In The Time of the Butterflies

In 1960, a few months after my family fled the dictatorship of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, the three Mirabal sisters were brutally murdered. Founders of the underground, las Mariposas (the Butterflies, their code name) had inspired resistance cells throughout the country. (My father had joined one of these cells, which was cracked by the SIM, the secret police, in the summer of 1960 -- the reason we were forced to flee.) This novel tells the Mirabal story through the lens of fiction. Needless to say, this book is one I felt compelled to write.

The day of the murder of the Mirabal sisters, November 25th, has been declared by the United Nations, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. I'd love it if we began a tradition of wearing a butterfly on that day!

Algonquin Book Club

Algonquin Books has started a national book club as a way of creating community through reading books and meeting authors! Now that Oprah's stopping her show, somebody's got to step up to the plate!
Explore Algonquin's Book Club site here: algonquinbooksblog.com/bookclub. I'm thrilled that their first choice was In the Time of the Butterflies, and the launch was in Miami on March 21st, 2011 at Books & Books in Coral Gables. I'm doubly thrilled that Edwidge Danticat introduced me and interviewed me both at the bookstore and in a live webcast. The webcast is available at the Book Club website.

Butterflies on Stage

In Spring 2011, Repertorio Español, New York's main Spanish-language theater company, showed "En el tiempo de las mariposas", based on In the Time of the Butterflies. It was exciting to see them make my story come alive onstage. You can see photos & watch videos from the production at repertorio.org.

Butterfly Power

Fifty years later, it's still the time for Butterflies. Why not start an international movement? Join me in a simple new tradition: wear a butterfly (a pin, a T-shirt, a barrette) on November 25 for Butterflies everywhere. Speaking of Butterflies, listen to this NEA Podcast for more of their story -- & mine.

In the Time of the Butterflies was added to The Big Read library. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. They have posted a marvelous Radio Show, Reader's Guide and Teacher's Guide for the book, available on their website: neabigread.org.

NEA Podcast: Julia Alvarez speaks about writing In the Time of the Butterflies.

Eveoke opened its 2010/2011 season with Las Mariposas, an original dance theatre production inspired by my novel In the Time of the Butterflies. In December 2011, it was my great pleasure to see the dance performance again in the Dominican Republic, along with girls from Mariposa DR Foundation, a nonprofit that rescues young girls and educates them to ensure that they will not become victims of poverty or violence.

Further Resources

Algonquin Book Club

Penguin Book Club Reading Guide

The Big Read Guides & Radio Show

More Books by Julia Alvarez

Buy Books by Julia Alvarez

at your local bookstore

at amazon.com

& at other favorite bookstores:

vermontbookshop.com

powells.com

penguingroup.com

randomhouse.com

barnesandnoble.com

booksamillion.com

audiobookstand.com

The Middlebury College Store also offers to send you autographed copies of any of my books as long as they are in hard cover.