The Wind at My Back by Misty Copeland

The Wind at My Back by Misty Copeland

From celebrated ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland, a heartfelt memoir about her friendship with trailblazer Raven Wilkinson which captures the importance of mentorship, shared history, and honoring the past to ensure a stronger future.



Misty Copeland made history as the first African-American principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre. Her talent, passion, and perseverance enabled her to make strides no one had accomplished before. But as she will tell you, achievement never happens in a void. Behind her, supporting her rise was her mentor Raven Wilkinson. Raven had been virtually alone in her quest to breach the all-white ballet world when she fought to be taken seriously as a Black ballerina in the 1950s and 60s. A trailblazer in the world of ballet decades before Misty's time, Raven faced overt and casual racism, hostile crowds, and death threats for having the audacity to dance ballet.



The Wind at My Back tells the story of two unapologetically Black ballerinas, their friendship, and how they changed each other--and the dance world--forever. Misty Copeland shares her own struggles with racism and exclusion in her pursuit of this dream career and honors the women like Raven who paved the way for her but whose contributions have gone unheralded. She celebrates the connection she made with her mentor, the only teacher who could truly understand the obstacles she faced, beyond the technical or artistic demands.



A beautiful and wise memoir of intergenerational friendship and the impressive journeys of two remarkable women, The Wind at My Back captures the importance of mentorship, of shared history, and of respecting the past to ensure a stronger future.

 

Misty Copeland made history in 2015 when she was the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, one of the most prominent classical ballet companies in the world. She is also the author of the award-winning picture book Firebird.

Setor Fiadzigbey was born and raised in Accra, Ghana. Since his childhood he has loved drawing and is grateful to be doing it professionally as a freelance artist now that he is all grown up. He loves stories--hearing, watching, reading, and creating them. He currently lives in Ghana with his lovely wife and daughter.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781538753859
ISBN 10	1538753855
Title	The Wind at My Back
Author	Misty Copeland
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Grand Central Publishing
Year published	2022-11-15
Number of pages	240
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.