Pretty Takes Practice: A Southern Woman s Search for the Real Meaning of Beauty

Charla Muller's first book, 365 Nights, was called "entertaining” (Albuquerque Journal), "surprising [and] remarkable” (The Independent [London]). It also launched her into the public eye—and brought her to a moment of painful realization . . .

For an average working mom like Charla, going on a book tour was both intimidating and exciting. It also turned out to be horrifying: When she saw herself on a screen in glorious, unforgiving HD, it magnified all her flaws, prompted comments from unadoring fans, and forced her to reevluate her (lack of) exercise regimen.

But Charla was jolted into action and used that cringe-inducing close-up as a wakeup call. After shedding a few tears over how she'd let herself go (and over the five-year-old discount sweater she wore on Oprah), she set out on a strange, hilarious, and poignant journey that tapped into and tested her values, her beliefs about beauty, her self-image, and, of course, her relationship with her mother.

In this lively, funny, moving account, a Southern woman shares stories she swore she'd never tell—and ultimately offers some unexpected and universal insight about how pretty takes practice.