The Sugarless Plum: A Memoir

by Zippora Karz

It started as the perfect story. Zippora Karz was a member of the famed New York City Ballet by the age of eighteen. By twenty she was starring as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, dancing roles created by Jerome Robbins, and traveling the world. It was the stuff dreams are made of until, at age twenty-one, Karz was diagnosed with diabetes.

Balancing ballet and her blood sugar would be a long and difficult struggle for Karz. In The Sugarless Plum, Karz shares her journey from denial, shame and miseducation about her illness to how she led an active, balanced and satisfying life as an insulin-dependent diabetic and soloist with one of the world's most famous ballet companies. The Sugarless Plum takes readers deep into the heart and soul of a young dancer, and is a remarkable testament to determination and perseverance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Sports, Biography Memoir, Disability, Autobiography

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a dance fanatic, so I enjoyed Zippora's story of her journey to dancing with the NYCB and then her efforts to continue dancing despite developing Type I diabetes. This 2016 edition is updated with how things are going in her life now and her work with various diabetes organizations. Not particularly well-written but fascinating none-the-less. I was appalled at the casual attitude of some of the physicians and the absolute lack of education provided to her as a new onset diabetic & elite athlete. Always enjoy some behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a professional dancer.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really starting to enjoy memoirs - I have gone from being a straight fiction reader, to reading non-fiction and enjoying it. This is just one of the things that reviewing books has done for me.

The Sugarless Plum was a very enjoyable memoir of the life of Zippora Karz while she was growing up and in the New York City Ballet dealing with Type-1 Diabetes. It was a fascinating look inside the life of a ballerina. I had no idea what all they go through during the day and how many performances they do. I have never been to a ballet myself since I live in a small town, so I really didn't know much about it. This book has shed light on the ballet world and has made me very interested in it.

This look at Zippy's life is amazing and inspiring. How she plows through it all while dealing with a life-altering illness is amazing. The book is very uplifting and honest. It read like a fiction novel in that it never lost pace and kept me wanting to know more and more about Zippy page after page.

Entertaining, enlightening and very inspiring, this is a wonderful book that almost anyone would enjoy.

[Mishel Forte · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE SUGARLESS PLUM is a powerful story that will reach out to those who suffer from diabetes and even touch those who have never encountered it on a personal level. Zippora's struggles are portrayed honestly and with a lot of emotion as she re-tells the story of her younger years, her ballet career, and struggling to balance her life with her diagnosis. She not only shares her personal and professional life to readers but she reaches out to others with diabetes by providing resource materials near the end of the book.
Zippora is well known for her portrayal of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER from 1983-1999 at the New York City Ballet where she became a soloist. She goes into detail about the joys, the hard work, and even the pain that all ballet dancers must go through. It really is a physical and emotional battle to be a ballerina and I had no idea. Learning more about these different kinds of athletes was extremely eye opening.

This memior isn't just a story of a woman surviving and living with diabetes. It's not about a talented dancer learning to overcome different obstacles in order to keep their career. THE SUGARLESS PLUM is more of an inspirational story that has the potential to touch and motivate any person that is facing any kind of life challenge. I think Zippora describes things best when she says, "My story is about living a full life, and not letting obstacles defeat you and dissuade you from following your heart."

[Beth Kumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book! I bought this for my 11-yr old daughter, who like the author has Type 1 Diabetes and is a ballet dancer. But I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Zippora has a great way of telling a story and I appreciated her honesty about dealing with a diagnosis that could have ended her career. Her trials, tribulations, and ultimately her triumph touched me very deeply. I am so impressed with her tenacity and drive - I wish my daughter could meet her and take a ballet class from her. She is a true role model - and her autobiography makes for a great story.

