Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How do you make something of yourself when you are the 6th of 7 brothers and born into poverty? Cunxin spent his first 11 years as a dirt poor son of peasants in China. Then, quite by chance, he was chosen to be taken to Bejiing and the Madame Mao Dance Academy. With no experience of ballet let alone living in a city, Cunxin bravely endured the hardships of loneliness and the rigors of dance.

I was surprised at how involved I became in the life of Cunxin. The book is written very plainly in a declarative style. What catches your interest is this little boy's determination to become something and to make his family proud.

The book became a feature film and I was able to watch a Today Show interview, on the Internet, that Anne Curry had with Cunxin. This was interesting as I got to see the subject of the book and catch glimpses of his dancing.



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