A New Model

May 1, 2017
Graham takes readers through a career in modeling that began almost unbelievably predictably: after a scout approached her family at a Nebraska mall, at age 12 she took a modeling course, landed catalog gigs, went to New York to get signed by a major agency, and did just that. She has been working ever since, recently breaking barriers as a plus-size model on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Vogue, and her experience informs this part memoir, part self-help guide coauthored by Paley. She talks specifics about modeling, especially doing so while a size 16, and addresses her dating pitfalls, confidence struggles, and financial cluelessness as a young model, as well as conflating sex with acceptance before meeting the man who would become her friend, then her husband, in church. A public figure who embraces social media, she understands that commentssometimes shockingly hurtfulabout her body will be tossed around carelessly, but from her unique position she is working on a different conversation, of body diversity and inclusion for all women. Positive, understanding, and uplifting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)