[Briony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very quick and mostly enjoyable read. I love any memoir detailing the life of a ballerina and this book was no exception. I enjoyed reading how Karz rose through the ranks to become a part of America's most prestigious ballet company, New York City Ballet, only to succumb to diabetes during her prime dancing time. It was also interesting to see how she and NYC Ballet Company responded to this disease. The only time Karz started to lose me was the last 30 pages, probably because I was tired. Overall 3 ½ stars.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sugarless Plum by Zippora Karz is about the author's experience living with diabetes. Karz's case is a bit unique, as she's a ballerina, so she must walk a fine line in her insulin and sugar intake.
Read the rest of my review here

[Tfalcone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole dance book phases was set of by watching the Turning Point...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read, decently written. Not much linguistic elegance re: diabetes per se, but her story resonated with me as someone also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in her early 20s who found herself: misdiagnosed as a type II (in Karz’s case this is just ludicrous), unprepared to ask the questions or perform the self-advocacy that would result in the right diagnosis or the proper self-management afterward (especially given the personalized/customized nature of diabetes self-management—it’s one thing to develop a chronic illness, another to develop a chronic illness that requires constant vigilance and adjustment), unprepared for the honeymoon phase, etc.

As with Phil Southerland’s diabetes memoir (see below), I would’ve liked to have heard more about her actual current day-to-day diabetes management regimen, technology used (or not), etc., especially since the book was published so recently. The book spent a lot of time on the first few years of her diagnosis but didn’t go into how her self-management regimen has changed over time. For example, Mary Tyler Moore never got a pump because she was a dancer and didn’t want something attached to her body. Did Karz?

I also enjoyed learning more about the world of professional ballet. Content-wise, this was one of the diabetes memoirs I’ve enjoyed the most, just as a memoir.

Not diabetes-related, but I was dismayed (but not surprised) by Karz’s lack of confidence and understanding of her own dancing prowess; she seemed perpetually surprised by people recognizing and rewarding her talent, and I don’t think she was humblebragging. This is completely unlike Phil Southerland, who always seemed surprised when his talent was not acknowledged! Alas, these two athletes typified gendered perspectives on talent, confidence, ego, etc.

Finally, something fun: I found an old YouTube video of her dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud8zV...
------------------------------------------------
Read as part of the Diabetes Memoir Project, in which I am reading my way through 8 commercially published (i.e., not self-published) biographies/memoirs of people with type 1 diabetes (i.e., not parents of children with type 1 diabetes) treated with injections/insulin pump (i.e., not a transplant), in chronological order by the person’s date of diagnosis. The titles are:
- Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg (Elizabeth was diagnosed in 1918 at age 11)
- Borrowing Time: Growing Up with Juvenile Diabetes by Pat Covelli (diagnosed in 1964 at age 10)
- Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes by Mary Tyler Moore (diagnosed in 1969 at age 33)
- Sweet Invisible Body: Reflections on a Life with Diabetes by Lisa Roney (diagnosed in 1972 at age 11)
- Needles: A Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes by Andie Dominick (diagnosed in 1980 at age 9)
- Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease: From Diagnosis to Dominance by Phil Southerland (diagnosed in 1982 at age 7 months)
- The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina’s Triumph Over Diabetes by Zippora Karz (diagnosed in 1987 at age 21)
- The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis that Changed Everything by Oren Liebermann (diagnosed in 2014 at age 31)

[Kateri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: this is a COMPLETELY biased review. I had the privilege of working with Ms. Karz, as she staged the first movement of Serenade on the ballet company I was a member of at the time, Central West Ballet. This was back in 2013 and through meeting her I was able to purchase her book and have it signed. Getting to dance a Balanchine, particularly his first work, is special enough. Working with Karz and reading her book these years later makes it all the more wonderful.

I will say off the bat that this is by no means a five star book in and of itself. I am just the kind of person who sees books as more than a material, quantifiable experience based on the text alone. What is art if it only relates to what it has to offer, in this case, on the page? Books are a part of our lives in ways unique to each reader's experience with that particular text in space and time, whether it be the first read or those perhaps to come. And so this experience was largely colored by my personal experience with the author, her relationship with the eminent Mr. B., and the inclusion of a passage on the very ballet (Serenade) which she staged on my great little company. These experiences are a testament to a time of my life which greatly shaped the person I am today, and for that I can do nothing but love it wholeheartedly.

