Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince with Elaine DePrince

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Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince with Elaine DePrince


                She was known as Mabinty Bangura in Sierra Leone. She wouldn’t become Michaela DePrince until she had lost both of her parents. Her father was shot in the diamond mines by the rebels. Her mother would die from sickness. Mabinty would become known simply as a number by the guardians at the orphanage. When the rebels removed the children from the orphanage everyone would escape to Ghana, where her new mother Elaine would take her and her best friend, also Mabinty, to the United States of America. Her first night with Elaine before they left Ghana she would show her a picture she had found while at the orphanage. It was a cover of Dance Magazine. On the cover was a ballerina elevated on pointe. She wanted to be that dancer.
                It is hard to imagine what life could possibly be like for an orphan child in Africa. Reading Michaela’s account of her young life is extremely emotional and hard to digest. Murder, fear, bodies lying in the street and the rebels’s forces always near. Michaela does a great job recounting her experiences and detailing how much her life changed after being adopted. It’s obvious that throughout each phase of her life in America that she was loved by her adoptive family. This was as much a coming of age story as it was a memoir.

                This was a very quick and lovely read. I loved learning about Michaela’s history and seeing the growth and maturity of such a young woman. She tackled issues of race as a ballerina and how she was perceived while having white parents. She talks about the stress and decisions she had made to become a ballerina. It’s an incredible story and journey. This was an easy one to enjoy. I give this 4 out of 5 stars. 

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