Do you want to be a model?

At sixteen, Ines Crnokrak left her Serbian home. Her dream: to become a fashion model in Paris. This pointed and witty memoir depicts her passage-from her very first attempt to contact a modeling agency to walking the exalted runways of Milan.

Being a model is never easy. For Ines, some days were glamorous. Other days were more difficult-like frantically trying to navigate foreign transportation systems and trying not to get swindled using unfamiliar currencies. Few jobs greeted her when she first arrived in Paris, but with persistence and clear-headed intelligence, she was soon walking the runways for Dolce and Gabbana, Dior, and Moschino.

Along the way, she met such characters as the Gypsy Queen, Mr. Charming, the Shark, and the Giant. Her introduction to these leading figures along with her overview of the ins and out of the industry reveals how tough a model has to be. Her journey was never easy, but it brought her to a place she can finally call home.

With lively humor and unflinching honesty, this fascinating story ushers us into the mysterious world of fashion, letting us slip behind the curtain, peek through the lens, and see what's really going on backstage.