It started as the perfect story. Zippora Karz was a member of the famed New York City Ballet by the age of eighteen. By twenty she was starring as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, dancing roles created by Jerome Robbins, and traveling the world. It was the stuff dreams are made of until, at age twentyone, Karz was diagnosed with diabetes.

Balancing ballet and her blood sugar would be a long and diffi cult struggle for Karz. In The Sugarless Plum, Karz shares her journey from denial, shame and miseducation about her illness to how she led an active, balanced and satisfying life as an insulin-dependent diabetic and soloist with one of the world’s most famous ballet companies. The Sugarless Plum takes readers deep into the heart and soul of a young dancer, and is a remarkable testament to determination and perseverance.

Zippora Karz:

ZIPPORA KARZ danced with the New York City Ballet from 1983 through 1999. She now serves as a teacher and répétiteur for the George Balanchine Trust and is also a diabetes spokesperson and educator who regularly addresses major diabetes conferences and organizations. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Visit her website at www.ZipporaKarz.com.