Extraordinary lives and memoirs gifts

Bestselling author Nigel Latta's simple psychological toolkit for life's ups and downs. Over thirty years working as a clinical psychologist, Nigel Latta assembled a personal toolkit based on three simple principles. These principles helped him to be more resilient, joyful, and attuned to what matters most. The same principles have helped him through some difficult times as well, such as...

The extraordinarily powerful and unforgettable memoir by the woman who stood up and spoke out about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Daughter. Prisoner. Survivor. Warrior. Nobody's Girl... This is Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s last word. In 2011, Virginia hit the headlines as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial...

Lucky You're Tough chronicles the early life of helicopter pilot and NZSAS soldier Mark Law, from growing up in the rural wilds of Whangamōmona through to surviving a series of life-threatening events that would shape his life and career. After a career as a badged soldier in the NZSAS that led to an intriguing stint with the British SAS and...

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a deeply moving memoir that recounts the author's transformative time spent with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz. The book delves into the rekindled relationship between Mitch, a successful yet unfulfilled sports journalist, and Morrie, whose wisdom and life lessons come to the forefront as he faces the final stages of ALS -...

Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir Home Again.This is more than a rock story. Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...

The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" — Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing is one of the most remarkable tales of human courage and determination ever told. Set against the backdrop of one of the harshest environments on Earth, this narrative offers a riveting depiction of true adventure and fortitude. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton, along with his crew of 27 men, embarked on an ambitious...

Surviving White Island - Surviving the unsurvivable. Healing from the unhealable. This is an inspiring memoir of physical and mental recovery, from someone who lived through the Whakaari White Island volcanic eruption. "I heard someone say, 'Wow!' And someone else exclaimed, 'Look at that!' I had my back to the crater. I turned around. The moment I saw it, I...

Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. After an early start as a bright boy in the eastern Bay of Plenty, nurtured by his reo Māori-speaking grandparents, Timoti's life changed sharply when his mother took custody of him when he was six. He survived abuse,...

From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...

This is a searingly honest and moving memoir from double Golden Globe-nominatedactress Hayden Panettiere. Hayden Panettiere has been in front of the camera since before she could talk. She roseto stardom typecasted as Hollywood's blonde girl next door. As a young celebrity,naysayers were certain she would crash and burn. Not one to disappoint, she did.Hayden Panettiere's irreverent memoir satisfies our...

Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles – available to pre-order now. ‘When asked, ‘What was it like, growing up with Diana?’, my first thought is always, But I don’t know what it was like not to grow up with her…’ In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before...

Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgun wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through her journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...

The Bookseller at the End of the World described the first part of Ruth Shaw's tumultuous life, touching readers in powerful ways. It became an international bestseller, translated into eleven languages. Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World picks up Ruth's story with more charming, heartbreaking, brave and funny tales. Having found the love of her life, Lance,...

The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a monumental work that provides a harrowing account of the Soviet Union's labour camp system. Set against a vast canvas of camps, prisons, transit centres, and secret police, the narrative unfolds the grim realities of informers, spies, and interrogators while simultaneously celebrating instances of everyday heroism. This literary masterpiece, based on the testimony...

The countdown to Christmas has never been more inspiring! Each day, children can unwrap a new story featuring trailblazers, pioneers, and dreamers who changed the world. From scientists and inventors to sporting icons and musicians, every book tells the story of someone who dared to dream big and achieved incredible things. Part of the world's bestselling biography series for children,...

The incredible first memoir from the Booker-winning radical icon Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things. Arundhati Roy's first work of memoir, this is a soaring account, both intimate and inspiring, of how the author became the person and the writer she is, shaped by circumstance, but above all by her relationship to her extraordinary, singular mother Mary,...

An inspirational guide to achieving fulfilment and finding purpose from Social Media's fastest growing angel investor. Simon loves dreams and he wants you to live yours. This book will stop you from giving up on your goals and start building the life you want. Jay Shetty, #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author and host of the On...

#1 New Zealand bestseller #1 Amazon bestseller #2 Audible bestseller #3 New York Times bestseller #3 Sunday Times bestseller #4 Australian bestseller From the former prime minister of New Zealand, then the world’s youngest female head of government and just the second to give birth in office, comes a deeply personal memoir chronicling her extraordinary rise and offering inspiration to...

