Injoy's Blogs + Book Reviews

Getting Waisted, A Survival Guide to Being Fat in a Society That Loves Thin by Monica Parker I received a free copy from Net Galley for fair review.

I gave it a five star rating. It has the ring of truth throughout. It's a comedic & sometimes tragic memoir of surviving in a society that is obsessed with thinness. The author's account should be read by everyone thin or fat that confronts prejudice & deals with insecurities.

In a weight obsessed society, there are countless people who can relate to her words. While she used humor as a line of defense, sometimes the words were 'hard to stomach'.

Here is an example of her frank sharing. "Unconsciously, I developed a personality resistant to failure; like a child's Bop Bag I stood up each time I was knocked down, and each time I grew stronger, funnier, and more powerful in my conviction that I was going to dazzle the world on my own terms. But this didn't happen without a few scratches, dents, and dings along the way."

If you want warm & fuzzy, this is not the book for you. It is often razor sharp & edged with barbs. This is not to say I did not like it. It is five star reading all the way through.

After a relentlessly harsh rejection from an agent in Hollywood she wrote: "Whatever confidence I had built up from having the best, most amazing husband & some success as a writer & actress, was now shattered."

It's so easy to allow the opinions of others to affect self-image & confidence. Her peace with herself was hard won. There are valuable insights throughout this book.

Bravo for offering tools for survival & thanks for making them available. This book can be utilized by anyone struggling with self acceptance.

Here is a potential creed to get through it all."Say grace & have grace. Bring back food. Bring back joy. Simple food & simple pleasures."

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