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.
