Book was born in Hollywood, Florida in 1984 to parents Patricia "Pat" Book, a former chocolate retailer, and Ron Book, a Florida lawyer and lobbyist. She is the oldest of three siblings. Book was sexually abused as a child over the course of six years by her nanny. She developed anorexia as a result of the sexual abuse. In 2002, the nanny pled guilty to five felony charges and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, later extended to 25 years. Book created a charity, Lauren's Kids, in 2007 to fight for stronger penalties for sex offenders. Book graduated from the University of Miami in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Following graduation, she taught for one year in Miami-Dade public schools. Starting in 2010, Book annually leads "Walk in My Shoes", a walk from Key West, Florida, to Tallahassee, Florida. She has written two books: Lauren's Kingdom and It's OK to Tell: A Story of Hope and Recovery. She designed an abuse prevention curriculum for implementation in Florida kindergartens. In 2012, Book was awarded her master's degree in Community Psychology from the University of Miami.
Political career
Book ran unopposed for the 32nd district seat in the Florida Senate in 2016. In the 2017 session, Book filed a bill that would remove Confederate Memorial Day, celebrated on April 26, 2017, from Florida's list of 21 legal holidays. Her bill would also remove the birthday of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis as official state holidays. Book told CBS4 that "during a time when the country is completely divided, I think we look at celebrating our unique coming together instead of some of the things that kind of create hate and divisive environments." On July 22, 2019, Book wrote a letter to Florida governorRon DeSantis requesting a probe into how the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office handled a work release program for Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender convicted of soliciting prostitution of a minor, back in 2008-9. Following her request, Book reported that she began receiving calls from political supporters of Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, asking her to drop the request for an inquiry. The Miami Herald reported that Book also received multiple anonymous calls and texts with more ominous demands to halt her request for a probe.
Personal life
Book married Kris Lim, a professional golfer, in 2008; their wedding was featured on We TV's Platinum Weddings. They divorced in 2010. In 2015, she married Blair Byrnes. They are the parents of twins Kennedy Grace and Hudson Lee, born on February 16, 2017.
