Title: Dana Dances on Paper
Description: Dana Dances on Paper  by Darcel Turner is a slick, upbeat and heartfelt first novel.  The main character Dana, is a young girl who struggles to deal with the hardship of growing up in the urban streets of the Bronx, New York during the beginning of the hip-hop era.  Dana has dreams to become a professional dancer and show the world all the talent inside of her.  Throughout the novel, Dana's dream  will be delayed as the twists and turns of losing her mother to a fatal disease, leave Dana rethinking her life's path and entering into the prospect of being both a dancer and an introspective journalist. Through love, loss, inner renewal and hardship, Dana ultimately finds more than one way to "dance."
Subjects: African American girls, Fiction, semi-autobiographical
Places: Bronx (New York, N.Y.)
Time periods: Dana Dances on Paper takes place during the beginning of the hip-hop era