Beyond Dancing: A Veteran's Struggle - A Woman's Triumph

Anita Bloom Ornoff
Bartleby Press (2003)
ISBN 9780910155502
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (2/07)

Never in my life have I known a person with as much strength, endurance and simple fortitude to achieve what Anita Bloom has achieved. A woman of such strength not only will make one take a second look at one's own life but perhaps cherish what people like Anita have accomplished for others.

Serving as a WAAC, Anita Bloom was tragically struck with an infection that eventually took her mobility. As a paraplegic she began what continued to be a fight for her life and her rights. Continuously battling not only the health issues at hand but also the social issues, in a time when being "disabled" meant simply giving up and living a life of institutionalized remorse. What Anita achieved, instead, was not only the ability to become more "abled" than a person with full functioning limbs but more determined than any average person would begin to be.

As a young Jewish girl, she found her calling when she met another woman who was a member of the Women's Military. Not yet considered a true “branch” of the service, these women trained like soldiers out of simple pride for their country and in Anita's case pride for her heritage. To witness the horrible biases against her simply as a Jewish person would be hard enough but then to realize she not only fought the battle of her heritage and religion but also the fact that she was a woman in a man's world and later a disabled person in a world never intended to accommodate her as such makes this woman's story absolutely heart warming and touching beyond belief.

Although the WAAC's were not considered a true part of the military as of the time Anita served, they soon became known as WACs and were recognized as an actual branch with the benefits attached as so. Under Anita's case, as a WAAC, she received some benefits of being a "veteran" but also was dismissed when applying for other benefits that would help her live a productive life. Never considering quitting, she continued to fight to get those rights not only for herself but for other women who served in the WAAC branch of service.

While undergoing treatment, after leaving a Veteran's hospital, she met her unknowingly to-be-husband John with whom she immediately found a connection. Although not a "trained" physical therapist, his desire to be the best in his job and his desire to learn all he could truly made him the one person in her life that made a huge difference in creating a life as close to "normal" as possible. When they finally admitted the connection, amongst constant gossip pertaining to his being married and in the process of divorce along with the definite disapproval of her Jewish parents, they lived for years in waiting until they could manage to become husband and wife with minimal damage socially. An amazing story in itself, this autobiography not only shares the tale of a woman's strength in fighting for her rights as a disabled veteran but her story of true love with a man who simply seemed to be meant for her.

As you witness stumble block after stumble block placed in front of this woman, you begin to realize the strength involved simply in living her daily life let alone taking on other huge hurdles such as becoming the first disabled person to attend NYU. Life simply was never intended to be "lived" by a disabled person and the laws we easily accept and relish in today's society weren't in place during Anita's fight for a normal life. As she seemingly finally pulls herself over one hurdle only to find another one waiting for her, you truly wonder when this woman will simply give up and yet it never really happens. She may stumble and question her meaning or desire but never falters in truly obtaining what she feels is her right to life.

Each and every step you experience with her seems so huge yet in our society today it's simply "expected." These expectations of today come from people like Anita, who fought ever step of the way to be recognized and entitled to their own rights.

Even to the end, as you somewhat sadly read the epilogue, you realize that nothing in life ever came easy for Anita Bloom. The loss of so many loved ones in her life at such young ages seems unbearable to the average person but then you recall how far above average Anita Bloom has always been.

The wonderfully written story of love, life and triumph in “Beyond Dancing” will, simply stated, never leave you the same. I could only hope to have the courage and strength of this one woman. If everyone in our world were this strong, we would be an amazing species indeed!  The terms heart-warming, tender, triumphant and amazing just begin to describe the story inside these pages.

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