Review: Dancing Through It

Dancing Through It: My Journey in the Ballet
Jenifer Ringer
Autobiography, Dance

Raised in South Carolina, Ringer led a typical kid’s life until she sat in on a friend’s ballet class, an experience that would change her life forever. By the age of twelve she was enrolled at the elite Washington School of Ballet and soon moved to the School of American Ballet. At sixteen she was a professional dancer at the New York City Ballet in Manhattan, home of the legendary George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

Ringer takes us inside the dancer’s world, detailing a typical day, performance preparation, and the extraordinary pressures that these athletes face. Ringer shares exhilarating stories of starring in Balanchine productions, working with the famous Peter Martins, and of meeting her husband and falling in love at the New York City Ballet. Ringer also talks candidly of Alistair Macauley’s stinging critique of her weight in his 2010 New York Times review of The Nutcracker that ignited a public dialogue about ballet and weight. She unflinchingly describes her personal struggles with eating disorders and body image, and shares how her faith helped her to heal and triumph over these challenges. 

Wow. What a book.

As you'll see in my little about me, I've been a dancer for longer than I haven't been in my short teenage life. So besides the incredible story and writing, this book really struck a chord with me.

Jenifer walks you through the humble beginnings of every little girl who puts on pink tights, through the moving around, progressing in the dance school, apprenticing in the company and climbing the ranks. You go through the amazing times and the rough ones, and she never once glorifies herself. Honestly, you have to keep reminding yourself that no matter how humbly she says it, she must be amazing to have been chosen time and time again over the others.

I can tell you that on a much smaller scale, I related to her SO MUCH. I'm telling you this not only because it is a must read for every dancer, but to tell you how REAL and unexaggerated this was. The insanity and excitement that goes on behind stage, how dance can potentially and probably will consume your life when you're not on guard. How you develop perfectionism, and how your view of yourself physically and self-esteem change as you dance more.

Truly, read this book! It is a coming of age story, as well as the story of a courageous and talented young woman overcomes the obstacles society and then eventually herself have put in her way. There were themes of health and happiness that I think anyone can relate to. I was hooked. I will warn you though- Jenifer is a Christian and it is her religion she credits her success to. Her faith is a thing of importance and a running theme in her book, but as a religious non-Christian I can assure you it was not messianic in any way or a bother at all.

Rating:

Happy return to school, everybody! See you on the Hogwarts Express(:
Love,
Esty

Review: Look Me In the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
John Elder Robison
Autobiography

Ever since he was young, John Robison longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother, Augusten Burroughs, in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world. A born storyteller, Robison has written a moving, darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human.

I picked this up because I'm writing a research paper for English class on Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and I decided to break the mold of 21st century high school students and ACTUALLY USE A BOOK in my research. 

I'm really glad I did. 

Besides providing me with all the information I needed on how ASD affects the lives of those with it, this autobiography was entertaining as many a novel I've read. John is clearly a talented writer with much life experience to share- and I've seen he has. Him and his brother have written many memoirs about their crazy lives and how they overcame the challenges in their way. I hope I'll one day get my hands on them.  

As a kid, I hated reading nonfiction. Now, while it's still second to fantasy, I can't get enough. There are REAL people out there who have done the most amazing things. If nothing else, I'm inspired by the strength and perseverance of humanity. So please, do yourself a favor and read this book. I can also recommend Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw. (link to my review).

Rating:

Life is going to be super hectic for the next month (at least) so expect sporadic blogging, if at all. (Yes, more sporadic than the current once a week ;)) I'll still be returning comments though! What are you reading?
Love,
Esty

Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bossypants
Tina Fey
Nonfiction, autobiography

Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

(Includes Special, Never-Before-Solicited Opinions on Breastfeeding, Princesses, Photoshop, the Electoral Process, and Italian Rum Cake!)

In general, this is not a book I would have picked up myself. Why? For the simple reason that I never watched anything with her in it. DON'T FREAK. I've heard of her. My mom likes her. But believe it or not, my generation doesn't watch SNL or 30 Rock.  Also, I don't live in the USA. 

So why did I read it anyway? A friend of mine who's a little older than me lent it to me a loooong time ago. It's been sitting in my TBR for like a year. And there's nothing I hate more than a book procrastinating on my shelf unread. So I read it. 

Eh. I've read the reviews and everyone thought it was hilarious. So did my friend. But what can I say, I just didn't get a lot of the jokes. And what I did get just wasn't that funny. However, I did find her story inspiring. In college you never would have known she'd make it big, by her description she actually sounded like a total loser. I liked her tale of the road to fame and the obstacles, motherhood, successes and failures. Also, the pictures in the book helped to illustrate her point. 

Title and cover comments: She uses the word bossy once in the beginning, therefore I thought it wasn't that great a title. Cover: ditto. What's the connection to the man's arms? Never explained. 

Rating: Ehhh.


Sorry again about my seriously spaced out posts! Still no internet at home, so blogging only when I have a computer at my dad's office... Not to worry! Should be taken care of next week. *puts hands together in prayer* have a great week!
Esty