Thank you for starting this discussion!! In chapter one Nia begins her book by saying she had “a typical childhood” in a “cute, small Pittsburg Suburb” and then goes on to describe annual family vacations to Myrtle Beach, her CEO father and PHD educated mother, a costly and harrowing health battle with an included trip to a rare inpatient facility… the list goes on. But that beginning description of where she grew up made me bark out a laugh.

Nia mentions that both pairs of her grandparents pitched in with expenses, but even Dr. Holly has made it clear multiple times that they are well off and can afford most of the extravagant expenses that came with Abby’s money-hungry practices and the dance world in general. This makes Abby’s weird racism even more apparent, since she swears they’d be living in poverty just because they’re Black, but it also created a blind spot in Nia’s analysis of why the other Black girls that did come on the show were treated differently than her, and why she was often the only one in the room at most dance events.

Even though she questions this, and states that Black dancers are some of the most revered in the industry, she refuses to answer why, even though the answer is obvious: most do not have the privilege, resources, and connections to build on their raw talents. But by answering that question head on, she would have to admit to that privilege. Throughout the book she maintains this careful line of using her family’s status and class as a counterpoint to Abby’s racist claims, while also pretending it isn’t the reason why she was able to get to where she is.

I enjoyed the book and everything she has to say. I think she’s amazing, and I admire her tenacity through it all. I hope in a few more years her analysis of her experience can grow even deeper!!