Review of "Because . . ." by Mikhail Baryshnikov

Legendary ballet dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov tells the story of a small boy whose grandmother often embarasses him with her eccentric behavior, starting with the Monday when she jumped over the next-door neighbor. When people in the neighborhood ask her why she does those unusual things, his grandmother responds proudly, "Because... I Am A Dancer!" The choice of dancer would certainly be expected from Baryshnikov, but the point of the story is not to encourage children to dance. The point is to be true to yourself. It's so important to let children find their own path because there is so much pressure on them to think within narrow boundaries and peer pressure to be like everyone else. This book shows that there are rewards for independent thinking.