{"product_id":"little-movements-9780593736753","title":"Little Movements","description":"\u003cb\u003eA page-turning, tenderhearted debut about a Black woman who is finally given a chance to pursue her dream of becoming a renowned choreographer, only to find that it comes at a tremendous personal cost\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A beautifully wrought tribute to all that inspires us to move, and a necessary reminder that, though missteps and stumbles are inevitable, they're only a part of life's wondrous dance.\"--Mateo Askaripour, author of \u003ci\u003eBlack Buck\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLayla Smart was raised by her pragmatic Midwestern mother to \u003ci\u003edream medium\u003c\/i\u003e. But all Layla's ever wanted is a career in dance, which requires dreaming big. So when she receives a prestigious offer to be the choreographer-in-residence at Briar House, an arts program in rural Vermont, she leaves behind Brooklyn, her job, her friends, and her husband to pursue it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNavigating Briar House and the small, white town that surrounds it proves difficult--Layla wants to create art for art's sake and resist tokenization, but the institution's director keeps encouraging Layla to dig deep into her people's history. Still, the mental and physical demands of dancing spark a sharp, unexpected sense of joy, bringing into focus the years she'd distanced herself from her true calling for the sake of her marriage and maintaining the status quo. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJust as she begins to see her life more clearly, she discovers a betrayal that proves the cracks in her marriage were deeper than she ever could have known. Then Briar House's dangerously problematic past comes to light. And Layla discovers she's pregnant. Suddenly, dreaming medium sounds a lot more appealing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePoignant, propulsive, and darkly funny, \u003ci\u003eLittle Movements \u003c\/i\u003eis a novel about self-discovery, about what we must endure--or let go of--in order to realize our dreams.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLauren Morrow \u003c\/b\u003estudied dance and creative writing at Connecticut College and earned an MFA in fiction from the Helen Zell Writers' Program. She was a Kimbilio Fellow and an Aspen Words Emerging Writer Fellow and is the recipient of two Hopwood Awards, among other prizes. Her writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003ePloughshares\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eSouth Carolina Review\u003c\/i\u003e. She worked in publicity at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and is now a senior publicist at Dutton, Plume, and Tiny Reparations Books. Originally from St. Louis, she lives in Brooklyn.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51589908168978,"sku":"9780593736753","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e8a99717-82cd-4709-918a-a528c2f31814.jpg?v=1756813645","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/little-movements-9780593736753","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}