The Phoenix Dance

The Phoenix Dance

Author: Dia Calhoun

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (2005)

ISBN: 0374359105

4 (out of 5) STARS

Summary: "Phoenix Dance battles an illness of her mind and emotions, realizes her dream of becoming shoemaker to the Royal Household, and attempts to discover what magic compels the twelve princesses of Windward to wear out their shoes each night." (publisher summary. Just so well put!)

Review: Phoenix Dance suffers from bi-polar disorder. In the book it is referred to as the Illness of the Two Kingdoms. People who suffer from bi-polar disorder experience extreme mood fluctuations. Their highs cause them to reach great heights of energy and creativity which can lead to sleeplessness, lack of appetite and poor choices. Their lows reach great depths of despair and depression which can even lead to suicide. The author of this book , Dia Calhoun, also has bi-polar. She has wanted to write a book about this disease for a long time and finally the fairy tale about the twelve dancing princesses seemed exactly correct. Calhoun believed the twelve princesses suffer a rapidly fluctuating case of bi-polar. The princess’s highs occur during the night when they dance their shoes to tatters. Then the despair occurs during the day when they cannot eat or sleep or concentrate, but feel depressed until they can again frantically dance.

The reader does not get to know the princesses very well in this book. The main character, Phoenix Dance, actually does suffer from bi-polar and must struggle with this disease as she makes choices about her career (shoemaking), love (Whelk), friendship (Rora)and if she wants to take her daily medicine to level her mood swings.