In this subversive retelling of the magical tale of 'Sleeping Beauty,' Rebecca Solnit shifts the focus from the girl who slept for a hundred years to her sister who stayed awake -- and to a poor boy whose story stumbled into theirs. Waking beauty tells of each child's adventures and obstacles: of Maya, the inspiring, extraordinary artist and changemaker who 'found [beauty] everywhere and gave it to everyone' ; of Atlas, who guarded golden apples and was definitely not a prince; and of Ida, who dreamed for a century and woke up in a very different world.