Educated by Tara Westover is an extraordinary memoir that chronicles the transformative power of education and its ability to reshape one's destiny. This multi-million copy bestseller follows Tara's unique journey from a secluded childhood in the mountains of Idaho to a life of knowledge, empowerment, and self-discovery. Raised in a strict and radical household, Tara was cut off from mainstream...

A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clare’s thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay takes you on an eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and often hysterical journey through the gruelling life of a junior doctor working in the NHS. The book is based on Kay's private diaries, penned during endless shifts, sleepless nights, and missed weekends, revealing the raw realities of a profession that is both incredibly demanding and...

The incredible first memoir from the Booker-winning radical icon Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things. 'Heart-smashed' by the death of the mother she ran from at age eighteen and shaken by the intensity of her response, Arundhati Roy began this remarkable memoir—a soaring account, both intimate and inspiring, of how the author became the person and the...

Every Second Counts is a fascinating, fast-paced memoir by award-winning NZ journalist Charlotte Glennie, who survived life-changing injuries after a near-fatal accident. She went on to break new ground reporting across Asia during major world events, including military and political crackdowns and natural disasters. Set in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Europe, this is the adrenaline-fuelled life of a journalist...

One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...

Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Māori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...

When Breath Becomes Air is an extraordinary memoir that offers readers an intimate glimpse into the life of Paul Kalanithi, a talented neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the age of thirty-six, just as he is poised to complete nearly a decade of rigorous training. In this profoundly moving and thought-provoking narrative, Kalanithi takes readers on a...

Bestselling author, NYU professor, and cohost of the Pivot podcast, Scott Galloway offers a path forward for men and parents of boys. Boys and men are in crisis. Rarely has a cohort fallen further and faster than young men living in Western democracies. Boys are less likely to graduate from high school or college than girls. One in seven men...

"If being a war correspondent can be addictive, this book might just leave you hooked. From brushes with landmines to Ukrainian hotdogs, Lisette's celebrated storytelling vividly brings to life the powerful stories behind her reports." - Mike McRoberts 'I woke up every day expecting to fall asleep in a different country. A blur of breaking news, airports, body armour, border...

A radiant new memoir from beloved artist and writer Patti Smith, author of the National Book Award Winner Just Kids. ‘God whispers through a crease in the wallpaper’, writes Patti Smith in this indelible account of her life as an artist. A post-Second World War childhood unfolds in a condemned housing complex described in Dickensian detail: consumptive children, vanishing neighbours,...

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls offers a stirring portrait of a childhood marked by both deprivation and resilience. Walls, a celebrated journalist, recounts her journey starting from the dusty, desolate mining towns of the American Southwest, to finally reaching the grandiose, antique-filled apartment on Park Avenue in New York City. This evocative memoir takes readers through an extraordinary life...

Crying in H Mart 'fking destroyed me,' - Olivia Rodrigo 'Michelle Zauner explores what it means to cook your feelings... she uses the lens of food and cooking to explore her Korean identity after she loses her mother to cancer.' - Jungkook of BTS From the indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast, this is an unflinching, powerful, deeply moving memoir about growing...

The cycles of trauma and abuse often perpetuate across generations, until someone finds the courage to break the chain. In She Is Not Your Rehab by Matt Brown, readers are taken on a transformative journey through the lives of men who have dared to say, "This stops with me." In the haven of Matt's barbershop, men find more than a...

Packed with hard-won wisdoms and gentle truths, this is Miranda's honest exploration of the lessons she has learned on her journey from illness to recovery. Hello to you, I am with news. I have a new book. Basically, I have had an unexpectedly difficult decade - there have been surprising joys, but also challenging lows. I shall be honest about...

The sexual assault that stunned the world. A courageous woman's rallying call for shame to change sides. For the very first time, Gisèle Pelicot tells her story. In A Hymn to Life, Gisèle Pelicot inspired and moved millions of people with her astonishing courage and dignity as she chose to waive her right to anonymity in her legal fight against...