But as I said, the book is not perfect simply on its own. Karz's writing is effective and at times quite evocative. But at others I could tell she was holding back. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who has studied creative writing, particularly the craft of writing memoir, and so I say that to mean the skill of her writing to fully place the reader in the truth of her experience both as she was experiencing it and as she recalls it for her readers on the page. Karz certainly does go there in the story that she tells, but she does not always let us all the way in with her writing. This also results in some showing versus telling. But if those things mean nothing to you and this title intrigues you, or the world of professional ballet and its...interesting point in history during the 70's and 80's intrigues you, then please do pick this one up. There's a lot to be learned, and of course if you are interested in this for its discussion around illness, the body, and diabetes in particular you should certainly pick this up. I personally am not directly affected by the disease though it does run in my family and so for that I found it quite enlightening.

But ultimately a reading experience I will never forget and will always hold dear.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good memoir about a ballerina who developed Type 1 Diabetes during her years as a young dancer with the NYCB.

As a ballet dancer turned nurse, I highly recommend this memoir for anyone learning to cope with Type 1 Diabetes or other chronic illness. I never danced at Karz's level, but I did take a lot of ballet lessons in high school. I remember seeing her photo in some of the NYCB rosters, but I never knew anything about Zippora. I just remember thinking that she was the only Jewish name in the whole cast, and I wanted to know her story.

I have been a nurse for a while. I am currently working with a Type 1 Diabetic. This prompted me to look up some literature, and I found this memoir. I have also developed a liking for memoirs based off of peoples experiences in medicine. Not to mention, Wilford Brimley passed away last year, our beloved "Diabeetus" spokesman.

It's a good memoir. It definitely shows how far we've come in our understanding and treatment of diabetes. I was shocked at how little support her doctors gave her, not even telling her if she was a Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetic. Or helping her figure out a diet plan or anything like that, or the importance of controlling blood sugar levels. I was shocked that she thought she didn't need insulin and tried to manage without it. These are things that are probably so standard nowadays we don't think about NOT doing it.

It also shows how far the dance world has come in understanding the health and well-being of its dancers. In a world so prone to eating disorders and injuries, I think that it's interesting to watch how far they've come in understanding how to care for themselves.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a book junkie, I attended a local ballet performance recently and what did I come home with? A book, of course. Glad I picked this one up.

First of all, this is a well-written and very interesting account of a dancer’s ballet training and subsequent life as a professional ballerina. I ate up all the details about training, classes, rehearsals, and descriptions of the different steps and poses and the mental and physical strength it takes to perform them. I admired Zippora’s strong will and dedication to her craft. So many of us take ballet lessons as little girls, but so few have what it takes to dedicate one’s life to the art of ballet. It is an all-consuming way of life.

Second, we have the story of Zippora’s health issues and her learning, at the age of twenty-one, that she had diabetes. Reading about her initial denial, frantic strategies to overcome the disease, and subsequent acceptance and struggle to keep her insulin levels stable, was both inspiring and exhausting. She is truly to be admired for both her physical strength and her strength of character.

I found this to be an absorbing read. I recommend to anyone who has a love of dance, and also to anyone dealing with a diagnosis of Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes.

