Elena Favilli - Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World

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This is a work of creative nonfiction. It is a collection of heartwarming and thought-provoking bedtime stories inspired by the life and adventures of one hundred heroic women. It is not an encyclopedic account of events and accomplishments of their lives.

www.rebelgirls.com

Art Director: Giulia Flamini

Graphic Designer: Annalisa Ventura

Cover Design and Lettering: Cesar Iannarella

ISBN: 978-1-7333292-9-3

ISBN: 978-1-73426-417-3 (eBook)

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To the rebel girls of the world:

Cross boundaries

Demand freedom

Make your mark

And, when in doubt, remember

The future is yours.

Dear Rebels,

To those of you who are picking up a Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls book for the first time, I want to say, Welcome! And to those of you who are joining us for the second or even third time, Welcome back! In this book, I am excited to share with you one hundred stories of incredible women who moved from one country to another, experiencing some form of immigration over the course of their lives.

This is also a personal topic for me, as I am an immigrant myself. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls was created by two womenme (Elena Favilli) and Francesca Cavallowho moved from Italy to the United States and who wanted to share their vision for a more equal world with all of you. I came to the US when I was twenty-three years old to attend University of California, Berkeley. This country is now my home, where I have built this company, written these books, and met all of you. As you can see, Francesca is not writing this third book with me, but that same inspiration we shared at the start of our journey continues to drive this series.

People often ask me what it means to be a Rebel Girl, and there can be many definitionsjust like we are all different from one another. At her heart, a Rebel Girl is someone who tries to make the world better for herself and the people around her, no matter the risks. In the following pages, you will read stories about women who embody the spirit of the Rebel Girl, leaving their birth countries for a multitude of reasons. Some of these women actively chose to seek new opportunities, while others left out of necessity.

You will explore the Amazon with Emilie Snethlage, part scientist, part explorer, who moved from Germany to study the plants and animals of the Brazilian rainforest. You will dance with Yuan Yuan Tan whose career as a ballerina began with the flip of a coin and brought her from China to her new home in the United States. And you will fight for whats right with Muzoon Almellehan, who fled war in Syria to settle in England, finding strength in books, campaigning for girls education, and becoming one of the youngest UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors to date.

Immigration is rarely thought of as a womans story, but more than half of all immigrants are women. The women featured in this book have already made an impact on the world just by forging their own paths across borders. They also happened to accomplish great things in their new homes. But whatever an immigrant hopes to achieve through their journey, I hope you will finish this book with an understanding that movement from one country to another is a human right.

As you dive into each of these stories, it might help to think about times youve wanted to move from one place to another. Have you ever wanted to move to a different classroom? A different team? What about a different city? That is exactly what these immigrant women did, on a larger scale. Let their courage and perseverance be a reminder to you, Rebel Girls, that you should always fight for your beliefs no matter where they take you.

Yours,

Elena Favilli

MAGICIAN

O nce upon a time, there was a girl with a flair for the dramatic. While other Victorian girls learned housekeeping skills, Adelaide practiced acrobatics, dance, and a new sport called trick cycling.

One night, Adelaide saw a magic show in London that changed her life. The magician, Alexander Herrmann (known as Herrmann the Great), asked for a volunteer, and Adelaide eagerly raised her hand. The magician set her ring on fire and made it reappear on a ribbon tied around a doves neck!

A few months later, when Adelaide moved to New York City, she ran into Alexander again. They got married and together became one of the countrys most successful magic acts. Herrmann the Great was the star, and Adelaide played supporting roles, including a dancer and a human cannonball!

In 1896, Alexander suddenly died. Adelaide was left alone with their magic show, a warehouse of props and animals, and a mountain of debt. But soon it became clear that only one person had the experience to continue Herrmann the Greats legacy Adelaide herself.

For more than thirty years, Adelaide performed as the Queen of Magic. After a fire tore through her warehouse, Adelaide insisted shed rise like a phoenix from the ashes. And she did. She continued to tour before finally retiring in her seventies.

AUGUST 11, 1853FEBRUARY 19, 1932

ENGLAND UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

SELF-CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE ARE MOST ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESSFUL MAGICIAN.

ADELAIDE HERRMANN