bPoignant and exquisiteb--iThe Los Angeles Review of BooksibbrAn inspiring and powerful bookb--iBooklistibbrA genuinely absorbing readb--iKirkusibbrRevelatory, honest, and wondrous.b--Chanel Miller, author of iKnow My Nameib pbA lyrical and meditative memoir on the damage we inflict in the pursuit of perfection, the pain of losing our dreams, and the power of letting go of both.bb pWith a promising career in classical ballet ahead of her, Ellen O'Connell Whittet was devastated when a misstep in rehearsal caused a career-ending injury. Ballet was the love of her life. She lived for her moments under the glare of the stage-lights--gliding through the air, pretending however fleetingly to effortlessly defy gravity. pYet with a debilitating injury forcing her to reconsider her future, she also began to reconsider what she had taken for granted in her past. Beneath every perfect arabesque was a foot, disfigured by pointe shoes, stuffed--taped and bleeding--into a pink, silk slipper. Behind