Tolog Review: Last Dance

Last Dance
by Lurlene McDaniel
reviewed by Alyssa Noriega, class of 2015

Last Dance by Lurlene McDaniel is an enjoyable and interesting book about a girl named Rachel who wants to be ballerina, and discovers she has diabetes. I liked how Rachel put her heart and soul into dance, and overcame her constant fear of fainting from the diabetes in order continue dancing. She was very dedicated and practiced through all of her physical and emotional pain. Rachel had to work twice as hard as everyone else to get to the best shape she could be for her audition for the New York City Ballet Company. She never gave up and continued to work so hard for her dreams even though she is very sick and her parents are asking her to stop. It is inspiring, interesting, and educational to see what people have to deal with when they commit to ballet for life. I also learned a lot about diabetes from her struggle, and what kinds of changes have to be made in order to be healthy and diabetic. It was so devastating for her to get the diagnosis but she was willing to do anything to keep dancing. The story is also nice because it tries to keep the message positive and not let it become overly negative to where she allows it to prevent her from doing what she wanted to do. I feel like the book was able to get its message across to me, which was to never give up even when it seems like life is not fair. All it takes is hard work and dedication to overcome any obstacle to succeed, and I love that positivity.Last Dance would appeal to young girls who are interested in ballet or dance because it shows how competitive, intense, and the dedication that is required to succeed in ballet. It is interesting because it shows the entire lifestyle ballerinas must have in order to keep advancing in the world of ballet. This book would also interest anyone who has had to overcome great obstacles in order to succeed because Rachel was faced with diabetes during her auditions, but was still committed to succeed.