When the wind blew a magazine with a picture of a ballet dancer onto the orphanage gates, she looked so happy that I promised myself that I’d be a ballerina one day. Michaela's story has really inspired me: to always have hope, always keep trying and never give up, despite the circumstances that taunt you and tempt you into believing that you can't accomplish that dream that you so badly desire. Though the book doesn't hide the sacrifices made by Michaela and her parents, their selflessness, passion for life, and love for each other make those sacrifices look so small in comparison. This is a book which is suitable for older teens (probably about 14 upwards) and adults because of the difficult nature of Michaela’s early years in Sierra Leone.

It honestly sickened me at the racial prejudice and bigotry that Michaela and her family were faced with and I so immensely admire Michaela's constant courage and perseverance, her love for ballet and her wish to allow black ballerinas to be a social norm instead of a rare occurrence in the ballet world. I don’t dwell on the story in this review because I don’t wish to steal any of the joy of your own discoveries.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'. I also would like to know what happened to Mia, as I loved their stories about their close relationship growing up, but there isn't much said about Mia towards the end.

I was blown away by the love portrayed in this book and how it overpowers the atrocities of Michaela's early life. You are taken on a journey of a young lady from Sierra Leone, where she heard about her father's death and then eventually her mother's. Being written by Michaela DePrince and her mother, who are not professional authors, the writing was not the most impressive part of the book but it did come across as authentic. The orphans are in danger in war-torn Sierra-Leone but some American families come to their rescue and she starts a new life in America. Hope in a Ballet Shoe is a true story about Michaela DePrince, a little girl who lost her parents before the age of five, a little girl who saw her favorite teacher brutally, sickeningly murdered by a group of war rebels, a girl who was abused at an orphanage, who was starved and plagued with a myriad of diseases.Uncle Sulaiman, a humble but brave night watchman, who barely knew me, risked his own life and said, “Please do not kill her, she is just a poor orphan pikin,” as he lifted me out of the hands of a band of debils (rebels). Michaela is now a professional ballerina, who danced principal with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, in guest principal roles in South Africa and The Netherlands, and is now just starting with The Dutch National Ballet. 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. Her teacher once brings a magazine for Michela, where she was first introduced to the concept of Ballet.

This book reminded me yet again that to dream, to believe and to stay true to yourself is a recipe for personal fulfillment. After the deaths of her parents, she moved to an orphanage from which she was adopted and taken to the US in 1999.Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn Sierra Leone during the decade long civil war that took place there.