Martha Nowicki had progressed from chubby to fat without really noticing. And she always settled for less than she wanted. But when she was passed over for a promotion at her job, and her boyfriend Eddie deserted her, she knew she’d have to make a change. But even losing weight complicated things—suddenly there were two men in her life, and two companies wanting her skills. Young Adult Fiction by Cynthia Baxter writing as Cynthia Blair; originally published by Fawcett
A Top Ten Nonfiction Book of 2005 (Entertainment Weekly) For any woman who has ever had a love/hate relationship with food and with how she looks; for anyone who has knowingly or unconsciously used food to try to fill the hole in his heart or soothe the craggy edges of his psyche, Fat Girl is a brilliantly rendered, angst-filled coming-of-age story of gain and loss. From the lush descriptions of food that call to mind the writings of M.F.K. Fisher at her finest, to the heartbreaking accounts of Moore’s deep longing for family and a sense of belonging and love, Fat Girl stuns and shocks, saddens and tickles. “Searingly honest without affectation… Moore emerged from her hellish upbringing as a kind of softer Diane Arbus, wielding pen instead of camera.”—The Seattle Times “Frank, often funny—intelligent and entertaining.”—People (starred review) “God, I love this book. It is wise, funny, painful, revealing, and profoundly honest.”—Anne Lamott “Judith Moore grabs the reader by the collar, and shakes up our notion of life in the fat lane.”—David Sedaris “Stark… lyrical, and often funny, Judith Moore ambushes you on the very first page, and in short order has lifted you up and broken your heart.”—Newsweek “A slap-in-the-face of a book—courageous, heartbreaking, fascinating, and darkly funny.”—Augusten Burroughs
An account of one woman's triumph over food- and body-related guilt describes, in diary form, the author's journey from ascetic eating regimens, through Weight Watchers and other programs, to the present
From the author of Bunny, a “hilarious, heartbreaking book” (People) about a woman whose life is hijacked by her struggle to conform “Stunning . . . As you watch Lizzie navigate fraught relationships—with food, men, girlfriends, her parents and even with herself—you’ll want to grab a friend and say: ‘Whoa. This. Exactly.’” —Washington Post Growing up in the suburban hell of Misery Saga (a.k.a. Mississauga), Lizzie has never liked the way she looks—even though her best friend Mel says she’s the pretty one. She starts dating guys online, but she’s afraid to send pictures, even when her skinny friend China does her makeup: she knows no one would want her if they could really see her. So she starts to lose. With punishing drive, she counts almonds consumed, miles logged, pounds dropped. She fights her way into coveted dresses. She grows up and gets thin, navigating double-edged validation from her mother, her friends, her husband, her reflection in the mirror. But no matter how much she loses, will she ever see herself as anything other than a fat girl? In her brilliant, hilarious, and at times shocking debut, Mona Awad skewers the body image-obsessed culture that tells women they have no value outside their physical appearance. Brilliant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl introduces a vital new voice in fiction. WINNER OF THE AMAZON CANADA FIRST NOVEL AWARD FINALIST FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE COLORADO BOOK AWARD FOR LITERARY FICTION LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD ARAB AMERICAN BOOK AWARD HONORABLE MENTION FOR FICTION
“A savvy, smart, and funny book about embracing your body and taking control of your destiny.” —Kathleen Glasgow, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Girl in Pieces “Bold, unique, and completely original…A debut both spirited and inventive, much like its indomitable heroine.” —Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts From debut author Kelly DeVos comes an unforgettable story about fierce fashion, pursuing your dreams, and loving yourself at any size. FAT Cookie Vonn’s dreams include getting out of Phoenix and becoming the next great fashion designer. But in the world of fashion, being fat is a cardinal sin. It doesn’t help that she’s constantly compared to her supermodel mother—and named after a dessert. Cookie scores a trip to New York to pitch her design portfolio, but her plans are put on standby when she’s declared too fat to fly. When she finally arrives, she finds she’s been replaced by her ultrathin rival. Cookie vows to lose weight, get out of the friend zone with her crush, and put her dreams back on track. SKINNY Cookie expected sunshine and rainbows, but nothing about her new life is turning out like she planned. When the fashion designer of the moment offers her what she’s always wanted—an opportunity to live and study in New York—she finds herself in a world full of people more interested in putting women down than dressing them up. Her designs make waves, but her real dream of creating great clothes for people of all sizes seems to grow more distant by the day. Will she realize that she’s always had the power to make her own dreams come true? “A realistic portrayal of the frustrations of weight loss and size acceptance…sex, body positivity, and ambition. VERDICT A strong choice for most YA shelves.” —School Library Journal “Packed with smart zingers about what it feels like to be fat and have a body that people criticize…Also a fairytale romp through the New York City fashion world.” —Carolyn Mackler, B&N Teen Blog
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is a manifesto and call to arms for women of all sizes and ages. With smart and spirited eloquence, veteran blogger Jes Baker calls on women to be proud of their bodies, fight against fat-shaming, and embrace a body-positive worldview to change public perceptions and help women maintain mental health. With the same straightforward tone that catapulted her to national attention when she wrote a public letter addressing the sexist comments of Abercrombie & Fitch's CEO, Jes shares personal experiences along with in-depth research in a way that is approachable, digestible, and empowering. Featuring notable guest authors, Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is an invitation for all women to reject fat prejudice, learn to love their bodies, and join the most progressive, and life-changing revolution there is: the movement to change the world by loving their bodies.
Jeff Lyons is both repelled and fascinated by Ellen de Luca, the fat girl in his ceramics class. The “crumbs of kindness” he tosses her way soon turn into advice on weight loss, college, clothes ... until good-looking Jeff dumps his girlfriend to date the fat girl! As Ellen changes, Jeff resents the happy, independent young woman he has unleashed.
Did you ever bring the class hamster home and have it disappear down the mouse hole? Or strike out in the last half of the ninth with the bases loaded?... Do you remember how you felt the day you came home from school and found out your mother had just thrown away your grasshopper collection when she didn't even know you were collecting grasshoppers?These, and dozens of other miserable situations like them, are here depicted in deceptively simple line drawings with psychologically sensitive captions, in warm and nostalgic terms, turning misery then into warm laughter now.
“In this bold new book, Tovar eviscerates diet culture, proclaims the joyous possibilities of fatness, and shows us that liberation is possible.” —Sarai Walker, author of Dietland Growing up as a fat girl, Virgie Tovar believed that her body was something to be fixed. But after two decades of dieting and constant guilt, she was over it—and gave herself the freedom to trust her own body again. Ever since, she’s been helping others to do the same. Tovar is hungry for a world where bodies are valued equally, food is free from moral judgment, and you can jiggle through life with respect. In concise and candid language, she delves into unlearning fatphobia, dismantling sexist notions of fashion, and how to reject diet culture’s greatest lie: that fat people need to wait before beginning their best lives. “This book feels like spending a margarita-soaked day at the beach with your smartest friend. Virgie Tovar shares juicy secrets and makes revolutionary ideas viscerally accessible. You’ll be left enlightened, inspired, happier, and possibly angrier than when you started.” —Joy Nash, actress “Tovar is a vital voice in contemporary activism, media, and feminism. The joy she takes in her own body and life, combined with the righteous anger she expresses at an oppressive world is a truly radical act. She is deeply thoughtful, but does not equivocate. She confronts bigotry, but does not engage with bullshit.” —Kelsey Miller, author of Big Girl “Long-time body positive writer, speaker and activist Virgie Tovar is gifting brown round girls the book we’ve been hungry for.” —Mitú
