From the moment I learned about Rebecca Friedlander’s new project with BakerBooks, I knew it was a book I wanted to read! “Finding Beautiful: Discovering Authentic Beauty Around the World” is a lovely hardcover book packed with powerful stories, dramatic photography, and this statement at the core: “Let’s redefine beauty for our world!”.

Beauty is a topic that bombards us from all directions, but in today’s culture our views of beauty are so skewed. . . who decided what the standards of beauty should look like, anyway? Author, photographer, and filmmaker Rebecca Friedlander is on a mission of challenging women to discard the lies of rejection and doubt thrown at us each day, and instead embrace the biblical truth that we are God’s daughters, that He created us on purpose for a purpose, and that He designed each one of us a beautifully unique masterpiece.

This book is so much more than just a non-fiction discussion about authentic beauty – it is a world-wide journey that involves women from all backgrounds and circumstances. Each of these women participated in a makeover that is symbolic of their inward renewal by God – and their understanding of God’s definition of beauty – and each story is represented with incredible before-and-after photography by Rebecca.

If you enjoy a good makeover story, if you strive to understand authentic and God-defined beauty, and if you are curious about the idea of an external makeover representing God’s renewal of our inner selves, I highly recommend “Finding Beautiful”. It is the type of book you will re-read, talk about with others, and give as gifts to loved ones. It is a quest of redefining beauty through the stories of brave women, and the camera lens of a very gifted photographer.

I am grateful to have received a copy of this book, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.