An Inspiring Story of Overcoming Adversity: Life in Motion of an Unlikely Ballerina

Dr. J: Misty really opens up about the good and bad. You see her struggles as well as her triumphs and how she really feels. I really enjoyed a look inside the world of ballet.

United States on Sep 11, 2023

Client Kindle: Misty Copeland story is all about never giving up. Everything is possible if you keep working towards your goals and dream. Always be grateful and humble. Even if you are différent, not really what society is expecting you to .be...you can do it! This book is gathering all the lessons to live your life the fullest

United Kingdom on Dec 21, 2019

Marilyn R Wilson: I decided to buy this book as I love biographies and have been a dancer, a dance mum and a dance costumer. It didn't disappoint. Misty shares her journey openly with the reader in a way that opens the door into her world. The discipline of ballet is demanding both physically and mentally. Add in the layer of breaking down racial barriers and it takes a strong person to succeed. Well done. I hope one day I get to see her dance live on stage.

Canada on May 14, 2018

La Fiancée du Panda: Je connaissais le parcours exceptionnel de Misty Copeland et j'avais envie d'en savoir plus sur elle. Son autobiographie a totalement répondu à cette attente, puisqu'elle se livre sans fard sur le long parcours semé d'embûches qu'elle a réalisé avant d'atteindre le statut tant convoité d'étoile. Sa détermination et la manière simple et vraie dont elle raconte ses périodes de doute sont particulièrement inspirantes.

Par contre, le livre vaut plus pour son histoire que pour sa qualité littéraire, ne vous attendez pas à du Jane Austen...

France on Nov 23, 2017

Nichola M: Misty Copeland is a very elegant, graceful and inspiring young lady. I knew nothing of her until late last year when i saw her "i will what i want" AD on Youtube. From that very moment i was mystified! I had never in my life seen a brown ballerina and Misty Copeland is a beautiful one at that. l added this book to my "Amazon Wishlist" but didn't end up buying and reading it until 1 year later. Silly me! But, to be honest i have read it at the most perfect time in my life. In the age we live in, with "celebrities" bed hopping, drug taking and sex tape making, a woman like Misty who has a genuine and brilliant talent is a dying breed. Her demeanour should be celebrated. This is the type of female our young girls should aspire to, she is respectable, sophisticated and exudes class. Her book tells all about her childhood, the poverty she lived through and her neglectful mother who had 6 children with many toxic men and how Misty and her siblings fled with her mother from these men, in midnight flits, from man to man, house to motel, because she had failed at another attempt of a "relationship". The serendipitous tale of how she discovered ballet and the lady who encouraged her talent...

United Kingdom on Aug 10, 2015

Sappia: I should have borrowed this from the library, not bought it.

Misty is an interesting woman & artist, to a point. She was undeniably a prodigy. Being a prodigy, however, does not guarantee you will become brilliant in your field.

After reading this memoir & watching all the Youtube videos I could find on Misty, I think she's a prodigy who hit a plateau. There's nothing wrong with that. She's a soloist at a world class company, and deserves to be. The plateau is that she doesn't seem to be principal material. From the performances I've seen, she lacks variety in her dance.

When she performs a role that is well-suited to her, she is amazing. But those roles are few and far between. She doesn't seem to have the depth of emotion and range of dance to be a principal.

That lack of depth is evident in her memoir. It is extremely repetitive. She was a prodigy (she tells us over and over). She was tiny (again, over and over). Whenever she has done well, she repeats in print all of the compliments and accolades she received, as if she must prove something. Whenever she has not done well, she tells us, it has been either due to injury or racism.

She...

United States on Jan 18, 2015

Captain Snackbar: I've always loved Classical Ballet; I feel it's the most beautiful form of dance there is. It's something my wife and I share. When I met I her she had a Mikhail Baryshnikov calendar on her wall. She danced when she was very young. She introduced me to Ballet and Artistic Gymnastics, both she had done in her youth. Sadly ended by injury.

We both love to watch "So you think you can dance." as it brings some fantastic dancers to the stage and some of the wildest choreography I have ever seen. It brought us "Twitch"!

This last season we were watching as usual and I noticed a guest judge I had never seen before and I asked my wife who it was. She asked me, "You don't know who that is?" I had no idea other that she looked very serious. She said "That's Misty Copeland; one of the best ballerina's there is anywhere." I shrugged my shoulders, "OK." Her critiques were so precise and on point; every toe point; every movement; every emotion. I was like, "This dancer knows her business." I was impressed and I believe she was on for two episodes. My wife still was asking me how could you not know who she is? One thing I did know; she knows her business.

The above notes...

United States on Oct 06, 2014

Claire Booth: I read this book having seen a viral advert with Misty Copeland "I Will what I Want". She brings an excitement and buzz to ballet. Amazing clip!
Her book is a simple , thoughtful read. Sometimes sad, sometimes vulnerable - she comes across as a real life , credible woman with an inspiring story for young achievers , be it dance or other . As she says "this is for all the little brown girls " she will be an amazing mentor to many of them .
Can't help but notice the bitterness she has towards elite white establishment in ballet. That saddens the reader as this is an art form that should transcend skin colour. But then shouldn't all areas of life .

United Kingdom on Aug 26, 2014