Image for Hope in a ballet shoe  : a true story

Hope in a ballet shoe : a true story

See all formats and editions

Hope in a Ballet Shoe tells the story of Michaela DePrince.

Growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone, she witnesses atrocities that no child ever should.

Her father is killed by rebels and her mother dies of famine.

Sent to an orphanage, Michaela is mistreated and she sees the brutal murder of her favourite teacher.

Michaela and her best friend are adopted by an American couple and Michaela begins to take dance lessons.

But life in the States isn't without difficulties. Unfortunately, tragedy can find its way to Michaela in America, too, and her past can feel like it's haunting her. The world of ballet is a racist one, and Michaela has to fight for a place amongst the ballet elite, hearing the words 'America's not ready for a black girl ballerina.' And yet...Today, Michaela DePrince is an international ballet star, dancing for The Dutch National Ballet at the age of nineteen.

This is a heart-breaking, inspiring autobiography by a teenager who shows us that, beyond everything, there is always hope for a better future.

Read More
Title Unavailable: Out of Print
Product Details
Faber & Faber
0571314465 / 9780571314461
Paperback
01/01/2015
United Kingdom
English
ix, 249 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour)
22 cm
General (US: Trade) Learn More
Reprint. Originally published: as Taking flight. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.