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Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes: An American Indian Odyssey by Fritz Scholder, Chris Crutcher
4 reviews
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are some issues in this book that hit kind of hard in today's climate, especially the discussions about abortion and the separation of church and state. It's for that reason I'm not surprised that it made its way onto a frequently banned books list, and will certainly make for interesting discussion tonight at book club!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Abortion
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Misogyny
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a realistic fiction novel about outcast teenagers. Sarah Byrnes has a face marred by burn scars while Eric Calhoune is overweight. The story is told from Eric’s perspective as it alternates between the present and the past. In the present, Sarah has gone mute and Eric struggles trying to figure out how to help her as he recollects the history of their friendship. It is emotional, dark, and tense. The novel does cover many serious topics such as physical and emotional abuse, bullying, and abortion, and it does so in a way that seems natural for the plot and characters.
The book comes across as misogynistic, though I begrudgingly admit it did get a bit better by the end of the book. The women are oversexualized and seem pretty one-dimensional even when they have interesting backstories. Many of the characters have a lot of depth and are engaging to unravel, but the personalities of the characters seem underdeveloped. It’s not necessarily a bad book. The flawed characters drive the story, and the complexity of the problems they encounter constitute a compelling plot. It’s thought-provoking and even inspiring to a certain extent. But it was frustrating to read which made it difficult to connect with the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the singlemost impactful reads of my teen years. 15 years later and I'm still thinking about this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Abortion
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Eating disorder, Abandonment
Minor: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting