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bethybethy's review against another edition
4.0
if i could be a quarter of the woman michelle elman is one day i would be very happy
ellyrarg's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good read, the writing was engaging and pulled you along, without you realising you were even on the path you were.
I wasn’t sure about it to begin with, as typically autobiographies have all the awkward life details and no resolution, but not this book. What mattered was included (and I assume we never saw the things that didn’t) and we ended up in a nice conclusion with a positive story and a polite you can be happy too, if you want.
Even better, it wasn’t the whole book that was body positive, there was no memes or hashtags or sound bites to make this feel off, like a marketing platform. Instead it was honest and genuine and relatable.
Good book, a story worth reading.
I wasn’t sure about it to begin with, as typically autobiographies have all the awkward life details and no resolution, but not this book. What mattered was included (and I assume we never saw the things that didn’t) and we ended up in a nice conclusion with a positive story and a polite you can be happy too, if you want.
Even better, it wasn’t the whole book that was body positive, there was no memes or hashtags or sound bites to make this feel off, like a marketing platform. Instead it was honest and genuine and relatable.
Good book, a story worth reading.
littlesparrowreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful memoir that sees us walk hand in hand with Michelle through her life thus far and the surgeries that impacted her on the way. At its core, this is a book about belief, hope, and acceptance. I loved that psychology was woven through the narrative. From the chapters based in school to the those that see us explore different kinds of psychotherapy, Michelle is brilliant at deftly exploring her past with an insight and understanding of trauma and how it repositions our memories. This is an accessible and empowering book that I learnt a huge amount from.
meganrose_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
fiddleysticks's review against another edition
5.0
As some of my recent posts have indicated, I have a bit of a body positivity journey under way. So, when I noticed that Net Galley had Michelle Elman's book available, I had to request it right away, and thank goodness the request was accepted.
It's easy to think about body positivity as entirely about weight and fatness, but of course that's not true. It's about any characteristic that your body might have, and Michelle's book is an excellent reminder of that as the central characteristic being discussed is scars as a result of multiple operations across her life.
Her story is amazing, and thought-provoking, and honestly, one I'm not sure I could have come out of so positively, and I'm enormously impressed by her for having done so.
Of course, it also gave plenty to think about. How our early experiences in life can impact us later on. How hard it can be to share the most vulnerable part of our histories with new people - and how amazing when they are simply accepted. The people you meet in life who manage to completely change your outlook.
And how has this book impacted my own body positivity thinking? It's given some wonderful insight into body positivity beyond weight/fatness. It's one thing to intellectually understand that body positivity isn't just about being fat in a thin obsessed world, but it's another to actually read about what that looks like for someone else, which is important, and wonderful. Because really, body positivity is about being "real" (read, whatever you are) in a world obsessed with a perfection that does not actually exist, whether we're talking body shape, colour, texture, ability etc etc etc.
It also gave me a bit of a boost to continue with my anti-diet stance at a time when I have some health things going on that every statistic available says would be improved if I weighed less. And I'm prepared to believe it, but I'm holding tight to the notion that effectively starving myself is not going to improve any health indicator beyond my weight - and that only temporarily. If I happen to lose weight by listening to my body, then awesome, if not, then I need to trust my body that this is where it needs to be right now. Which is hard. But I'm determined.
Michelle's book really reminded me too how important it is to trust friends and family. Sometimes they can't or won't give us the exact support we need, but sometimes they will surprise us, and when dealing with your relationship with your body, remembering that people love us, even if we can't always love ourselves, is a big deal.
I have a suspicion that this is a book I'll come back to, that will bubble around in my brain and continue to make me think and reflect. Which I love! In the meantime, I highly, highly recommend this book. It comes out on the 12th of July 2018. WHSmith have signed copies. This book is one I'll need a physical copy of, and so I'll be getting one for myself!
It's easy to think about body positivity as entirely about weight and fatness, but of course that's not true. It's about any characteristic that your body might have, and Michelle's book is an excellent reminder of that as the central characteristic being discussed is scars as a result of multiple operations across her life.
Her story is amazing, and thought-provoking, and honestly, one I'm not sure I could have come out of so positively, and I'm enormously impressed by her for having done so.
Of course, it also gave plenty to think about. How our early experiences in life can impact us later on. How hard it can be to share the most vulnerable part of our histories with new people - and how amazing when they are simply accepted. The people you meet in life who manage to completely change your outlook.
And how has this book impacted my own body positivity thinking? It's given some wonderful insight into body positivity beyond weight/fatness. It's one thing to intellectually understand that body positivity isn't just about being fat in a thin obsessed world, but it's another to actually read about what that looks like for someone else, which is important, and wonderful. Because really, body positivity is about being "real" (read, whatever you are) in a world obsessed with a perfection that does not actually exist, whether we're talking body shape, colour, texture, ability etc etc etc.
It also gave me a bit of a boost to continue with my anti-diet stance at a time when I have some health things going on that every statistic available says would be improved if I weighed less. And I'm prepared to believe it, but I'm holding tight to the notion that effectively starving myself is not going to improve any health indicator beyond my weight - and that only temporarily. If I happen to lose weight by listening to my body, then awesome, if not, then I need to trust my body that this is where it needs to be right now. Which is hard. But I'm determined.
Michelle's book really reminded me too how important it is to trust friends and family. Sometimes they can't or won't give us the exact support we need, but sometimes they will surprise us, and when dealing with your relationship with your body, remembering that people love us, even if we can't always love ourselves, is a big deal.
I have a suspicion that this is a book I'll come back to, that will bubble around in my brain and continue to make me think and reflect. Which I love! In the meantime, I highly, highly recommend this book. It comes out on the 12th of July 2018. WHSmith have signed copies. This book is one I'll need a physical copy of, and so I'll be getting one for myself!
missmethven's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been following Michelle on instagram for about a year, when I began my body positivity journey, and I know how hard she has worked to have her book on shelves. It’s such a beautiful memoir. It’s completely open, raw and honest. The language is so artful and poetically written, straightforward and subtle. Another fantastic book showing the importance of representation, the often unacknowledged challenges of inhabiting a marginalised body and will speak to everyone that picks it up. 100% recommend - I love it! 💗📚
georginainvisablestring22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25