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imalahakhund's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Previously known for her advocacy for Adnan Syed's case and appearance on the podcast Serial and HBO documentary on the case, Rabia Chaudry, here in her memoir Fatty Fatty, Boom Boom is talking about her life as a 2nd generation Pakistani American woman, her relationship with food especially her love for the Pakistani cuisine, her struggle with weight gain and fat shaming in the desi community and her stories about her family.
Fast paced, funny and so so much relatable that it almost felt like I wasn't reading but sitting in drawing room listening to an auntie or khala recalling interesting tales about family around afternoon chai time. Some of the descriptions and details are so real and relatable that I could see the same things happening in my own family. Rabia truly is a skilled writer, using humor and storytelling as a way of sharing her life long struggle with weight gain, her coke addiction in college and then weight loss by different methods from excercise and diet to eating and throwing up, and over salting her food to bariatric surgery and then plastic surgery.
P.S. While reading the book I came across the knowledge that Rabia Chaudry has also been involved in an Anti BDS, Pro Israel, Muslim Leadership Initiative or MLI, involved in faithwashing the Israeli occupation. The book doesn't mention really anything about it but given the current climate I felt like it was right to mention it.
Fast paced, funny and so so much relatable that it almost felt like I wasn't reading but sitting in drawing room listening to an auntie or khala recalling interesting tales about family around afternoon chai time. Some of the descriptions and details are so real and relatable that I could see the same things happening in my own family. Rabia truly is a skilled writer, using humor and storytelling as a way of sharing her life long struggle with weight gain, her coke addiction in college and then weight loss by different methods from excercise and diet to eating and throwing up, and over salting her food to bariatric surgery and then plastic surgery.
P.S. While reading the book I came across the knowledge that Rabia Chaudry has also been involved in an Anti BDS, Pro Israel, Muslim Leadership Initiative or MLI, involved in faithwashing the Israeli occupation. The book doesn't mention really anything about it but given the current climate I felt like it was right to mention it.
kadomi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
As someone who a) loves North Indian/Pakistani food and b) has been overweight her whole life, I was looking forward to reading this autobiography. Ultimately, it left me a bit disappointed. I didn't expect to get the ultimate trick to beating obesity, but I would have liked if the author had learned to love herself instead of continuing on a journey of self-loathing until she got a personal trainer. I was saddened by all the fat-shaming the author endured her whole life.
My favorite bits were the glimpses of life in Pakistan, and of course all the lovely food that was described. I'll definitely try to cook some of those recipes.
My favorite bits were the glimpses of life in Pakistan, and of course all the lovely food that was described. I'll definitely try to cook some of those recipes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
mmotleyu's review
3.0
I found this book difficult to get through for a few reasons. First, her family was awful to her about her weight-- I felt every insult thrown at her from relatives to future inlaws. Second, the descriptions of the food got to be a bit much... maybe if I was more familiar with the Indian dishes she describes, I would find it more relatable. But, I did really enjoy the food descriptions in Crying in H Mart, and I didn't know a lot of the foods in that one, so I think it really was the excessive detail. As a fellow weight struggler, it probabaly hit a bit close to home as well. I admire the author's strength and honesty and would probably more enjoy a book on a different topic by her.
alexisrt's review
4.0
I have really mixed feelings about this book. Writing wise, it's great (and now I'm hungry). But I felt so bad for Rabia--so much self-hatred, so much internalizing of all her family criticism. This is what always gets me about weight loss journeys--the search for a destination that may or may not be reached, the loss of the years spent in that pursuit.
kmarkham's review
1.0
The last line of this book ends with “I will remain […] fat but I’m not *that* fat.” Ouch.
I can recognize that someone is still early in their self-love journey, but this book still has a ton of anti-fat bias through the very end.
I can recognize that someone is still early in their self-love journey, but this book still has a ton of anti-fat bias through the very end.
babyruth510's review
2.0
Not for me. Only got about a third of the way through before I decided to move on. (audio version)