Hope in a Ballet Shoe: Orphaned by war, saved by ballet: an extraordinary true story

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I'm not particularly passionate about dance, but I found the cover of this book striking enough that I read the back to find out more. In the process, she has featured in a documentary, First Position, that looks at the demanding life of a professional ballerina; she has become a beacon of hope for black ballet dancers around the world (who feature all too rarely in professional dance troupes); and she has spoken at the United Nations on the issues faced by children affected by war. This woman is also an inspiration to us all and through every challenge life has sent her she retained a massive well of love and faith.

I changed the names of these people to protect their privacy and because I couldn’t locate them to get permission.And then Michaela and her best friend are adopted by an American couple and Michaela can take the dance lessons she's dreamed of since finding her picture. Besides dancing, Michaela loves reaching out to disadvantaged young people, with whom she shares her message of hard work, perseverance, hope, and striving for a dream. This led her to be subject to hateful names but her birth parents thought she was beautiful and loved her regardless. Michaela’s story is a testament to the love and generosity of the DePrinces in their sacrifices so that she could achieve her dream. She was sent to ballet lessons by her family she she did indeed grow up to become a world class ballerina.

In a society where people could feel discouraged or hopeless, Michaela's story is an inspiration to follow our dreams and find happiness in the face of hardship. View image in fullscreen Michaela DePrince: First came the African mother, who loved me enough to give me her food while she was starving. Elaine DePrince, her new mother, noticed Michaela's obsession with ballet and arranged for her to begin lessons. A lot of praise has to be given to her adoptive parents: they have been wonderful with her and other adopted children. Only men deserve respect in her uncle's eyes and both Michaela and her mother were beaten and starved.

Then the rest of the story follows Michaela when she and Mabinty get adopted by American parents and follows her dream to become a ballet dancer. Offering accounts on conflict, adoption and the ballet dancing industry, this is a truly inspiring and emotional read! Placed in an orphanage by her cruel uncle she saw acts of unspeakable violence all around her but was saved herself by the care and wisdom of the owner of the orphanage who found adoptive US parents for the children in his charge. I did feel that after Michaela grew up and had adjusted to life in America, and began to be recognized as a great dancer that the story was told with a lot of rose-tinted glasses.

I questioned myself on what I can give while jotting down names I'm sure I will enjoy in the future.J'ai offert ce livre à ma meilleure amie Hollandaise pour son anniversaire et je me le suis offert à moi aussi.