[Zev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this. The cover is beautiful. The title is both clever and concise. I was delighted to find this was a memoir, not a work of fiction as I'd somehow thought.
Count this as another type one diabetes memoir done right!
I learned more than I can explain from reading this, and am so glad I did. After I set the book down, I had to think about it for awhile. When I picked this book up, I had hoped it would include a lot more about the author's experiences with diabetes, but such topic takes up maybe twenty-five percent of the book, and largely at the end of it. The rest of it is an in-depth look at the ballet world, told in a way I wasn't expecting. I'm not sure how to describe that more clearly.
The author had to cover so much territory of her time in the ballet world, which spanned nearly two decades, that the writing became bland, repetitive, and clunky. I started skimming a little over halfway into the memoir, curious about when she'd mention her diabetes in more detail. She does a wonderful job of show-don't-tell the decades the book progresses through, which I found delightful. I was glad to read about the paths she'd taken since she'd stopped dancing.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Diabetes is a day-to-day, hour-to-hour disease, and that means that it can be exhausting. It's hard to always stay in control and feel that you're doing what you need to do. Knowing that others are having similar experiences is comforting" (p. 268).

No two experiences are the same, though, and it was especially meaningful to read about her life with Type 1 Diabetes and her life as a professional dancer. 🩰 I was diagnosed at 2, which creates a much different view than diagnosis at an older age (and, in her case, an initial mis-diagnosis).

[Helen Geng]

Read April 2021

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great ABT ballerina bio

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and fascinating autobiography of a prima ballerina, November 25, 2009

This review is from: The Sugarless Plum (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This memoir of her career as a ballerina with the New York City Ballet is an insightful and moving look inside the life of Zippora Karz. Her association with this famed company began at age 18 in the corps de ballet and continued for the next sixteen years as she was noticed and groomed for principal and solo roles by the incredible choreographers of the NYCB. Her insider's description of the life of a dancer rising to the peak of her profession was fascinating and the details of the inner workings of the huge ballet company were really interesting.

Although Zippora was amazingly talented and was dancing her dream, her life was anything but easy. Her technique, passion, intensity, and perfectionism -- all part of the work ethic that a truly disciplined ballerina needs to have -- got her noticed and cast in many of the company's ballets at that time. The incredible class, rehearsal and performance schedule began to take its toll, however, and when Zippora first started experiencing symptoms of thirst, excessive urination, extreme hunger, sores that wouldn't heal, exhaustion and muscle fatigue -- she thought that's all it was -- overwork. Despite her denial that anything medically was wrong, Zippora did finally obtain blood work that provided her with a diagnosis of diabetes -- but, because she was 21 years old at the time, the doctor mistakenly assumed it was Type II rather than Type I DM and Zippora did not initially receive the correct treatment regimen. She went through years of illness but danced on despite her failing health and her dangerous blood sugar fluctuations. She tried all types of special diets, insulin injection (guesswork), homeopathic treatmets, and many other remedies until finally meeting the physician who would help her learn to control her diabetes and balance her exercise, diet, and insulin needs. After getting her blood sugar within normal limits, Zippora was able to continue her work with the NYCB and retired after having performed many incredible roles with the company. Her triumph over diabetes was made even more complete when she took on the roles of educator, advocate, and speaker for those affected with the incurable disease.

I liked this book particularly for the glimpse it gave into the heart and soul of a prima ballerina. The life sounds romantic and fantastic, but behind the scenes we see that the passion to dance must be translated into many hours of hard, grueling work in order to present the beauty of ballet that is seen on stage. To be a dancer on that level requires determination, self control, and discipline -- not to mention incredible physical strength and endurance.

I'd recommend this book to any aspiring dancer just for the descriptions of the life of a ballerina, but also to any young person who is diagnosed with diabetes. The book is a testament to Zippora Karz's ability to use her life experiences as a way to inspire and encourage others to dream big and to achieve physical and emotional balance -- with or without the threat of serious illness.

[Haley Smelcer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zippora’s memoir is touching, inspirational, dramatic, and profound. I felt 100% in her shoes through her story, not just because I am a dancer and can relate to a lot of the experiences, but because of the way she has written it. She writes like the whole thing is magic—because Ballet is magic. I just can’t think of words to describe how much I loved this book.

