I didn’t want to do it. However I kept thinking about it. I ended up talking to kids, parents, community, medical teams. I visited the Burn Unit in the kids’ hospital. Tnen I knew I had to write ‘Butterflies’. Although it’s about burns, it’s more than that. It’s about growing up, my family, about all of us meeting challenges, finding identity, fighting for our dreams. It’s my story, your story, our story.
I risk myself when I write. I put who I am inside the pages as a girl, a teen, mother. I cry when I write some parts, laugh at others. It’s an emotional roller coaster that I’m often scared to jump onto to. However when I get emails like this, it’s a roller coaster that I’m glad I went on:-
This is truly an amazing book, so moving and inspiring. I read it many years ago and an assignment just came up in English, I knew straight away this book was going to be perfect for it. It is so hard to put down and really made me realise that my life really isn’t that bad. I would have to say this would be one of my all time favourite books.
babestar88 1 week ago
From youtube channel for Butterflies: www.youtube.com/user/sgervay
Website: www.sgervay.com
Blog: www.sgervay.com/blog
Susanne Gervay
Aquinas students review ‘Butterflies’:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have been burnt all down one side of your body? Well Katherine from the book ‘Butterflies’ has… Katherine was severely burnt at the age of three and she is now 18 and is trying to get through her life without having the luxuries of skin, hair and features… the things that most people take for granted. After having boys thinking they’re cool by bullying her and having a great time with friends, she becomes self-conscious. She has had so many operations and she wants more? This book is filled with joy, laughter and great times, as well as sadness and terrifying stories. The author’s style is different; she shows you what has happened in the past, after something happens in the story to trigger it. I am only half way though ‘Butterflies’ and I don’t want to put it down. It’s one question after another; you never know what will happen next. Nikkia Year 9
‘Butterflies’ is about a seventeen year old girl who was in an accident at a really young age, causing her to look a bit different. It is about her challenges through life and the challenges that are yet to come. The book is inspiring, leaving you thinking about what is important, and that it is true beauty is on the inside of a person and not how we look. I recommend this book for 13 years and up because some of the subject matter is for the mature reader. Shona Year 9
The book ‘Butterflies’ is a bit slow to start off but it’s getting better as I read on. Katherine the main character seems like a strong fighter because she has overcome her severely burnt body when she fell down a hole full of fumes when she was young. Katherine has always cared about her appearance and what other people think of her since the accident. The book ‘Butterflies’ is very interesting to read but when you hear about someone who was so severely burnt, it makes you realise this happens to a lot of people and you understand how much pain and therapy they go through. I would recommend this book for teenagers because we would be able to understand it more. Courtney Year 9