Dr. Pradia, Motivated by Dance My Dream, Realized is a remarkable memoir of

a young girl who believed in dreaming.  She struggled with living in poverty

with an alcoholic father, but found joy in dancing. 

The joy of dancing motivated her to dream big. 

She dreamed of dancing on the world’s stage.

She also shares her personal story of growing up poor; picking cotton,

dreaming of going to New York City and how guiding hands

helped shaped her life.  She also gives a peek into her

dysfunctional family where she witnessed abuse, destruction, and heartache. 

The author writes, “In my youth, I loved to watch the Ed Sullivan show.

The entertainers were great.  I especially loved the acrobats and the dancers. 

Every week, I dreamed of appearing on the show myself performing acrobatics

and dance as I saw others did.”  I became obsessed!

Dr. Pradia introduces her mother by sharing some of her stories. 

In her mother’s words, "one Christmas, I was about nine years old,

they made me cook and they had some little children come play,

but we cook by the fire place and I didn’t take care of the rice good,

so the rice burn.  After the rice burn they say, “Well, the rice burn. 

You didn’t watch your rice good, but you aren’t going to eat the good rice

….the top of the rice.  We’re going to eat the good one and you are

going to have the black rice on the bottom.” … They say, “Now you eat.” 

“I’m going to eat that?  I say?  They say “Yes.” ….I started eating, they say

“Eat that rice, and went, ‘POW” a slap to my mouth.

The author reveals her family’s fear of segregation and the injustice

to blacks in their neighborhood.  The neighborhood was described

as one that included many who were related to one another

and how the community kept an eye on the children.