When Beverly Johnson, one of my many famous Twitter pals, asked me to read her memoir, “The Face That Changed It All”, I complied with excitement! Beautiful as ever at 62, Beverly recounts her days as a bullied teenage girl growing up in Buffalo, New York and her incredible rise to fame as a supermodel. In 1974, she would make history as the first African American model to grace the cover of Vogue.
Before Beverly left home to attend college, she was working in a clothing store. The owner suggested she pursue modeling and gave Beverly the number of a well connected friend in New York City. Although Beverly had a more traditional career in mind, she kept the number of the contact in her wallet. During a school break and in the need of extra cash, Beverly convinced her Mom to take a train to New York City to explore modeling options.
In less than a New York minute, Beverly found herself at the offices of magazine publishing giant Conde Nast and was booked on a photo shoot the very next day. Within weeks, she was steadily booking jobs for top magazines like Glamour.
Celebrated fashion designer, Halston, took notice and invited her to his house for a dinner party. Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor were also in attendance. Beverly was thrust into this surreal reality but on the flip side was living in a rat infested apartment in Hell’s Kitchen.
The illusion of glitz and glamour was overshadowed by the dark underbelly of the modeling industry. And Beverly was no angel. She started using cocaine to stay thin and barely ate. On one hand, while enjoying success, making smart career decisions and advocating for equal wages for African American models she was also extremely self destructive.
The pills found so viagra 20mg effective that it is widely referred to as “liquid Kamagra” out of fondness. Prostate gland enlargement along or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)can cause compression cheapest viagra generic of urethra which may interrupt urine flow and dribbling after urination ends. cialis buy usa Continuous intake of two doses can be risky to your health. This medicine is affordable treatment discount priced viagra and hence friendly to pocket of every man’s pocket.
Beverly’s choices in men were also a shortcoming. In fact, Beverly is lucky to be alive. 2nd husband, Danny Sims was a real piece of work. A shady character to say the least. Their marriage was plagued by abuse, drug use, infidelity, corrupt business dealings, a murder investigation and a bitter custody battle. Beverly would ultimately triumph as she found sobriety and reconnected with her daughter.
Beverly shares her story with a relatable, honest voice and proves it is never too late to change ones’ direction in life. Sometimes, you need to hit rock bottom before you can work your way back to the top. “The Face That Changed It All” is an inspirational read that will have you cheering Beverly on as she moves from darkness into the light!
“The Face That Changed It All” is available now at bookstores and at http://premierecollectibles.com/the-face-that-changed-it-all-a-memoir/
http://beverly-johnson.com
Twitter: @BeverlyJohnson1