Hope in a Ballet Shoe by Michaela DePrince, Elaine DePrince

Hope in a Ballet Shoe by Michaela DePrince, Elaine DePrince. Orphaned by war, saved by ballet: an extraordinary true story. I’ve read the review of this book before borrowing it from the library and I’m glad I’ve discovered it. It is a lovely emotional story of a little girl from war torn Sierra Leone.

As a very small child, she saw atrocities. Her father was killed by rebels, her mother dies of famine under the care of her uncle (her father’s brother). Having vitiligo, a disease that causes patches of skin to lose its color, meant she was different and considered less than the other girls. It was believed by them that it was a curse, so couldn’t get a good price on the marriage market. Her uncle sent her to an orphanage where she is mistreated by the nuns. She also witnessed the brutal murder of her favourite teacher.

Michaela and her best friend are adopted by an American family. After seeing a picture in a magazine of a dancer, she knew she wanted to be a dancer herself. She started to take ballet lessons in US. She had to deal with racism, as a black ballet dancer. Now she is an international ballet star, dancing for The Dutch National Ballet at the age of nineteen.

The story is written beautifully by her and her mother. Hope in a Ballet Shoe is sad, heartbreaking, infuriating, heartwarming, and emotional. A must read.

Hope in a Ballet Shoe by Michaela DePrince, Elaine DePrince

Details about the picture:
My rating: 5/5 Stars.
Would I recommend it: Yes!
Published by: Faber and Faber
Year it was published: 2015
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Non-fiction. Memoirs
Pages: 256

About the author: Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn Sierra Leone. Rebels killed her father, and shortly after her mother died of fever and starvation.
One day Michaela found a magazine blowing in the wind. On its cover was a photograph of a beautiful ballerina en pointe. She found hope and determination to one day become just like that ballerina. Soon after that, an American family adopted her, and she became the eighth of their eleven children, nine of whom were adopted.

Her parents enrolled her in ballet classes, after seeing her talent, they supported her passion for the art. She attended the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre.

After Michaela was featured in the ballet documentary, First Position, Michaela debuted professionally as a guest principal at the Joburg Ballet in South Africa. She appeared on Dancing with the Stars.
Website & Social Media Links: www.michaeladeprince.com