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nickscoby's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed listening to this book and learning more about Misty Copeland. I had just the right balance of knowing some of her story but not a whole lot which meant that I often was surprised at how things turned out. There is a very suspenseful section about her guardianship that had my stomach in knots. I actually texted my mother, "Will Misty ever become a ballerina???" Heh.
I don't want to give away too much but I will say that what impresses me the most is how this book is the opposite of The Blind Side and that cannot be stressed enough. I also appreciate how much Mity talks about body image and self-doubt. Seriously, it's a tough life.
Finally, Misty, in case you are reading this, DON'T LISTEN TO ALL OF THE HATERS. Girl, haters gonna hate. Keep doing you.
pehneigh's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming
schnoebs13's review
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I have mixed feelings on this and honestly, it might have had to do a bit with the audiobook rather than the actual book but I’m not sure. I really enjoyed learning about Misty’s life and her experiences as ABT. It definitely shows everything she went through to earn her position as soloist and now principle ballerina. That being said, it think the pacing was a little bit more and I think I would have preferred more of the book discussing her actual experiences at ABT than her build up in her ballerina training to get there. At the same time, I’d never want to tell someone how to reflect on their life’s story. I loved the involvement of her friendship with Prince and all the external work she did outside of ABT to bring ballet to the general public. Overall, it made me appreciate her as a person and definitely made me research more into what she’s accomplished since the publication of this book.
samiisteffenn's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. I read that a lot of people had problems with the format of the storytelling, but that didn’t bother me at all. In my opinion, if the story was told 100% chronologically it would have gotten too tangled up and too confusing to sort out. It made perfect sense to me how she talked about her issues with body image, her relationship with Olu, and her anger at the racism present in the ballet world all at different points in the book even though they were happening at the same time. The book maybe could have used one more edit to lace everything up and make it crisp, but the storytelling structure really didn’t bother me.
As a dancer, I wish Misty would have talked a little bit more about the presence of eating disorders/disordered eating that takes place in the industry. It’s a real problem, especially among younger dancers. However, I was glad she talked about her struggle with accepting her body, especially since she is curvy and muscular which ballerinas are usually not. I also went through puberty late as covid hit and I stopped dancing as much and I suddenly have hips that make fifth position really difficult. I appreciated her acknowledgment at how our bodies changing can have severe psychological tolls, even if our technique recovers quickly.
In the end, I really enjoyed this book. I identified with Misty’s rocky childhood life, dance being the only thing to rely upon, and that perfectionism that is at times crippling. Misty is such an inspiration.
As a dancer, I wish Misty would have talked a little bit more about the presence of eating disorders/disordered eating that takes place in the industry. It’s a real problem, especially among younger dancers. However, I was glad she talked about her struggle with accepting her body, especially since she is curvy and muscular which ballerinas are usually not. I also went through puberty late as covid hit and I stopped dancing as much and I suddenly have hips that make fifth position really difficult. I appreciated her acknowledgment at how our bodies changing can have severe psychological tolls, even if our technique recovers quickly.
In the end, I really enjoyed this book. I identified with Misty’s rocky childhood life, dance being the only thing to rely upon, and that perfectionism that is at times crippling. Misty is such an inspiration.
kevinmccarrick's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
margot23reads's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
It's a joy to hear an artist tell you all about the joy she finds in her art. There is so much else to this book, but that's what I loved most. Reading about an artist in love with art.
morganrondo's review against another edition
5.0
What an inspiring, moving story of a phenomenal ballerina!
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Misty Copeland was introduced to ballet at an after school program. She began taking dance classes at age 13, attending the San Pedro Dance Center. After only three months of training, she was able to dance en pointe, which I find to be impressive. She eventually went on to be a principal with the American Ballet Theatre, where she is still dancing. She is an exquisite dancer, and a beautiful person. Without encouragement and intervention along the way, she may never have became the wonderful dancer she is today. The subtitle of her book, "an unlikely ballerina", absolutely makes sense after reading it.