The candid, laugh-out-loud guide on self-love and learning to choose yourself from a self-proclaimed oversharer—perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love. A relatable, honest and inspiring collection of inside thoughts about love, life, and personal growth—the good, the bad, the laugh-out-loud funny—from viral storyteller and queen of oversharing, Milly Goldsmith. Milly has captured the online hearts...

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami is an enchanting blend of memoir, travelogue, and philosophical contemplation, offering readers a rare glimpse into the mind of this internationally acclaimed novelist. This captivating narrative delves into Murakami's journey as a runner and how it intertwines with his life as a writer, exploring the profound impact running...

In 1988, Silvia Cartwright published what would become a landmark report, the Cervical Cancer Inquiry, into medical malpractice against cervical cancer patients. While many praised the investigation, some in the medical fraternity dismissed it as a feminist witch-hunt and rallied behind the professor whose research was denounced. The controversy spilled beyond lecture theatres and hospital corridors. One day, a social...

Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the author’s bestselling memoir Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampire’s badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...

In this illuminating and beautifully written book, Grant Robertson reflects on the major events in his life, from growing up in a loving but complex family, to his highly successful career as a Labour politician and becoming Finance Minister in the Ardern government during one of New Zealand history's most tumultuous times. A natural storyteller, Robertson writes memorably about his...

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience – classics which will endure for generations to come. A single person is missing for you, and the whole world is empty. John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their daughter fall ill. At first,...

Over 5 million copies sold Can't Hurt Me candidly chronicles the relentless journey of David Goggins, a man who transformed immense adversity into triumphant achievement. Growing up in an environment plagued by poverty, racism, and constant abuse, Goggins faced challenges that would defeat most. Yet, through an unwavering commitment to self-discipline, mental fortitude, and relentless effort, he emerged as a...

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton is a sparkling memoir capturing the highs and lows of navigating love and life in your twenties. This Sunday Times bestseller unfolds like a delightful conversation with an old friend, full of humour, heartbreak, and hope. Dolly Alderton takes readers on an unforgettable journey through her own experiences, revealing the messy, beautiful...

The life and times of one of the most important writers of our time, from her peripatetic childhood in the Canadian far north, through the writing of The Handmaid's Tale, to her position today as a revered truth-teller and literary icon. How does the greatest writer of our time tell her own story? Immerse yourself in the creative universe of...

A wild, whip-smart and hilarious memoir confessing the highs, lows and sexploits of viral sensation, Only Fans star, porn creator, podcaster, entrepreneur and call girl Blue-Eyed Kayla Jade. Honest, unflinchingly raw and wickedly amusing, Call Girl Confidential reveals the truth behind being a full-service sex worker in Australia today. Australia's most sex-positive influencer reveals the truth behind being an international...

Beginning at a love hotel by Japan's Inland Sea and ending by a river in Tasmania, Question 7 is about the choices we make about love and the chain reaction that follows. By way of H. G. Wells and Rebecca West's affair through 1930s nuclear physics to Flanagan's father working as a slave labourer near Hiroshima when the atom bomb...

I stumble across a photo of me, aged ten. My immediate thought is: 'Who is that girl?' I remember her but I don't recognise myself in her. She was so determined. Once she knew what she wanted, she'd just head straight for it. From a childhood in rural Piopio, Jenny-May Coffin grew up to achieve international success as a Silver...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD! A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life. Jennette McCurdy was six years old...

The Remarkable Story of How One Man Defied the Odds At 18, Paul Wood thought he had lost everything. He had committed an act he knew would send him to prison for many years. To a young man like Paul, it might as well have been for the rest of his life. Plunged into a nightmarish world of extreme violence,...

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is an evocative memoir that chronicles the early life of a young boy growing up in South Africa during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days that followed. This coming-of-age story is told with an engaging blend of humour, heartbreak, and raw honesty, capturing both the absurdity and the intensity of life under...

The Gift by Edith Eger is a profound exploration of resilience and the human spirit, encapsulated in a series of reflections on hope, healing, and finding freedom. This poignant narrative is penned by a celebrated therapist and Holocaust survivor, who has also authored the award-winning international bestseller, The Choice. Eger's journey takes the reader from the unimaginable horrors of Auschwitz,...

