Cassandra DeTrinidad- Book Review 4

[Cassandra]

I just finished the young adult, Non-fiction novel "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince with Elaine DePrince. This story will be sure to pull at the heartstrings of every reader and have you truly inspired with each page you turn. Mabinty is a young girl being raised by her loving mother and father in a small rural town of West Africa. By age 4 she had lost her father to a massacre at his work and shortly later her Mom to disease brought on by the mistreatment from her vial uncle. This same uncle will send her to an orphanage which will bring about more hardships and horrors, however, it will also save her life and set her on a path to live her dream! In the orphanage Mabinty will be referred to as number 27; out of 27 orphans, this leaves her as the least liked child by the adults, aka Aunties. Mabinty has a skin condition that has left her with spots, this will be the cause of much teasing and cause her to be passed over by American Famlies looking to adapt. This story goes on to tell you how Mabinty will live through many struggles, then finds love in an American family, a best friend who quickly becomes her sister, and the passion of becoming a ballerina. Mabinty will take on the name Michaela and will be raised on the East Coast. She learns about racism and how rare it is to be a black ballerina, she learns about the differences in American children versus the life she had in West Africa, she learns about sacrifices that one makes to live out their dream and to encourage a loved ones dream, and amazingly, she learns how to move past the fears instilled in her from her early years in Africa. Michaela writes the book as if she is just sitting and telling you the story herself, sometimes she even seems to get lost in describing her ballet moves and walks you through her choreography. I think this helps you to see how truly passionate she is. Michaela is unbelievably strong and is truly inspiring. I highly recommend you reading her story and sharing it with your reading communities.