Model: A Memoir (Paperback)

~ Cheryl Diamond (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Twenty-year-old author Diamond describes the trials and triumphs of breaking into the New York modeling market, which she entered at 14. The North Carolina native quickly gains a shaky foothold in the cynical business by treating her lecherous boss and nasty booking agents with kindness and always standing up for herself. The teen’s positive outlook never flags: after one harrowing experience that includes a night spent in a personal storage unit, she perkily proclaims, “On the bright side, I was alive . . . and I was still cute.” By the memoir’s end, not even losing her signature blond locks in a hair-show fiasco can keep Diamond down. After a short stay with her parents, she returns to New York, even more determined to realize her dream. Even though Diamond’s prose can be self-conscious and her constant cheer occasionally strains credibility, the insider details she reveals about photo shoots, runway shows, and agencies’ sometimes shady business practices are fascinating and will quickly hook teen fans of modeling reality shows. A perfect summer beach read. Grades 10-12. --Jennifer Hubert

Product Description

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416959041
• ISBN-13: 978-1416959045
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #384,456 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deadly accurate and entertaining, September 1, 2008

By	Model Agent (New York City) - See all my reviews

I know some of the people and agencies (even the ones where she has changed the name to protect the guilty) in this book - and she nailed it. Cheryl's description of her agency is very accurate, and even though models with other agencies will have somewhat different experiences (not all fashion agencies are also partly scams), her discussion of what a model is likely to encounter as she enters the world of New York fashion modeling will be recognized by anyone who has tried it.

Throughout the book she maintains a humorous detachment from all this, and the book is entertaining to read, as well as educational.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, July 22, 2008

By	The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

When she was just fourteen years old, Cheryl Diamond ventured to New York City to become a model. She experienced rejection after rejection until she finally found an agency that would offer her a contract. But then came September 11, and her agency went out of business before she could even land a job.

At sixteen, Cheryl returned to New York, hoping for a second chance. She got it. Now she is faced with the task of building her portfolio and making a name for herself--no small job when the head booker is always giving her a rough time and the manager of her agency is seeking revenge on her for standing up to him and refusing to let him yank her around. But Cheryl is tough and sensible, and if anyone can make it in this ugly modeling business, she can.

And she's making it...until one man lies to her, destroying her image and bringing her career to a screeching halt. Desolate, she's sent home. But she's determined to do what's unheard of in the modeling biz...make her comeback.

Model: A Memoir will leave you shell shocked. Cheryl Diamond is an extraordinary young woman who is role model material for girls everywhere. Without succumbing to the many temptations models are exposed to on a daily basis (eating disorders, drinking, drugs, excessive partying) and without losing a grasp on her values (like refusing to change clothes in front of a roomful of people just to land a job), she has built her career without allowing herself to be bullied. Her novel is a whirlwind of shoots, castings, runway shows, and showdowns with her boss that besides being completely enthralling, are all true. Her writing style has the fast pace that is present in biographies and memoirs, but is as detailed and gripping as any work of fiction. Teens especially will delight in this resilient, strong, and intelligent heroine who is beautiful inside and out, and will eagerly anticipate more from this talented model and writer.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is it really true?, June 10, 2008

By	Emelise Baughman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was riveted by this book, which is the memoir of a 16 yr. old girl who becomes a fashion model in NYC. It was a fascinating insider's look at the modeling industry and its effect on young women, as well as a look into the mind of a teenage girl dealing with extraordinary challenges. But in the back of my mind is a tiny voice saying "Is this a memoir like James Frey's memoir--more embellishment than fact?" For example, I just couldn't imagine parents sending their 16 yr. old daughter off totally on her own to NYC for a year, I've never heard of landlords routinely renting to minors, I was surprised that her attorney deemed that a minor's signature on a contract was valid, and I was amazed that an apparent "Mafia" boss took such a personal interest in her and her witty conversation. In the book, Cheryl acts and talks like most teenage girls wish they acted and talked, and perhaps she is capable of all she says. But even if it is all true, I sure wish that Cheryl would have completed at least her GED, since she dropped out of high school to model, because an addendum to this effect would have been an important message to those teenage hopefuls who will snap up this book for guidance, but who need that education in case their modeling careers break into a million little pieces. Still, as I said, I was indeed riveted reading this book and Cheryl is a talented writer, so I hope that she will continue to mature and reflect that maturity in future offerings--which I will no doubt buy.