There was a lot of information about Diabetes in the text, and I did skip over a paragraph occasionally. But for the most part it all fit in perfect. She described how she worried about how much Insulin to take before a show so that she wouldn't faint on stage. She told about how she was in complete denial for a while. She told about the horror to find that after she broke down and tested her blood after eating off-diet for so long, and her reading was off the charts—and another time, while she was having short black-outs, her reading was so low she didn’t know that a human’s blood sugar level could get that low… and how she felt in all those situations.

How Zippora felt was a key element running through the book. It wasn’t just “this is my story, hope you enjoy.” No, it was “First this happened. It looked like this, it felt like this, it smelled and tasted like this. Then this happened!”

Would a non-dancer relate to this book? Yes I believe they would. Maybe they wouldn’t have the same respect for what she went through as I do, but they would still relate. I danced through injuries and illnesses and partnered people who could at any moment throw up all over me and had six hour rehearsals en pointe and stayed at the studio from 8:00am to 7:30 pm with only a few crackers and water keeping me alive and ate dinner at 11:30 at night. I remember how it feels. But Zippora’s memoir tells us how it is in the professional world—which is all that I mentioned to a higher degree—and does it in a way that you don’t have to have that background to understand and relate to it and feel it (Although dancers will know what a pirouette or a tendue is without the explanation that she gives. At least the better if they call themselves dancers :).

THE SUGARLESS PLUM wasn’t just for dancers. It’s for anyone who dreams of the stage. Any athlete who suffers from an illness or an injury, either Diabetes or otherwise. It shows people that although they may not be able to overcome or fix a chronic disease, but it is possible to achieve your goal and cope with it and still achieve what you dream of most.

Content: There is one scene with brief mention of sex but no explicit details, and there is no language.

Recommendation: Ages 12+ to anyone who has ever dreamed about the stage, any athlete who suffers from Diabetes and needs encouragement, or anyone who loves a touching and inspirational memoir.

[jennifer ochs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina's Triumph Over Diabetes
Author: Zippora Karz
ISBN: 978-0373892037
Publisher: Harlequin
List Price: $22.95

From a young age, Zippora Karz desired to achieve her dream of becoming a ballerina. By the time Karz had reached the age of 20, she had attained professional status and had obtained work with the New York City Ballet.

The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina's Triumph Over Diabetes is a debut memoir written by Zippora Karz, a former soloist ballerina of the New York City Ballet, best known for the high praises she received as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. From 1983 through 1999 Karz performed with the New York City Ballet.

Karz simply and honestly tells of her struggle and anguish as a competitive athlete. As she worked her way within the ballet company's echelon, she examines her fears, and anxieties, as well as her ambitions, both professionally and personally. All are set forth from a genuine self-reflection of her experiences. Thinking that her hard work and aspirations had merely resulted in exhaustion, she continued to overlook her symptoms. Karz goes on to find out that she has Type 2 Diabetes.

She speaks of her challenges to modify her diet, as well as maintain medication compliance. Karz battles to eradicate herself of the disease, knowing the life-threatening complications that can befall her. However, to her surprise, she goes on to find that she was erroneously diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and had in fact had Type 1 Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes would mean that she would require daily insulin injections for life.

Her struggles, particularly for an athlete or dancer, certainly serve as an inspiration to never give up your dream. Karz's memoir contains photos of her three generations of dancers, her grandmother, her mother, and herself. How she managed her medical condition as well as continued to press forward and pursue her career, is quite motivational. The back of the book contains a list of several resources Karz found helpful.

Karz' memoir, although 268 pages, is a quick read. To the reader, her emotional vivaciousness in light her challenges, as well as her genuineness, contribute her credibility and makes for an enjoyable read.

