cover image Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story

Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story

Alex Ko. Harper, $16.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-06-223601-2

Ko opens his autobiography on a dramatic note, ushering readers into his Broadway dressing room on the October 2009 evening when he first appeared in the title role of Billy Elliot on Broadway at age 13. He then steps back in time to chronicle his first forays into dance and gymnastics in Iowa City, Iowa, detailing his instruction, accomplishments, and setbacks due to injuries. Ko’s prose is crisp and heartfelt, with effective end-of-chapter foreshadowing. Most affecting is his description of his rapport with his father (to whom he dedicates the book), who died of cancer two years before Ko’s Broadway debut, but remains a guiding influence in his life. The book’s pace accelerates after Ko arrives in Manhattan to audition for the part of Billy. Theater and dance aficionados will especially appreciate his candid revelations about the rigors of auditioning, rehearsing, and performing. Though Ko’s devotion to his craft is at the heart of his story, he also shows his playful side (in one funny scene, he filches toilet paper for a souvenir while performing at the White House). An ingenuous, enlightening memoir. Ages 8–12. (May)