{"title":"Karen Valby","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into Karen Valby's insightful storytelling, where cultural commentary meets compelling narratives. Explore her works for a fresh perspective on modern life, perfect for fans of thoughtful, engaging non-fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"swans-of-harlem-book-karen-valby-9781786582492","title":"The Swans of Harlem","description":"For fans of Hidden Figures and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  'The kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!' MISTY COPELAND  'Vibrant, propulsive and inspiring' TIA WILLIAMS  Harlem 1969; it's the height of the Civil Rights era and the community is still reeling from the assassination of Martin Luther King. Arthur Mitchell, the first Black principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, takes his protest to the stage and establishes the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Here begins the story of the five extraordinary women at the heart of this book.   Both a group biography and a story of a particular time, this is a book about ballet, the enduring allure of ballet for young girls, and about how these pioneers broke into a world that was closed to them and changed ideas of what a classical dancer could be.  It is about the heart-breaking impact of the AIDS epidemic which claimed the lives of so many of the male dancers. It's about racism and activism through art.  And it's about the eternal glamour of ballet; these swans appeared at the grandest opera houses and theatres, dancing at the White House, and even for the Queen. Their fans included Mick Jagger and they performed alongside the likes of Michael Jackson and Josephine Baker.   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Karen Valby's extraordinary capacity to observe and empathize helps us understand that whether we live in a small town like Utopia, Texas, or a large city, we confront the same fears and dream the same dreams. 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