Non dirmi che hai paura (Don't tell me you are afraid) by Giuseppe Catozzella

I just finished to read this book and I feel the need to share it with you. It has not been translated in English but I read it will soon, so keep an eye on it.

This is the true story of Samia Yusuf Omar born in a poor family in Mogadishu (Somalia) during the war and the Islamic regime. Since very young, 6-8 years old, she had just one dream and a great talent: running. She trained her self together with her best friend Ali in the street of  Mogadishu, or at night in the stadium to not be discovered by the regime. With lots of determination and sacrifice she partecipated to the Olympics game of Beijing 2008. Even if she arrived last, the all stadium started to cheer and support for her (as you can see here).

She wished to participate to London games in 2012 and to fulfil this dream she decided to start the "Trip", through Ethiopia and Libia to reach finally Italy and her sister in Helsinki.
She died, very close to her dream, near the Italian coast in a rescue operation.

Her story of courage and determination is so touching, I found myself crying many times during the reading.

She became  an icon of freedom and female liberation.

Here you can find the book description in English
Here a tribute to her

"We know that we are different from the other athletes. But we don’t want to show it. We try our best to look like the rest. We understand we are not anywhere near the level of the other competitors here. We understand that very, very well. But more than anything else, we would like to show the dignity of ourselves and our country."- Samia Yusuf Omar (2008)