Carmen Dupre is drop-dead gorgeous, and she knows it. She is the type of woman men dream about, pray for, and go to great lengths to impress and possess. Which is the reason she is thrown for a loop the day she is dumped by her beau, Randall. Needless to say, since she has not experienced it often, she doesn’t take his rejection well.
But not to worry; she has a bevy of men standing in line to take his place. One man in particular, a math teacher, is willing to win her over with compassion, patience, loyalty, and expensive gifts, while suffering Carmen’s relentless abuse. She gives him the cold shoulder because, unlike her, he is not eye candy. However, he is honest and hardworking – not to mention highly intelligent.
Carmen learns being a head-turner also has its down side. She flirts with danger when she bats her eyes prettily one too many times at a man old enough to be her father in order to receive the job of her dreams. Like her mother, Carmen feels she is too good to work with at-risk children in a poor neighborhood when she would rather assist gifted children who want to learn, in a less dangerous environment.
A handsome, spiritual stranger who has lost his only child to a dreadful disease helps her in the fight of her life. When she discovers she has breast cancer, she initially refuses treatment because it will mar her physical appearance. Through her adversity, she realizes she has always possessed something that far outshines her beauty – the love and support of family and friends. And she no longer judges a book by its cover.
Although Schooling Carmen is predictable at times, this novel also has its share of beautifully woven words which are moving and thought-provoking.