{"product_id":"raising-the-barre-lauren-kessler-9780306903274","title":"Raising the Barre: Big Dreams, False Starts, and My Midlife Quest to Dance the Nutcracker","description":"Like generations of little girls, Lauren Kessler fell in love with ballet the first time she saw \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e, and from that day, at age five, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But when she was twelve, her very famous ballet instructor crushed those dreams -- along with her youthful self-assurance -- and she stepped away from the barre. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Fast forward four decades. Lauren -- suddenly, powerfully, itchingly restless at midlife -- embarks on a \"Transcontinental \u003ci\u003eNutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e Binge Tour,\" where attending a string of performances in Chicago, New York, Boston, and San Francisco reignites her love affair with the ballet--and fuels her girlhood dream. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e What ensues is not only a story about \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e itself, but also an inside look at the seemingly romantic -- but oh-so-gritty -- world of ballet, about all that happens away from the audience's eye that precedes the magic on stage. It is a tale told from the perspective of someone who not only loves it, but is also seeking to live it. Lauren's quest to dance \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e with the Eugene Ballet Company tackles the big issues: fear, angst, risk, resilience, the refusal to \"settle in\" to midlife, the refusal to become yet another Invisible Woman. It is also a very funny, very real look at what it's like to push yourself further than you ever thought you could go -- and what happens when you get there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lauren Kessler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 030690327X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780306903274\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Da Capo Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/14\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.52lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.40w x 1.00d","brand":"Lauren Kessler","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43913616752895,"sku":"9780306903274","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_f5f3d5ea-795c-4c90-a737-2aeed83ec992.jpg?v=1680621387","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/raising-the-barre-lauren-kessler-9780306903274","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}