Book Reviews

Booklist Starred Review
Issue: November 1, 2009
The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina’s Triumph Over Diabetes.
Karz, Zippora (Author)
Nov 2009. 288 p. Harlequin, hardcover, $22.95. (9780373892037). 792.802.
After learning to dance in Thailand during her dad’s army tour, Karz studied at George Balanchine’s
School of the American Ballet, the training ground for the New York City Ballet. At 17, she danced as the
Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and at 20 she danced in company cofounder Jerome Robbins’
Goldberg Variations. Loving the “order and control” of dance, Karz was shaken to the core when she was
diagnosed with diabetes at age 21. Failed attempts at self-healing were followed by insulin injections and
blood tests throughout her demanding routine of classes, rehearsal, and evening performances—all in
secret to conceal the severity of her illness. Six years later, after she’d toured internationally despite
frightening fluctuations in blood sugar levels, she remained in the corps de ballet, then was promoted to
soloist. One of the pleasures in this empowering journey of talent and determination is Karz’s faultless
writing; it’s never awkward or stilted even when she provides medical and technical dance facts. This
winning memoir will appeal strongly to readers interested in dance, health, and artists’ memoirs.
— Whitney Scott

In 1987, when Karz was 21 and dancing in the corps of the prestigious New York City Ballet, she began to suffer constant thirst and dizziness, frequent urination and oozing sores under her arms. After an initial misdiagnosis and months of denying the seriousness of her condition, Karz faced the devastating reality that, as a type 1 diabetic, she would have to take insulin injections for the rest of her life, check her blood-sugar levels at least 10 times a day and was at a high risk for infection and even amputation. Karz details the ups and downs of her childhood, illness and 16-year NYCB career, from a low-blood-sugar episode that almost derailed a performance in Copenhagen to dancing with George Balanchine himself at a School of American Ballet rehearsal; being cast as the Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy; and her promotion to soloist six years after her diagnosis. Karz’s prose is simple, and although ballet fans may wish for more insider gossip, Karz offers a satisfying portrait of a dancer making her mark at a competitive world-class company. Diabetics and athletes in particular will gain inspiration from her perseverance, acceptance and control of a debilitating disease.

From Publishers Weekly

“From the very first sentence I was pulled into a magnificent story of triumph over adversity. Zippora’s story gives courage and strength to anyone with diabetes.”

Lois Jovanovic, M.D., Sansum Diabetes Research Institute

“A must read for anyone with diabetes or knows someone who does. Zippora followed her passion and found a balance necessary for a full and rich life.”

Kay Mazzo, Co-chairman of Faculty, School of American Ballet

“Zippora has enabled us to realize that with support and commitment dreams can come true and diabetes can be conquered. Her story is an inspiration for us all.”

Francine R. Kaufman, M.D., author of Diabesity

“With generosity and courage, Zippora vividly describes her passion to dance while balancing her ever-changing need for medication. She was an exquisite dancer and this is a beautifully written and inspiring book.”

Allegra Kent, former principal dancer, New York City Ballet

“Zippora masterfully integrates her experience at the highest echelon of ballet with a life-threatening disease to provide an inspiration for all who struggle with diabetes.”

Anne Peters, M.D., author of Conquering Diabetes

Zippora was an enormously talented dancer and she brings to this book her unique perspective on being an athlete with diabetes. Her wonderfully positive outlook provides invaluable information that readers will find both helpful and fascinating.”

Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief, New York City Ballet

“Zippora Karz had what the great dancers have: a pure-hearted musicality that could bring audiences to tears. You won’t be able to put this book down.”

Elizabeth Kendall, author of Autobiography of a Wardrobe