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

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Though ballet is my passion and dream, it would not be entirely fair to say that it saved me, without acknowledging the human beings who played major roles in saving my life. To be fair, Michaela was lucky enough to be part of a family that worked hard and that were able to support her financially through her studies as a dancer, with all the love in the world sometime you do need money too to fulfil your dreams as dance lessons and costumes don't come cheap.

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. Elaine DePrince, her new mother, noticed Michaela's obsession with ballet and arranged for her to begin lessons. Michaela's early life was marred by death, violence and abuse, but now a talented ballerina, making her mark on the professional international stage, she is sharing her story.Michaela's own dedication, hard work, and passion for ballet have taken her far but she wrote this book along with Elaine, her adoptive mother, to be an inspiration to all girls to pursue their dreams.

Michaela's childhood in Sierra Leone was harrowing, with her parents dying when she is very young, leaving her an orphan. This philosophy is also repeated in Michaela's struggle to become a professional ballerina, due to the racial prejudices held not only in the world of dance, but also those in modern day America. The extraordinary story of a girl growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone, who went on to become a ballet dancer ― Irish Independent --This text refers to the paperback edition. It honestly sickened me at the racial prejudice and bigotry that Michaela and her family were faced with and I so immensely admire Michaela's constant courage and perseverance, her love for ballet and her wish to allow black ballerinas to be a social norm instead of a rare occurrence in the ballet world. Understandably, Mia and Michaela were extremely traumatised as well as having to learn a whole new way of life.The orphanage is place of hardship and abuse, but she also has the good fortune of being adopted, alongside her best friend who is now her sister - - they receive much needed medical care and find themselves a part of a wonderful family in America. A tense and utterly compelling story about a society behind a wall, and the way in which two young people seize the chance to break free. As a small child she became orphaned in war-torn Sierra Leone, went through some hair-raising experiences, was fortunately adopted by the most amazing American couple, the DePrinces, and she has gone on to achieve a great deal in the world of ballet in her own right. I questioned myself on what I can give while jotting down names I'm sure I will enjoy in the future. Read this book whilst on holiday in Spain, I’ve always been a keen ballet dancer And had a massive love for it and this book captures the essence and importance of ballet in many peoples lives no matter the background.