-Jennifer Ochs
www.nybookcafe.com

[Asma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring memoir of a type 1 diabetic ballerina; Zippora Karz,as she progresses in the world of ballet and how her diagnosis stunts her for a while. Her support system failing her. Her medical care team not doing what its supposed to. Being in denial for a long time and struggling with the reality of the situation after. Diabetes having its toll on her professional career and her relationships. She went through all of that and still be called a success story. Her life gives us all hope in the manner that no matter what life throws at you, you make the best out of it and come out a winner. Being a ballerina, I imagine, is hard enough work. Throw in insulin dependent- misdiagnosed, twice , is hard to conceive. I've got a lot of background knowledge about diabetes, Type one in particular and I was aghast to read about some of what she's been through. Being type 1 diabetes when not on insulin sucks the life out of you. You're nothing but a the walking talking definition of starvation . Needless to say, dancing in spite of it is pretty impressive. And then there's this thing that she mentions that made me completely horrified and sad for her. Apparently, ballerinas get blisters and corns all the time. A diabetic ballerina is a pretty scary mix because of the whole bad-circulation-to-slow-healing-to-infection thing that usually ends up with amputation of said limb. She danced with her toes blistered and infected and gave it all she could. Giving a new dose of motivation. Pushing you to really do our best. Her lack of support and people calling her diagnosis a desperate move to seek attention. Being half starved to death and going low before rehearsals. Her being alone during that time makes my heart go out for her. Some parts of the story I could definitely relate to and that gives off a sense of solidarity and letting me that there's always someone out there like you. I'm not a ballerina but I am involved in sports and hat can sometimes get out of control, Specially when being deprived of insulin. The last chapter was a chance to reflect upon her experiences and restating the morale of the story; no matter what happens you do your best and keep going and maybe shine in the end.

[Christine (booktumbling) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Zippora Karz offers an insightful look at her struggle to manage diabetes as a solo ballerina in her memoir The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina’s Triumph Over Diabetes. Ms. Karz’s love of dance started at an early age and with the encouragement of her family and ballet teacher, she was able to earn a place in the New York City Ballet company at the age of eighteen.

Ms. Karz’s dedication and diligent work ethic earned her many solos including the lead as the Sugar Plum Fairy in numerous productions of The Nutcracker. As the instructors and choreographers were beginning to notice her talent, the ballerina’s began experiencing increased thirst, dizziness, numbness in her limbs, significant weight loss and painful sores under her arms. At first, Ms. Karz wrote these ailments off as the consequences of an intense schedule of morning classes, hours of afternoon rehearsals and evening performances almost every night of the week. As her condition deteriorated, medical advice was finally sought and and an initial and inaccurate diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes was made. When the initial regimen of blood sugar monitoring and maintenance proved to be ineffective for the long term, the author turned to other sources of advice from a specialized diet from her grandmother to homeopathic remedies. Eventually, through the efforts of a trusted doctor, Ms. Karz was found to actually suffer from Type 1 diabetes which added the daunting task of insulin treatment.

Ms. Karz does a wonderful job of chronicling the conflict of managing diabetes and the physical and emotional requirements needed to be a ballerina for one of the most prestigious companies in the world. Her descriptions of life as a ballerina are so insightful. These were my favorite sections of the book. It was a glimpse behind the curtain and showed the extremes these dancers enter into for their moment on stage. The author is honest with her reactions to this disease from denial, defeat and finally acceptance. Anyone who lives with or is close to someone with diabetes will find this an enlightening and beautiful story.

[Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books delivers a fascinating, scary and inspirational story of a young person's life. Zippora Karz provides us a unique perspective into the life of a professional ballerina. The dedication and physical demands are sometimes overwhelming in contrast to the beauty and grace of the performance. While not the primary focus of the book, the inside story of the New York City Ballet is very interesting.

Reading the book, I could share the fear Zippora must have felt when she finally returned her doctor's calls and was told to come see her immediately. The honest admission of her denial of what was happening to her makes the telling more real. The effects diabetes has on her body before she sought treatment are scary.

I was outraged when I read how her doctors had misdiagnosed her condition as Type-2, when she was Type-1. But she overcame and gave herself the needed insulin injections. The scariest part of the whole story was how the unnamed Doctor G took advantage of her vulnerable condition. I wanted to punch the guy as I read about him.

