Mao's Last Dancer

I have a special attachment to this book—I first read it as a child, and come back to it repeatedly because I love the way Cunxin describes his life. Every time I read it, I ache for him as he says goodbye to his tiny Chinese village (and beloved mother) and goes over to the harsh world of ballet.

This book might not be a plot-driven thriller, nor a meditation on identity, but it tells a vibrant and uplifting journey. Readers get to see Cunxin grow from a terrified boy who desperately misses home, to an ambitious ballet star. We… show more.

Born into poverty in Chairman Mao’s regime, Li’s peasant life was altered when he was chosen to be one of the special guards for Mao’s new China.

I found this small boy’s courage and his understanding, both forged by his longing for freedom, to be one of life’s most great motivators. I cried for him in his times of desperate loneliness and was proud of him in his moments of success, however small.

Li’s dream to become the world’s finest dancer becomes a reality when, after many years of heartache and desperation, eventually overcome by his determination and grit, he… show more.