Alex Ko
From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Alex Ko’s moving autobiography will inspire tweens to dare to dream big.
Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story follows Alex’s journey from small town Iowa to becoming a famous Broadway performer in New York City. Despite all the odds he had to overcome—facing his father’s tragic death from cancer, financial difficulties, countless auditions, and serious injuries, Alex triumphantly lands the starring role in the musical Billy Elliot at age thirteen.
For theater fans who want an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the world of backstage Broadway to kids determined to achieve dreams of their own, Alex Ko’s story, told in his own words, is powerful and personal.
A collection of black-and-white photos from both Billy Elliot productions and Alex’s childhood brings his world vividly to life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ko opens his autobiography on a dramatic note, ushering readers into his Broadway dressing room on the October 2009 evening when he first appeared in the title role of Billy Elliot on Broadway at age 13. He then steps back in time to chronicle his first forays into dance and gymnastics in Iowa City, Iowa, detailing his instruction, accomplishments, and setbacks due to injuries. Ko's prose is crisp and heartfelt, with effective end-of-chapter foreshadowing. Most affecting is his description of his rapport with his father (to whom he dedicates the book), who died of cancer two years before Ko's Broadway debut, but remains a guiding influence in his life. The book's pace accelerates after Ko arrives in Manhattan to audition for the part of Billy. Theater and dance aficionados will especially appreciate his candid revelations about the rigors of auditioning, rehearsing, and performing. Though Ko's devotion to his craft is at the heart of his story, he also shows his playful side (in one funny scene, he filches toilet paper for a souvenir while performing at the White House). An ingenuous, enlightening memoir. Ages 8 12.
