Beautiful: A beautiful girl. An evil man. One inspiring true story of courage Kindle Edition

I was vaguely familiar with Katie Piper's odyssey but after reading a couple of articles on the internet I bought the book. I pronounce this autobiography as the best of its particular type I have ever read.Miss Piper's story is so fantastic that it reads more like a fictional account than something that really happened to a real person. For someone who absolutely relied on her beautiful appearance to make a living in British media, what happened to Katie was almost a fate worse than death. A jilted boyfriend brutally raped her, then had an accomplice throw industrial-strength sulphuric acid in her face! Her plastic surgeon said he had never seen a more horribly chemically burned face than Katie's. Her left eye had been blinded, she lost most of her left ear, most of her nose, her eyelids, and her esophagus was permanently damaged by swallowing acid to the point that she could not eat solid foods for a lengthy period of time.Her story starts with her happy, optimistic childhood, her efforts to become a media celebrity in the U.K., the nightmarish destruction and disfigurement of her face, initially her wish to just die, her dozens of surgical treatments, her stark terror of men and morbid agoraphobia, her dedicated struggle to regain her appearance, and finally acceptance of her rebuilt face and her gratitude for all who helped her.For someone who is not a professional writer, Katie's writing has impact, urgency, and conveys her innermost feelings with gripping emotion. The graphic photos of her burned face are simply horrifying. Katie's dramatic surgical results (and I do mean DRAMATIC) are the result of her plastic surgeon's decision to do a radical and never-before-tried full-face skin graft using a combination of actual donor skin and a recently developed artificial skin for the first time together. She also received several experimental therapy treatments at a burn clinic spa in France. Her discipline in undergoing a rigorous and painful rehabilitation regimen is a testimony to her striving to get her life back to something that would resemble "normal."She now has her own full-time foundation where she raises funds for others who have been disfigured by burns, injuries, and birth defects. The "after" photos in the book show how miraculous her transformation has been. Even more recent pics in the British media show even more improvement. Her "before" and "after" images have to be seen to be believed!Prepare to be mesmerized, thrilled, and emotionally caught up in Katie's heroic story of courage and hope.

From the first page I was hooked. I read this on a plane trip to Florida. When I finished it, the lady sitting beside me asked nexa out the book. I told her it was a good read. I gave it to her and told her to pass it on after she finished reading it.

"Splash. The guy chucked the contents of the cup at my face and, in that split second, my life changed forever. The liquid drenched my face and dripped down my neck, and for one brief moment, I didn't understand what had happened.""Two men had destroyed my face, and now this one was going to try to rebuild it.""Things in life happen for a reason,' she said one night, in her beautiful, lilting voice. `Don't be afraid, Katie. God has great things in store for you. This is not the end of you, and I will pray for you.'""I'd never really thought much about God before. Mum and Dad weren't religious, and I'd never gone to church or read the Bible, but I tried to take some comfort in Alice's faith. For the first time in my life, I prayed to a God I'd never really believed in. `Please help me. Please give me strength. Please show me a way to get through this.'"`Everything's going to be okay,' a voice in my head said. `Your journey's just begun. You'll get through this.'"For the very first time since Danny had ripped my life apart, I felt hope flutter inside me. He wouldn't beat me. I wouldn't let him." My Amazon records indicate that I purchased this book. I honestly don't remember. I only know that I am glad I found the book and read it. It is an amazing story of courage and how one young woman fought back to live. I think the book blurb and the quotes I use speak for themselves in recommending this book. Beautiful details how Katie set her life goals and worked hard towards attaining them, only to have them ripped from her. She fought through adversity and won. I recommend this book and even though I do not rate books, I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Katie Piper was a young, beautiful model and TV presenter in the U.K. when she met a man on Facebook who quickly became her boyfriend. Danny was adoring and showered her with attention and presents, but under his polite demeanor was pure evil. He became angry and possessive to the point that he brutally raped her. She didn’t want to report this to the police because he threatened to harm her and her family. Things didn’t end there. He harassed Katie with phone calls and online messages. He wanted to both own her and destroy her. Another man, someone associated with Danny, threw sulfuric acid on Katie’s face, disfiguring her and causing her immense pain.In this memoir, we see how Piper healed through numerous surgeries and forms of physical therapy. Most importantly, she healed on the inside. We see how fearful and anxious she was when she had nightmares of Danny and the acid-thrower. She also had to deal with their trial, waiting to see whether the men would be found guilty or not. She lost a lot of confidence after the attack. Once beautiful and sought after, people started to stare, look away, and act nosy. The author embraced spirituality, the loving people who helped her recover, and the belief that her attacker and scars would not rule the rest of her life. This is a powerful book, one that’s hard to put down.

Perfectional story.

I could not stop reading, and read the entire thing in a single sitting. As a person with PTSD, the author's courage gives me tremendous hope. Her descriptions of being low and scared are so relateable, and her tremendous spirit and personal growth - even when faced with the darkest evils of this world - is beyond inspiring. She gives me hope that if I keep fighting, I can build a future for myself when I thought I had none left.The author reminds the reader (in a beautiful and flowing narrative) that even when life hits rock bottom, we have a choice: to give up, or to harness our inner strength as women, as human beings, and rocket back to heights we never dreamt of; an ascension of spirit, fearlessness and above all, hope.Thank you Katie for being so brave. I have been terrified to share my story for fear of ridicule, especially having faced immense cruelty from others after being diagnosed with PTSD. I hope that one day I too can stand in the sunlight bearing my soul to the world, and be confident, accepting of myself. To, like you have done, recognize that horrible moments that completely change your life can be OWNED, used to harness goodness, to inspire, and to radiate acceptance and beauty; to see the wounds as marks of a battle won by a champion, instead of letting the scars victimize me, isolating myself from the world. To show even an iota of bravery as you have done.Scars or not - men, women, read this book. The lessons in if are profound, and you'll find yourself laughing and crying along with the narrative, as if hearing a story from an old friend.So I guess you could say... I loved it! :)

I was sickened to my stomach how someone could deliberately carry out such an awful evil act. I hope he is never released as he is a true danger to society! This book is wonderfully written and is such a gripping powerful message that the human spirit and kindness will always prevail. Katie is such an amazing inspiring woman and embodies the true meaning of beautiful.

Think this was a great story showing how strong we can be when we have to be please enjoy and read

Initially a sad story but what a strong and courageous woman Katie piper is !!