Author: Elaine DePrince
Language: English
Summary: 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. Source: Amazon.com
Notes:
- Also available as an eBook
Link: Find it on Amazon
Expatbooks 
I loved it. I truly felt all through the book the power of love. The simple and childish language makes the terrible things happened to Michaela even more dreadful. It is a beautiful, harsh, and inspiring story that tells a lot about luck, love and what it means to be born on the wrong side of the world. Highly recommended.
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I am reading it now. It is well written and easy to read. I cannot put it down. What I like the most are the pictures that are in the middle of the book. Real pictures of this girl, since she was a little girl at the orphanage. I truly recommend it.
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