The Disability Book Archive

[ID: A book cover. A photograph of a young girl in a green and red tartan Bharatanatyam dance sari can be seen in the centre. She is kneeling down with her cupped hands outstretched, holding what appears to be red petals. The title, at the top of the cover, reads “A Time to Dance” in large white lettering. All parts except “to” are in capitals. A green swirl is on either side of “two”.
At the bottom of the cover, below the image of the girl, the authors name reads “Padma Venkatraman” in black italics. Immediately below this, in smaller, black capitals, text reads “Author of Climbing the Stairs”. /end]

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Content Warning:

• Medical Content
• Amputation
• Injury Detail
• Car Accident
• Grief
• Death (of a family member)
• Ableism

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Summary:

Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.
 
Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

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Notes:

This book is written entirely in lyrical verse.

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Archivist Comments:

Please let me know if I got anything wrong regarding the image description! I tried to research sari types and I’m not entirely confident I was right, so I would appreciate any correction!

The fact this is written in lyrical verse interests me. I’ve only ever read one book like that and it’s fascinating.

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