Tiny Dancer: The Incredible True Story of a Young Burn Victim's Journey

Tiny Dancer is an incredibly moving story about how one irrepressibly spirited little girl, about to come of age in a remote Afghani town ruled by the Taliban, accidentally lights herself on fire and ends up on a journey that strains the heart and lifts the soul.

Burned literally to a crisp, in a place with no medicine, no painkillers, and no doctors, 10-year-old Zubaida is destined to die a slow, agonizing death. But her father won't have it. He simply won't give up. Against all odds, and in a country bound up in believing that even fully healthy girls are useless, one man fights to give his daughter the right to live.

Selling all his worldly possessions, and borrowing way beyond his means, Mohammed Hasan leaves his struggling family in search of medical care for Zubaida. He travels to Khandahar and then to Teheran, pushing his precious, injured daughter in a cart, feeling the razor sharp impact of every stone and bump. Local nurses and then doctors try to soothe her pain and crudely treat her burns. But they simply aren't equipped to deal with the devastation. Each visit brings more bad news and the same dire prediction. This child has only days to live. And the acute pain wracking Zubaida's body makes each minute seem like hours.

And then a last ditch effort and a chance meeting in Kabul with a recently landed American Green Beret soldier leads Zubaida and her father to the unimaginable - a world renown burn surgeon in Los Angeles. Dr. Peter Grossman and his wife learn of Zubaida through a strange coincidence and decide they will do what ever it takes to bring this young child and her father to their door step. With every bureaucratic obstacle raising its head, the Grossmans persevere and so begins a two year odyssey for Zubaida which restores her and enriches her in ways no one can imagine.

While half the world is at war, and militant extremists drive the western and Islamic world further apart, here is a story of how different it can be when the motivation is love, openness and a fundamental belief that all children deserve to be treated as true gifts from God.

This book brought back many memories for me, as I too am a burn victim. My burns were not as bad as poor Zabaida, although the scars still haunt me to this day. She was a very lucky girl to have the support that she received through such a horrific time. She had the courage and strength to overcome it all and make the most out of a new and strange land. This book is truly inspirational and wonderful. Definately a good read.

What an account of absolute courage - both on the part of the girl's father and the young girl herself. The way the father struggled to find someone, anyone, who could help his daughter was a true testament of faith. The daughter's bravery throughout the ordeal, months of pain before the Americans took her to the States for surgery then months of surgery and living in a land completely foreign to her was amazing.

This book is a heart-warming story. It is nice to know there are people that help others. It also is gives a perspective of a child’s struggles adapting to another culture.