By Saira Toppin
B as in Beauty is a novel about self appreciation and uplifting one’s spirit. The novel informs the reader in subtle ways, that we can learn lessons in unimaginable ways. This is a cliché technique, but works every time. I think that is why many authors use it over and over. We see this happen with the main character B (Beauty Maria Zavala). She has very little self-confidence, but one day an encounter with a tax preparer changes her entire outlook on life.
The tax preparer, better known as Madame Natasha Sokolov offers B the opportunity to be a person who “provides comfort.” Not an “escort,” let us not confuse the two. If we were to confuse the two, then maybe we would think twice about how to classify her work. However, after getting to know B, I am sure we would be able to give her a designation. I personally think B is courageous, because not everyone has the cajones to do what she does, even if the benefits are amazing. This shows you how far some of us have to go in order to find ourselves, or to at least find our “true” selves. Perhaps it takes a life-altering experience to finally wake up.
To conclude the book, B learns many news things through the help of Madame, her nosy best friend Lillian, and the extraordinary men she meets through her new line of work. You have to read it in order to find out the specifics. This story could be applied to almost anyone of us. We all battle with issues that transform us into self-haters. These may be issues with our work or relationship abilities, having bad attitudes, and/or with our capabilities of being good parents to our children. We all deal with situations differently; there is no single, perfect coping mechanism. There is also no perfect way to finding the solution to your issues either. One quote that stood out to me was the transformative thinking that B took on. She went from “I am invisible,” to “I am stunning.” We can all apply this mentality and live a more beautiful life.
Ladies (and gentlemen), pick up this book and read it. It could add insight to your life, and possibly change your way of thinking if you give it a chance.