Smile for the Camera: A Memoir

by Kelle James

Kelle James left an abusive home at the age of sixteen and went to the best place she could imagine: New York City. She had big plans of becoming a model, but within a week she was homeless and broke. What follows is her exceptional story of trying to make it on her own with nothing to her name and no one to trust. She encounters a string of people who take advantage of her youth and beauty, endures many disappointments and rejections, and has a surprising connection to an infamous murder trial. This sparse narrative of a girl who loses herself before finding her way is not only utterly compelling—it’s entirely true.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Family, Biography, Friendship, Contemporary

392 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2010

About the author

Kelle James ran away from an abusive home at the age of fifteen to the best place she could think of - New York City. She was going to be a model, rich, famous, and she was going to find people who treated her right. She had no idea what was in store for her and within three days she was homeless and broke. What follows is her exceptional story of trying to make it on her own with nothing to her name and no one to trust. She endures a string of people, mostly men, who take advantage of her youth and beauty, many disappointments and rejections, and the most famous murder trial of the 1970s. This is the story of a girl losing herself before finding her way in the city that never sleeps.

Kelle James was a successful model. Her memoir is her first book.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a unique plot but underdeveloped writing - for a debut novel it was forgivable, but there were errors in pacing and characertization I found disheartening. The story of a young, aspiring model escaping her hometown to live it big in New York, I found the cover and book jacket intruiging so I picked it up. I would not say I regret it, but this is not a book I'll recommend in the future.

The writing itself sounded forced, almost as if Kelle's innocence was a facade. I felt sympathy for her, but even with the flashbacks I never felt any empathy because she was not believable enough. The side characters remained static throughout the story. I know this is a memoir so I hope I do not offend Kelle James, because the story is touching, but I could not get into it myself.

Overall, an okay book for people interested in the hardships models have to face. I would not recommend this for anyone under the age of 16.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be more about modeling and, really, that's a fairly minor part of the series. It's more a general memoir/coming of age story. Which is fine, but, yeah, not what I expected. And it felt like the pacing wasn't all there. She suddenly seemed to regularly have modeling jobs, be comfortable in New York, etc. And I felt like we skipped over some of the progress of getting to that point.

Content warning: Abuse, animal harm, animal death, statuary rape, murder, sexual assault


Owned physical book 1/2 for the month
Overall owned book 3/5 for the month

[Kathy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this true story to be a powerfully moving tale. Kelle has a wonderful style that makes you want to read it from cover to cover. I am fifty something and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is something for everyone here - humor, sadness, triumph, danger, suspense, hope and more. As a teen, Kelle had some life issues to deal with and her decisions are incredible. A good read - check it out.

[Lark Alexandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It made me want to model!! I just loved how Kelle's life seemed so fictional. It was truly great!

[Lollipopmary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. Kelle went through so much and survived. She was so strong and brave and never stopped believing that she could get through it. She inspires me to never give up hope, no matter what.

[Eliza Fayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started reading Smile For The Camera, by Kelle James, I was a little surprised how light the reading was. Then I remembered I was advised it is actually targeted as a children’s book, but would likely greatly enjoy it myself. Well, my childhood days are way behind me, but yes indeedy-do I did greatly enjoy Smile For The Camera.

I am a total sucker for stories of women who do not even have the word ‘victim’ in their vocabulary. Given the extreme psychological and physical abuse she suffered from her father, Kelle certainly could have gone the victim route. Instead, it made her determined.

Other than the ‘light read’ aspect to the book, I would not rate this book as a children’s book. I would, however, recommend it to adults as a great book to curl up with. Kelle relays her story with charm and a wry sense of humour. And in the end, despite the descriptions abuse and mishaps, when I closed the book, my reaction was “Hey, that was fun!”

To read the full review visit http://silverandgrace.com/book-review...

[Sue T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, a great read for teens or adults. Just amazing all the stuff she went through and still came out ok. I think this book would help a lot of people while entertaining them at the same time. A lot of funny moments too. I highly recommend.