It took a lot of courage to write down her intimate story of how this disease effected her body and the strength she had to summon in order to control her life. I found this book very easy to read and was surprised at how fast the pages turned. The message of taking control of your own health is very strong and serves as an inspiration to anyone battling a disease such as diabetes. The author also provides a nice collection of resources at the end of the book.

[Miki Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great memoir, focusing mainly on the professional ballet career of Zippora Karz, in the years leading up to her diagnosis with diabetes, and especially with her struggles in progressing in the world of ballet while also dealing with misdiagnoses, out of control blood sugars, conflicting advice, and more than a little bit of initial denial about the seriousness of the disease.

I love the idea of memoirs like these, but all too often I pick them up only to find that they are poorly written and organized, or so narrowly focused that they are only interesting to those from backgrounds similar to the subject. That being the case, I was very happily surprised with how very good this book was. The writing and organization of the book was excellent -- there was a real voice, and the "story" of the memoir flowed quite nicely. On top of that, there was an excellent balance of detail that makes the book a compelling read. While I'm sure dancers or ballet fans will find extra to love about the book, the writing doesn't assume that the reader knows all the ins and outs of that world -- but nor does it bore the ballet background reader with endless obvious details. It's also all too easy in memoirs like this to sugar-coat things, but Karz is honest here about the ways in which her denial around diabetes made things so much more difficult for her.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In recent years I've met multiple moms whose children have been diagnosed with diabetes - the preschool daughter of a longtime friend, the school age son of a neighbor, a high school boy in our church youth group as well as a school age girl in our preteen youth group - the list seems to keep growing. When The Sugarless Plum was available for reviewing, I knew I had to read it and I'm glad I did.
I was surprised to find out that Karz is a contemporary of mine since I can't remember knowing any teens/young adults with diabetes while in high school or college. It seemed to be a disease of old overweight people.
I enjoyed Karz's story of both her struggle with diabetes and her journey in the world of ballet. I had hoped this book would be great for teen and tween girls with diabetes but alas there is a too descriptive scene of an encounter between her and a doctor. I wish that had been written more discretely so more teens could benefit from reading her story.
I would recommend this book to parents of children with diabetes, college students and young adults with diabetes and anyone that wants to learn how one woman managed her diabetes while dealing with the rigorous training and schedule of a professional ballerina.

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a memoir I thoroughly enjoyed. I love ballet and while it's not a "tell all" book, the insiders look into the world of the New York City Ballet was fascinating. Zippora's account of the perseverance it took to become a prima ballerina is inspiring: the hard work and hours of practice; the pressure to not only excel, but succeed to the expectations of greats like George Balanchine.

Zippora's story is honest and unembellished. As she reaches her professional goals, her health declines and she finds herself not only striving to dance while sick, but unable to find out why she was sick. I found the story of her struggle with diabetes interesting. Diabetes isn't something I've dealt with personally, but is a disease that is very prevalent in the world today. It's also easy to make judgment calls and say that she should have asked for second opinions or even demanded more from her doctors. However, I think she did the best with what she had and could do at the time, and it's fortunate that she was able to find answers and ways of dealing with her diabetes before it was too late.

While not a book specifically about diabetes, Zippora nevertheless shares her knowledge and insights about diabetes and treating it.

[Claire Fullerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me of why I love to read a memoir. It is written in such a fast-paced, straight forward, conversational way that not only did I feel as if I know the author personally, I couldn't put it down. And, since I think there is an inner ballerina in most women, to read the inspirational memoir of a New York City Ballet soloist who climbed the ranks of ballet's secret, insular world enthralled me at every turn.

Zippora Karz was a part of NYCB when its seminal template existed: Balanchine was still alive (with his discerning eye on her) Peter Martins and Jerome Robbins were in the fold, and Suzanne Farrell, Nureyev, and Baryshnikov were in the immediate environment; it was a time in NYCB's history unlike any other, a time when its foundation was being formed, when the greats roamed the hallways, a time that will never happen again.

