Born This Way

Friends, Colleagues, and Coworkers Recall Gia Carangi, the Supermodel Who Defined An Era

Non-Fiction - Biography
202 Pages
Reviewed on 12/26/2017
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

Born on January 29, 1960, Gia Marie Carangi was a popular American fashion model during the late 1970s and early 1980s. I’ve come to know about her through the dramatized 1998 film Gia, in which Angelina Jolie portrayed her. I was intrigued and looked for info on the real Gia Carangi, where I stumbled upon a couple of documentaries and several articles about this young, enigmatic supermodel. Her powerful allure that was different from other cookie cutter models made her a favorite among top fashion photographers and magazines. Today’s younger generation fashion lovers may not know about Gia, but her story is, until this day, the most profound one in modelling fame.

Gia’s rapid rise in her modelling career declined just as fast when she became addicted to heroin and eventually died of AIDS-related complications at the age of 26. Born This Way by Sacha Lanvin Baumann is narrated through the interviews of friends and colleagues who recall their time spent with Gia and their personal thoughts about her. Born This Way successfully sheds light on Gia’s character that people may not be aware of. Some of the interviewees have opposite opinions about Gia, but there’s no doubt her magnetism affected everyone at certain levels. She could have continued with modelling a little longer, pursued photography, filmography or tried her hand at acting. Or she could have quit, leaving New York, going home to Philadelphia or whatnot. In the end, her life ended too soon. This is a poignant but fascinating and insightful work from Baumann about Gia.