[Lisette · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting memoir!

[Claudia Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING BOOK. A fascinating story and great read. Would absolutely recommend to everyone!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a life this girl had! Great story and great writing. Definitely recommend this one!

[Spacecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelle James captures the voice of her youth extraordinarily well. She hides her abusive background with a veil of believable innocence. Good for girls who want an edgy book but not super intense.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just great :)
Loved it- it's such an inspirational book.

[Audrey]

Ehhh I thought it was fine - the pacing seemed off and some of the scenes made me uncomfy. I honestly wouldn’t really recommend it

[Lorelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my mom handed me this book and said something like " I think you'll like it!" I sort of thought I wouldn't. Even as I started reading the first few chapters, I didn't know if I liked it or not. But then, all of a sudden, I couldn't put the book down! The main character, Kelle, lived in a poor place with a mom who could not control her crazy dad and a few brothers so she wanted to get out and see the world instead of staying in that horrible lifestyle! So she hopped on a train to New York City and started modeling and she found out how hard it was dealing with money, friends, a job, and well, just New York in general! If i had to describe this book in one word it would be adventurous because Kelle is always learning something new and explores the different parts of her new so-called home. I would recommend this book to mainly teens and adults because it's more for the older crowd! Some bad things happen in New York, and to Kelle so no children should read this book, but if you are older you will love it just like I did!

[By Flashlight · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Smile For The Camera" is a coming-of-age journey of leaving behind an abusive father for a city that a naïve 16-year-old isn’t prepared for.

Are you are looking for a quick, fun read? Then keep looking. The main character never seems to win. Ever. There are a couple of happy parts, but they generally turn bittersweet pretty quickly. Most of the story was actually pretty interesting, but it seemed to jump around a lot. I wasn’t that interested in the trial, and the author focuses on it in the second half. With all the hardships and heartaches that we go through with Kelle you would think that we would be rewarded with happiness (since we already know that she becomes a successful model), but no. Instead, she chooses to end the book right before everything gets better. More of her rise would have been nice as dessert to get rid of the terrible taste of tears from the main course.


Read the full review on By Flashlight (a YA book blog)

[712Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir was really amazing! The author and main character, Kelle James, had a very interesting life! She went from the country to NYC, from an abusive afther to a loving friend, from a quiet life to a loud one. All of the events that she went through all seemed unreal, you wouldn't believe this was a memoir! I enjoyed listening to her life un-fold, it was that intreging! The detail the author put into her life made the story feel real, though. This memoir was so good because the events of Kelle's life seemed un-realistic! Kelle went to NYC to become a model. But to become a model in 1978, you went through a lot. Kelle went through having a friend accused of murder, men staring at her left and right, and meeting a Coke obssed best friend. The author made the characters ain her life seem very creative! I absolutley loved this book!

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a memoir. So it really happened. But it is not supposed to happen. You are not supposed to get on a bus at 16, move to New York City from the country, not know anyone and then become a successful model and star in advertisements. It is not supposed to work that way. But it does. America is the land of opportunity. Of course she does have some rather large set backs and LOTS of guts. And she knows how to land a punch to the groin. It all helps.

[Yekaterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a five star until the end. It put me in a down mood and I wish the author had finished it a different way. Over all it was a pretty amazing book and it holds a lot of life lessons between it's covers. I feel that I should own this book, I'll have to buy a copy.

[Allison Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't typically enjoy memoirs, but this was one I definitely enjoyed. Following Kelle James's journey through New York, and surviving the city and forces young girls to grow up too quickly was so beautiful.

Kelle is 16 when she moves to New York City with aspirations of being a model and a hundred dollars. Although she left for NYC looking for a new life, follow in her idol's footsteps, and leave her abusive father, she is still very much innocent. The lessons she learns in the City That Never Sleeps helps build her life together and creates her future.

