Model by Cheryl Diamond (vacation read)

Every year, hundreds of the most beautiful people in the world come to New York to become models. At age fourteen, Cheryl Diamond was one of them. Living on her own in a run-down apartment, Cheryl spent her days on go-sees, runways, and shoots, surviving hand-to-mouth, while taking in everything she could about the tough and sleazy modeling industry. She watched other girls make mistakes, and swore she wouldn't be a victim...until a career-altering event changed her life and nearly ruined her shot at her dream. This is the riveting, true account of Cheryl's triumphant rise, disastrous fall, and phoenix-like comeback in one of the hottest and most demanding industries in the world.

(summary courtesy of Amazon)

I'm still amazed by this book. You never think of the whole model industry as being something that us ordinary folks can relate to, but then along comes this book, which tells about the ups and downs of the business in a voice that is convincing, fresh, and relatable. And all models are supposed to be little mindless bubble people, right? Well, think again, because Cheryl Diamond proves that not only is she stunningly beautiful, she is intelligent and talented too. Kind of makes me feel insufficient. Ha. But I think she deserves all the attention and credit she can get because she went through more struggles in the first 20 years of her life than what the rest of us experience in our entire lifetime. And that's really not an exaggeration. But the reality of the story isn't even the greatest thing about the book. The great thing is the writing. How a person who has never tried to write much can sit down and write a book like this one is beyond comprehension. Because not only is the writing smooth and captivating, it's blunt and doesn't leave out any of the hairy details that other books about modeling might. In Model, you really get to see the gruesome underside of an industry that is known for glamor and drama and that in itself is refreshing and interesting. I don't think I'll ever in a million years get wrapped up in anything related to modeling, so this book was probably the closest I'll ever get, and really, I'm fine with that because it was an amazing book. I highly suggest that if you haven't read it yet, you go out and do so ASAP. It'll be worth your every penny.