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance is a deeply intimate and poignant memoir that delves into the life and struggles of the white working-class Americans. It follows the journey of the Vance family, starting with J.D.'s grandparents who, seeking a better life, moved from the Appalachian region of Kentucky to Ohio. They hoped to leave behind the harrowing poverty and...

This compelling tell-all reveals the realities of working as a doctor in New Zealand. Fast-paced and darkly funny, it chronicles ten years of working in medicine - treating the victims of the Whakaari White Island eruption, being on the frontline during the pandemic, dealing with chronic understaffing - and sheds a light on where and why the health system is...

There's no one as dangerous as someone who believes they have nothing to lose. Eight years ago, Nix Adams started posting videos on Facebook while she was freshly out of jail, in order to show her kids that she was sober and on the path back to them. It was after her youngest child, Alaska, died suddenly of a virus...

In her first non-fiction book in a decade, the no. 1 bestselling writer who taught millions of readers to live authentically (Eat Pray Love) and creatively (Big Magic) shows how to break free. In 2000, Elizabeth Gilbert met Rayya. They became friends, then best friends, then inseparable. When tragedy entered their lives, the truth was finally laid bare: the two...

A remarkable, defiant work of radical acceptance from acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist Yiyun Li as she considers the loss of her son James. 'There is no good way to say this,' Yiyun Li writes at the beginning of this book. 'There is no good way to state these facts, which must be acknowledged. My husband and I had two children...

For three and a half years, calamities hit Elizabeth Knox and family in rapid succession. Her sister suffered a psychotic break and was hospitalised against her will, her husband’s brother died by violence, and her mother was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.  In time, she was able to write about it. Night, Ma is a book about the net of...

Tall tales and fishing lore from Kiwi fishing personality Cliff Barnes. As he looks back over his adventurous life, Cliff Barnes muses that he must have used up eight of his nine lives while fishing along the Northland coast but, on a recount, concedes he has used up the lot. Among his many scrapes with death was the time his...

The long-awaited memoir from a true Hollywood icon. We know Sylvester Stallone as one of the most revered actors, writers, and directors of all time, yet his life story is every bit as dramatic, intense, and inspiring as his greatest creations on screen. Bringing together a no-holds-barred account of a fascinating life with messages of hope, positivity, and resilience, in...

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is a profoundly moving and unflinchingly honest memoir that delves deep into the heart of grief and mourning. This poignant narrative recounts Didion's life-altering year following the sudden death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and the severe illness of their only daughter, Quintana Roo. In the days leading up to Christmas...

Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...

Seven lessons from the international icon on how to live a meaningful, purposeful life, for fans of Atomic Habits and Wim Hof. Featuring new bonus material: Arnold Schwarzenegger's 77 Lessons at 77 The seven rules to follow to realise your true purpose in life are distilled by Arnold Schwarzenegger from his own journey of ceaseless reinvention and extraordinary achievement, and...

Northern Irish-born, Kiwi by choice, Nic's lived through cancer, the death of her three-year-old daughter Kenzie, Parkinson's, and a heart transplant—yet, somehow, she still gets up swinging. Out of that chaos came Kenzie's Gift, the charity she founded to help children and young people whose parent or sibling has died or is seriously ill. Two decades on, it's supported thousands...

The hilarious and heartfelt debut book from award-winning TV writer and comedian Pax Assadi A joyfully chaotic memoir about what we gain by embracing our shameful moments, from award-winning comedian and TV writer Pax Assadi.What do we lose by hiding our shame, and what do we gain by sharing it? From herding ducks across South Auckland to catastrophic culture shock...

In 1987 Sally Wenley was the driven, fun-loving and at times naughty sports prefect of her Hawke’s Bay school with everything to live for. When a bus crashed on a school trip, five people were killed and she became a paraplegic, her sporting dreams in tatters. Now an award-winning radio reporter, in this engaging, uplifting and at times hilarious memoir...

'I'm not going to tell you that everything happens for a reason. Those words are cold comfort in any traumatic moment. This is what I will say, though: I see you. I hear you. I am with you.' Growing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Chloe Chapman thought her life would unfold close to home, surrounded by childhood friends...