Faced with the harsh reality, she faces exploitation. She has no parents to protect her, and no agency to represent her. Trying to figure things out on her own, and with her friend Rayna, they become resourceful young ladies. They learn to deal with homelessness, apartments infested with insects, starvation, and the many men that wish to ruin their innocence. In a short span of time, she learns that not everyone has her best interests at heart. Yet while some people had their own best interests as priorities, she meets a few strangers that will change her life and give her hope. Those that will help her learn to survive, those that truly mean well for her. The guys that forced her to grow up too soon, labeled Boys Who Should Have Known Better by her, were the ones that she thanks for teacher her to trust her instincts and stand up for herself. Reading her experience from feeling horrified, to the self acceptance and lessons with each event was phenomenal.

I really enjoyed reading Kelle's story about how she went from a struggling model to a successful model, her relationships she developed, realities she faced, and the strength to overcome everything thrown her way.

sur•vi•vor [ser-vahy-ver], noun:
A person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it for an English honors class, but I'm glad I did. The last couple of chapters really spoke to me because her emotions were so similar to mine. The brain curtain, she described it perfectly! I never even knew someone else's brain could be so similar to mine. If I had time, I would have finished it sooner. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a similar mindset, whether it's called a brain curtain, boxes, doors, etc.

Kelle describes her trauma, hardships, struggles, complicated emotions, and wraps it into one messy, perfect, little book. She takes her experiences and learns from them, improving throughout the book. Like every human being, she has her down moments to where her self esteem moves down a notch, but then she wipes the dirt off and starts off another day bright and early. Kelle has a remaining place in my heart. This book reaches out to everyone who thinks they're alone and shows them that they aren't.

[Joanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir, Smile for the Camera, by Kelle James. Kelle was only 16 years old when she started to live the life she wanted. Coming form a small town;escaping the abuse and becoming someone in life. This memoir is a good book, every inspiring shows how you can have a strong comeback.I recommend it for the people who are always down on life, not sure if there good enough or just think they can't do anything useful.
Smile for the Camera is a very interesting book, it also inspiring. She came out of broken home and just only 16 years old she went to New York. Got rejected twice for becoming a model but she had lost hope she was determined to become what she wanted to be. No money, no family, no friends, but still thrived tot the top. Her determination and the way she would think made it interesting, She didn't have the best parents nor childhood but she made sure her future was bright.
I recommend this book to the people who don't believe they got what it takes to be or do something. In conclusion this book showed me that you either put yourself down or pick your self up because nobody, nobody out there is going to make your dream come true but yourself and how you put your mind in to it. Over all it was a good book to read.

[Emily Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction is usually a genre that doesn't cross my mind; however, this book by Kelle James made it seem like a breeze. Written like fiction, after reading it, the idea of an autobiography doesn't seem to fit the lines either. The abuse that James went through in her youth seemed to have an impact once she grew older. When she meets her new best friend, Rayna, by her side, she seemed indestructible living her best life in the Big Apple. Now, it was how she was going to forget her past, that was eating at her the most.

[Caton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smile for the camera is a great book! It’s beautifully written and touches all of the points of the story. I can imagine every moment she talks about, and her story touches my heart and the reading flows so smoothly. Only thing I didn’t like is that she would have a flash back in a middle of a chapter so it would get kinda confusing but other than that it was fantastic I mostly loved how she covered the abuse and how it affects her every day life.

[Allae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book almost ten years ago. Still one of those that sticks with me. I think because it was so well written in my opinion. I think the way she wrote this came from the heart which is why I was so moved by it. I still talk about how relatable this book was — ten years later. Absolutely amazing and love it so much.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting but I found the writing style distracting.

[Skyler W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh. This one is always a good read.
Read it several times.

[Kyoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. It was very captivating, and the way the author wrote details of what happened made this fit together perfectly. I finished this in a day and only sat it down once.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was just good

[Sarah Doubenmier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good! It bothered me that I couldn’t figure out the time period until I was 100 pages in, but once I did it was good.

[Kaysee Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book.