The Wind at My Back

Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor Raven Wilkinson

By: Misty Copeland, Susan Fales-Hill - contributor

Narrated by: Misty Copeland

From celebrated ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland, a heartfelt memoir about her friendship with trailblazer Raven Wilkinson which captures the importance of mentorship, shared history, and honoring the past to ensure a stronger future.

Misty Copeland made history as the first African-American principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre. Her talent, passion, and perseverance enabled her to make strides no one had accomplished before. But as she will tell you, achievement never happens in a void. Behind her, supporting her rise was her mentor Raven Wilkinson. Raven had been virtually alone in her quest to breach the all-white ballet world when she fought to be taken seriously as a Black ballerina in the 1950s and 60s. A trailblazer in the world of ballet decades before Misty’s time, Raven faced overt and casual racism, hostile crowds, and death threats for having the audacity to dance ballet.

The Wind at My Back tells the story of two unapologetically Black ballerinas, their friendship, and how they changed each other—and the dance world—forever. Misty Copeland shares her own struggles with racism and exclusion in her pursuit of this dream career and honors the women like Raven who paved the way for her but whose contributions have gone unheralded. She celebrates the connection she made with her mentor, the only teacher who could truly understand the obstacles she faced, beyond the technical or artistic demands.

A beautiful and wise memoir of intergenerational friendship and the impressive journeys of two remarkable women, The Wind at My Back captures the importance of mentorship, of shared history, and of respecting the past to ensure a stronger future.

©2022 Misty Copeland (P)2022 Grand Central Publishing

Spectacular

What an amazing story!! Raven and Misty are absolutely Stunning!! My now 12 year old great niece wrote a book report about you Misty years ago and was captivated by your story. I’m captivated by your story and this book as well. Thank you!! Keep being Amazing!!

Great story of resilience and perseverence

I enjoyed reading how Misty Copeland overcame personal and professional barriers to grab a hold of success. It takes perseverance to achieve our goals and Misty's story is a powerful reminder.

Amazing story

Amazing story that must be read by everyone. Touching story, really recommend. 5 out of 5 rating.

Misty’s endearing dedication

Really enjoyed explanation of dance, healing, and friendship during a remarkable career. Sad to listen to the racism endured.

Loved it

I didn't know much about Misty or ballet, but I loved learning from her. Her reverence and knowledge of her mentor was beautiful, and her dedication to her art was inspiring. I am glad she was the reader also. I may listen to her previous books.

Loved it

Amazing and inspiring story! What a journey! I highly recommend it to anyone. I learned a lot about Misty and Raven.

Extraordinary book.

Marvelous mémoire of two marvelous ballerinas. Misty is a fabulous human being. The whole book was mermerizing.

This book was so gratifying and touching.

This book was so gratifying and touching!!!.Bravo Misty! You're my hero! And so is Raven.

I couldn't stay awake.

Boring 😴. Overall, the story was boring. Perhaps it's because I'm not a dancer. She read the book well and was easy to understand, but even that was boring. The story was boring. I was very disappointed.