This is the voice of a writer with a keen sense of life’s mundane weirdness, and a poet’s knack for startling imagery. One Year Out is a valuable addition to the personal essay genre. - Airini Beautrais One Year Out traces one terrible, beautiful year through addiction, public rehab, and mental unravelling - then an unexpected move to Bali, where...

The Farm is a lyrical and entertaining journey to the heart of rural life in New Zealand from one of our greatest living writers. When Bruce Ansley visited a friend on a sheep farm on Banks Peninsula, they pointed out a property for sale, down by the water. Down a drive curving through sycamores, oaks, and rhododendrons, there was a...

One of the world's bestselling storytellers, Lesley Pearse writes brilliantly about survivors. Why? Because she is one herself... Lesley Pearse didn't publish her first novel until she was 48. Now she has sold over ten million books around the world and is a constant presence on the bestseller chart. A writer of heart-stopping stories, Lesley's books are filled with heroines...

How do you rebuild yourself when your whole world changes overnight? When Malala Yousafzai was thrust onto the public stage, she was just fifteen years old. Forced to leave her home in Pakistan after the Taliban's brutal attack on her life, she became an international icon—a young woman who embodied courage, resilience, and hope. But underneath that outward-facing persona was...

Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever. In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be...

Dive deeper into the world of Little People, BIG DREAMS with this keepsake treasury featuring 50 dreamers from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling series. Learn more about each of your favourite dreamers with new in-depth stories, facts, and figures. Each story is rewritten to be appropriate for an older audience. Revisit best-loved figures from the series and some new ones,...

An Angel at My Table by Janet Frame is a poignant and compelling autobiography that traces the extraordinary journey of one of New Zealand's most acclaimed authors. The narrative begins with her enchanting childhood, unfolding the wonders and curiosities of her early years. As Frame grows, she faces the dark and harrowing experiences of being misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, resulting in...

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku is a profoundly inspiring memoir that tells the story of how hope, kindness, and inner strength can lead to happiness even in the darkest times. Born in Germany, Eddie Jaku considered himself German first and Jewish second. His life, however, took a harrowing turn in November 1938 when he was beaten, arrested,...

An unforgettable coming-of-age story, Free by Lea Ypi explores the profound meanings of freedom—personal, collective, and political—through the eyes of a young girl growing up in one of the most isolated countries on earth. Albania, where communist ideals replaced religion, stood as the last Stalinist stronghold in Europe, virtually impossible to visit or leave. It was a land of scarcity...

Papillon, written by Henri Charrière, is a thrilling memoir of resilience, adventure, and the unyielding human spirit. Set during the 1930s, the story revolves around Henri Charrière, a Frenchman wrongfully convicted of murder. Nicknamed "Papillon," which means "butterfly" in French, due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest, Charrière is sentenced to life imprisonment in the notorious penal colony of...

When the Taliban were at the height of their power in 2001, Abbas Nazari's parents were faced with a choice: stay and face persecution in their homeland, or seek security for their young children elsewhere. The family's desperate search for safety took them on a harrowing journey from the mountains of Afghanistan to a small fishing boat in the Indian...

Discover the raw, startling truth of self-discovery in Glennon Doyle's transformative memoir, Untamed. This Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a selected pick for Reese Witherspoon's Book Club invites readers into a journey of breaking free from societal constraints to embrace one's true essence. Without succumbing to the expectations and pressures of the world, Doyle offers a liberating path to...

When I was twenty-one, I met a girl who introduced me to five magic words that changed my life: Happy, Thank You. More, Please. Kyla Cobbler's path to self-love hasn't run smoothly. From making questionable dating decisions, to using booze to quell her constant Irish state of mortification, to getting arrested for drug smuggling—sometimes it's been hard to believe the universe...

The sequel to Mao's Last Dancer - the highly anticipated follow up to one of the world’s most beloved books. Li Cunxin captivated the world with his unforgettable memoir, Mao’s Last Dancer – the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of how a poor peasant boy, the sixth of seven sons, was plucked from his classroom to train at the Beijing Dance Academy...