Narrative Nonfiction Michaela DePrince´s complicated, problematic and painful life from war orphan in Sierra Leone to a star ballerina in the United States is a story worth telling. Michealas life in Sierra Leone was devastating. Both of her parents passed away at a very young age, and her cruel uncle took her under his wing but he claimed she was ´unsightly´, so brought her to an orphanage to get rid of her. Things were not any better at the orphanage for Michaela in the beginning, she was tormented by all the other kids because of her skin discoloration, yelled at by auntie fatmata, and deprived of food because she was the last child to receive it at the end of the day. Michaela hated it until she met her teacher Sarah who she loved to
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He sad vengeful things such as, “You are a useless child! Look at you. How ugly you are. You have the spots of a leopard. I am wasting food and money on you.¨ (DePrince 14). Michaela is strong and handled the situation as an adult whereas many kids would give up because what he said was discouraging. Despite what her uncle said about her physical appearances, she got on stage and did what she wanted to do. This book teaches great life lessons such as, don't let what other people think about you affect you, which runs throughout the entire book. Also, moving to the United States was good for her because she had a family that loved and supported her, and always knew the right things to tell her, in order for her to never give up on her dreams, which is why the book is incredibly meaningful. However, some critics say, ¨It would've been more effective to have someone else write the story in the 3rd person¨(Maryel). Although it might be better in 3rd person I believe that readers should look past that and focus on all the amazing challenges she has overcome to achieve her passion for …show more content…
She admired the Nutcracker and when her company was auditioning girls for parts in the ballet, Michaela was ecstatic and practiced daily in order to get the main part she wanted. Then she heard the worst comments between two mothers when leaving the restroom they stated, “ Why not Michaela DePrince for Marie?” and the other mother responded, “because this city isn't ready for a black marie”(DePrince 139). Michaela was heartbroken after overhearing the conversation. She did not get many parts because she was black but she inspire many because she was a colored ballerina who didn't let her skin color interfere with continuing her
He sad vengeful things such as, “You are a useless child! Look at you. How ugly you are. You have the spots of a leopard. I am wasting food and money on you.¨ (DePrince 14). Michaela is strong and handled the situation as an adult whereas many kids would give up because what he said was discouraging. Despite what her uncle said about her physical appearances, she got on stage and did what she wanted to do. This book teaches great life lessons such as, don't let what other people think about you affect you, which runs throughout the entire book. Also, moving to the United States was good for her because she had a family that loved and supported her, and always knew the right things to tell her, in order for her to never give up on her dreams, which is why the book is incredibly meaningful. However, some critics say, ¨It would've been more effective to have someone else write the story in the 3rd person¨(Maryel). Although it might be better in 3rd person I believe that readers should look past that and focus on all the amazing challenges she has overcome to achieve her passion for …show more content…
She admired the Nutcracker and when her company was auditioning girls for parts in the ballet, Michaela was ecstatic and practiced daily in order to get the main part she wanted. Then she heard the worst comments between two mothers when leaving the restroom they stated, “ Why not Michaela DePrince for Marie?” and the other mother responded, “because this city isn't ready for a black marie”(DePrince 139). Michaela was heartbroken after overhearing the conversation. She did not get many parts because she was black but she inspire many because she was a colored ballerina who didn't let her skin color interfere with continuing her