In the Time of the Butterflies
Dominican Republic

In the Time of the Butterflies

by Julia Alvarez

Freedom & Resistance Historical Fiction Classics Fiction 1994

Summary

Four sisters. One brutal dictatorship. A courage that would outlive them all.

In the Dominican Republic under Rafael Trujillo’s oppressive regime, the Mirabal sisters lead seemingly ordinary lives until they are drawn into the underground resistance. As Minerva, Patria, and María Teresa risk everything to challenge the dictator, their youngest sister, Dedé, must confront the consequences of their growing defiance. Inspired by the true story of the Mirabal sisters, three of whom were murdered on Trujillo’s orders in 1960, Julia Alvarez brings their lives to the page with tenderness and emotional power. Through love, family bonds, and acts of extraordinary bravery, this moving novel explores the price of resistance and the strength it takes to stand against tyranny. The sisters, remembered as Las Mariposas (the Butterflies), became enduring symbols of freedom and courage.

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Country
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North America
About the author
Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez is a Dominican American novelist, poet, and essayist celebrated for exploring identity, migration, family, and the experiences of women caught between cultures. Born in New York City in 1950, she spent her early childhood in the Dominican Republic before her family fled to the United States in 1960 because of her father’s involvement in a movement against Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship. This experience of displacement profoundly influenced her writing. Her acclaimed first novel, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), examines the challenges of adapting to life between two cultures. Her subsequent works include In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), In the Name of Salomé (2000), and Afterlife (2020). In 2013, she received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in recognition of her contribution to American literature. Alvarez continues to write about history, belonging, and the enduring power of storytelling.

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Details
Published
1994
Author
Julia Alvarez