More than the story of one ballerina's rise to excellence, "The Sugarless Plum" is the story of dedication, perseverance, and passion that leads against all odds. There is an obstacle in this memoirists story that would bring a lesser spirit to her knees. Rather than succumbing, this ballerina struggles to overcome the challenge, and what the reader is left with are life lessons applicable to any adversarial situation.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always knew that ballet is a very difficult art to master, it requires a lot of sacrifices, discipline and asks to move our bodies in the most unnatural but beautiful way. The lives of ballet dancers are as mysterious to an average person as the chasms of the deepest ocean, but this book provides fascinating and cringe worthy look behind the velvet curtain. These people are intense athletes and with this story Zippora Karz not only exposes her hardships as a dancer but also as a diabetic. Her continuous desire to hider her pain and diseases and using injections for taking her performance to peaks even she shouldn't be attempting were intense and quite frankly hard to read. I felt deep compassion but also a bit of anger that such a bright woman would do this to her own body, but then again artists aren't simple creatures, we have our own quirks and potentials that fascinate others but take a lot out of us.

This was a good and inspirational read, and it's great to see people like Karz speak out after years of hiding, not only setting their bodies free but their minds as well, and helping others in the future.

- Kasia S.

[Shereen Rafea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zippora was a rising star at the New York City ballet with dreams of becoming a soloist ballerina dancing in production after production. During her second year in the company she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and her blood sugar began to roller coaster up and down. I enjoyed this book a lot because she spent half of it talking about her career as a ballerina ( the start, the promotions, the ups and down ) and what the vibe of the prestigious school was like . I also learned a lot about the co-founder of the New York City Ballet, Russian choreographer George Balanchine. The life of a dancer seemed brutal, dancing though so many injuries , the vigorous schedules , the health concerns, the hours of practice. She had passion so intensely for ballet that she was willing to do anything for it! I can’t help but admire that raw grit. Overall a solid book, with easy to follow recap style narrative. Lacks a bit of depth and cleverness with the metaphors , but I excused it because the story is enough to pull you through. #4stars #review #bookstagram #nonfiction #memoir #ballet #nyballetcompany

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having a daughter with Type I diabetes means that you read all about it, even in novels. So I interlibrary loaned this adult memoir about a professional ballet dancer who discovered she had Type I diabetes in her early 20's. What stands out about her story is that her doctors were STUPID. They really thought that a young dancer in wonderful physical shape could have developed Type II diabetes--the kind that overweight and out of shape people get. WHAT????? So she was mistreated for years. She even thought that by following an organic and healthy diet, she could "fix" her diabetes. Um, no. She needed insulin, and, once her body got through the honeymoon stage (where the pancreas produces a bit of insulin on its own before going kaput), she was screwed.

This really is a great book about ballet, though, too, and I enjoy reading about the beauty and hard work.

[Anne Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always a sucker for behind-the-scenes stories of the ballet world-- and Balanchine's ballet school and ABT are every bit as colorful and larger-than-life as I had hoped. Zippora makes a fabulous heroine-- she's not afraid to acknowledge both strengths and weaknesses, and her decision to take charge of both her health and her dancing are an inspirational lesson for everyone. The balance between her creative growth and struggles as a dancer and her diabetes is handled beautifully -- the book lets us see both the dancer and the woman.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding memoir about the life of a dancer with the New York City Ballet. Zippora Karz started ballet as a young girl and was chosen to attnd NYCB summer camps. By age 18 she was a member of their Corps de Ballet. But at 21 she developed Type 1 (children's) diabetes. the book covers both her experince as a dancer and her trials and tribulations as she worked to get her diabetes under control.

I enjoyed the book very much. I think that readers who have an interest in either or both ballet and diabetes would find the book worthwhile.