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

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You have paved the way for future generations to become a dancer no matter what skin they are born in! It is completely relevant whether one is a ballet lover or not, and will be of particular interest to people who have undertaken cross-cultural adoptions.

The autobiography of a woman who was born and living in terrible poverty in Africa, and was adopted at a young age by a kind US family and taken back to their home and brought up there. This is a heart-breaking, inspiring autobiography by a teenager who shows us that, beyond everything, there is always hope for a better future.She even observes first hand the murder of her favourite teacher at the orphanage before fleeing to Ghana where her adoptive parents arrive to take her and her best friend to the USA. But when Mr Silver disappears, and a shadow from the past threatens everything, the Emporium and all its wonders begin to crumble. Michaela’s story is a testament to the love and generosity of the DePrinces in their sacrifices so that she could achieve her dream.

There are moments that will cause your heart to contract with anxiety as you rush through the book with baited breath, needing to know how things turn out for this wonderful, inspirational dancer, moments where your heart explodes into a frenzy of joy and moments where you feel yourself being uplifted, feeling as if you can accomplish anything, feeling as if - now that you've read Michaela's story - anything is possible, anything at all. Like all Surpluses, Anna is living in a Surplus Hall and learning how to make amends for the selfish act her parents committed in having her. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this read and am very glad I picked it up in my library when it caught my eye. This is reiterated in Ch 31, and yet in Ch 32 (only 3-4 pages later) she talks about how "hard" acting was, and that she couldn't hide how she felt on a given day. When Michaela looked at the picture she told herself that she would one day be that happy, she would be like that girl.Such an inspiring book and would highly recommend to anyone who dances, has an interest in ballet or enjoys reading books about strong empowering and inspiring female lead roles.