Author Biography

Cally Magalhães is the co-founder and director of The Eagle Project, São Paulo, Brazil, working with youth offenders and adult prisoners. Born in Harpenden, England, she trained as a dancer and then became a professional actress, and drama teacher. She moved to São Paulo in 1999, to work with street children, and has developed pioneering work using psychodrama, and the theories of Restorative Justice. 

Review

This inspirational book is a constant journey from darkness to light: equipped with a profound understanding of theatre, play and performance and a deep faith, Cally has brought hope and positive attitudes to the lost, the desperate and the unloved. Like the biblical couple on the road to Emmaus, she talks of Jesus and shocking events whilst intervening on His behalf into the lives of those who might appear to be beyond human reach.--Kenneth Pickering
Cally's amazing story, so vividly told in Dancing with Thieves, will draw you into every stage of her personal journey of faith and inspire you to believe... Believe that God is present everywhere, from the suffering, pain, raw joy and community of the favelas of Sao Paulo, to the seemingly 'perfect' suburbs of London. Believe that God still is in the business of making all things new,1 with no life or circumstance too far gone for Him to restore and use for his purposes in the world. Believe that our human failings and failures when brought before God, bring us to the place of revelation, hope and new beginnings. Believe that what is impossible for the experts of this world, is totally possible for the creator and sustainer of all things. I had the privilege of coaching Cally during a part of her incredible journey and my life was inspired as a witness to her faithful, tenacious and dedicated response to God's call on her life. What a gift now for many more seekers, sojourners and followers to be inspired as well through this wonderful memoir.--Thomas G. Yaccino
Cally Magalhaes' memoir is a gripping page-turner of an autobiography. With a novelist's eye for descriptive detail, Cally invites us to accompany her on her astonishing journey from England to India and Estonia, and finally to Sao Paulo, Brazil. We join her as she follows a trail of signs and blessings to bring relief, hope and healing to people who need help, wherever they may be - in the streets, the favelas, the prisons or hidden under bridges. She describes in moving detail the transformational work of The Eagle Project, using psychodrama and Restorative Justice in Brazilian prisons. To read this book is to be inspired by the positive change one person can bring to so many individual lives - changing the world one person at a time. Cally has much to teach us about being fully present for all of life's events and challenges. With hard-won wisdom and deep reflection, she describes a life based on faith and gratitude, encapsulated in her ringing sentence, 'When you help people who have nothing, then you realise you have everything.' Her memoir has lessons for us all about what it means to walk the earth with grace and love.--Clark Baim, PhD

Review Quote

This inspirational book is a constant journey from darkness to light: equipped with a profound understanding of theatre, play and performance and a deep faith, Cally has brought hope and positive attitudes to the lost, the desperate and the unloved. Like the biblical couple on the road to Emmaus, she talks of Jesus and shocking events whilst intervening on His behalf into the lives of those who might appear to be beyond human reach.

Excerpt from Book

Chapter OneThe first day"Take the first step in faith. You don''t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."(Attributed to Martin Luther King Jr.) Life is cheap in Brazil. Tens of thousands of adults, teenagers and children are murdered every year. I became aware of this sad truth on my first visit to S

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