Life is looking up for Valerie Glines who, at 47, is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, interpreter for the deaf, and licensed psychotherapist. The dominant trait of her personality is optimism. She is on the verge of a prestigious position with The Mayo Clinic when, in one fast, unpredictable instant, she loses it all.

A freak accident breaks her neck, paralyzing her, robbing her not only of her professional abilities, but also of the common abilities needed for life.

Dancer, a true story of approximately 80,000 words, traces this indomitable woman’s struggle back—not once, but twice—her relentless will, and irrepressible, positive outlook as she undertakes a rocky, often heartbreaking, journey back to her life’s true calling: helping those in need. To get there, she relies not only on her own inner strengths, but also on the reappearance of a long-lost love, and childhood friends who rally to her from all parts of the country.

Unlike all other books of its kind, Dancer is told in the style of a novel—creative nonfiction, or, as Tom Wolfe used to call it, “The New Journalism.” Dancer touches a broad spectrum of today’s social issues, but more than that, it is a story that will touch the heart of every reader who opens its cover.

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.