After her biological parents’ tragic deaths and a harrowing stint in an orphanage in Sierra Leone, Michaela was adopted by a family in New Jersey and given the support, care and love to blossom into a poised, focused, and eloquent young woman. 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. Only men deserve respect in her uncle's eyes and both Michaela and her mother were beaten and starved. Michaela DePrince's story of going from a starving, neglected orphan to ballerina extraordinaire is inspiring, beautiful, and heartwarming. This is the real life story of one of the most incredible and inspirational young people in the world.

There is a fair bit of “ no one likes me cause I'm black” in this story, however considering the context (Classical Ballet), I felt that the whining was warranted. 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. Michaela's story reminds me that with determination and resilience, I can overcome any challenge that comes my way. yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore.I was blown away by the love portrayed in this book and how it overpowers the atrocities of Michaela's early life. After finding hope and dreams just from seeing a picture of a ballerina in a magazine while living in an orphanage Mabinty was adopted and lived in a large multicultural family full of love, support, and a belief that she could become anything that she wanted.

Treated little better there than at her uncle's house at least for the first time Michaela had friends and the promise that an American family wanted to adopt them. Michaela's childhood in Sierra Leone was harrowing, with her parents dying when she is very young, leaving her an orphan.The orphanage was a place of sorrow with the children making their own fun with the scraps they had. At just four years old, she is sent to an orphanage, where daily life can be harsh, and the violence outside presses ever closer. After the deaths of her parents, she moved to an orphanage from which she was adopted and taken to the US in 1999. Excellent biographical story, moving from death of parents, an orphanage in Africa, rebel army atrocities, to the escape, safety, healthcare and love of caring adoptive parents in the USA, from early childhood. It was wonderful to read about one couple making such an immense difference to the lives of these girls.

Michaela's early life was brutal and traumatising, but the love her birth parents had for her was never forgotten, and the care and dedication of her adoptive parents to ALL of their children made Michaela's dreams possible. Unfortunately, tragedy can find its way to Michaela in America, too, and her past can feel like it's haunting her. She is adopted by a great couple and begins her battle to become a professional ballet dancer- although she's battling against prejudice aswell as other dancers. I would absolutely love to read a biography of her American mother who adopted lots of children and gave them all a superbly warm home. Co-written with her adoptive mother, this is an extraordinary and compelling account of love and hope triumphing over cruelty ( Sunday Times ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 one of several children adopted by an American couple, Michaela has managed to well and truly overcome the horrors of her early childhood.

Incredibly, today Michaela is an international ballet star, dancing for The Dutch National Ballet at the age of 19. 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. View image in fullscreen Michaela DePrince: First came the African mother, who loved me enough to give me her food while she was starving. Having been adopted at the age of four, alongside her best friend Mia, Michaela initially finds life in America difficult to adjust to. They had already raised 5 boys - two of whom had passed away due to being born with hemophilia and contracting AIDS via blood transfusions - and would go on to adopt 4 more girls after Michaela and Mia.

It is one of the greatest pleasures in life to meet people of courage who are faced with huge difficulties which they manage to overcome, and who then open their arms to the world and try to give something back. She was sent to ballet lessons by her family she she did indeed grow up to become a world class ballerina. I support a small children home in India where orphan/vulnerable/poverty-stricken children are being given the tools and support to achieve their best. I'm not sure how she remembered so many details of the story as she left Sierra Leone as a 4-year old. Michaela takes the reader with her from the joys and struggles of her early life in Sierra-Leone to the challenges and delights of her life in America.