annieu's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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karcitis's review

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dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

4.75


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jcstokes95's review

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 A book like this does not exist yet, and I think in 50 years, when we have finally begun to truly confront the reality of anti-fat bias, this will be the classic we look to. When I heard the anonymous, radical writer of Your Fat Friend on Medium had revealed her identity and published a book, I pre-ordered it immediately. I salivated waiting for it to arrive, and when I got it, I kept it on my shelf for two years. Because I realized it would be one of the most triggering reading experiences of my life (correct). This book though, it’s so necessary and so radical, I just want to tell everyone to read it. But I’m nervous to even review it for all the reasons it says I will be.

Gordon’s experiences throughout this book constantly reflected my own life experiences. This was nauseating because it meant remember all the screaming out of cars at me, all my anxious feelings toward dating, experiences that led me there, all the coworker questions about food, every garbage medical experience and denial of care. I had to think about all the ways I have learned to protect myself because Gordon’s own stories were reflecting that back to me. Then I thought, there is no way any thin person it going to ever get any understanding of these stories, because fat people are too afraid to tell them. We are disbelieved on any claim we make. Gordon gets to the heart of this issue as well.

Honestly, she’s slamming fact after fact down about how the abuse, intolerance and injustice serves to worsen fat people’s health outcomes. She’s telling you what any person on the tough side of the fucked BMI scale will tell you. There is very little about your body’s composition that you can control. If we could control it, wouldn’t we change it to avoid the harassment? Or do we really believe that over 30 percent of Americans are really into being negged by strangers?

The message here is inherent dignity. Every person, no matter their health, weight, attractiveness, ability level has inherent dignity. This is what we all need to hear. Gordon’s digging into what I have always found most fascinating about discriminators toward any group. The way the illusion of choice emboldens people to believe they have a say in other’s life and rights. (Choice was the core argument against gay marriage and continues to be the main argument against trans rights). It has always been bullshit.

I could pretty much talk about all my thoughts on this book for days. But I won’t. Because honestly, one of aforementioned self-protection practices I’ve learned is not sharing my every thought on fatness on the internet. So, where I will end it, every person should try to read this book. It is going to make you uncomfortable; you will be squirming in your chair the whole time. But maybe you will be able to begin confronting the ways you make life difficult for others without even knowing it. 

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Everyone needs to read this!!! Especially if you are not fat.

CWs: Fatphobia, body shaming, medical trauma, eating disorder, medical content, sexual harassment, bullying, ableism, misogyny, hate crime, sexual violence, threats of rape, sexism, emotional abuse, violence, gaslighting, death, transphobia/transmisia, classism. Moderate: queerphobia/queermisia, racism, dysphoria, chronic illness, cancer. 

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missbsbookshelf's review

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring slow-paced

4.5


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marrireadsandrambles's review

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challenging informative

4.0


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daydreamermoonwalker's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

This was a fantastic introduction to fatphobia and body justice. I loved the author's mix of personal experiences and research based argument. I also appreciated how she made sure to include poc, queer, trans, and disabled people in her arguments, as any conversation on body justice that doesn't include all bodies is incomplete. 

I think that everyone should read this book, especially if you're just starting to learn about these things. 

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hannahjay's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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kukushka's review

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challenging emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0


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skudiklier's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I regularly read books that I think everyone should read, but this is one I know I'll be recommending for a long, long time, to as many people as I can. I've followed Aubrey Gordon's work for years, and have been convinced of her positions for a while now, but this book lays out everything in such a clear, damning way. This book answers the questions I haven't known how to when having arguments with other straight-size people about anti-fat bias, and addresses everything you may think to ask about. This book should be required reading for everyone, but *especially* those going into the medical field in any way. 

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