myrhial's profile picture

myrhial's review

4.0
challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced
tamsynlparker's profile picture

tamsynlparker's review

3.0

I somehow came away from this book feeling worse about my body than ever (which I know is a me thing and certainly not what the author intended) 

starnosedmole's review


As a fan of Gordon's podcast Maintenance Phase, I was hoping this book would get into more nuance about fatphobia and the detrimental effects of diet culture. Alas, the book seemed rushed, disorganized and often repetitive in content (-including anecdotes). Buy or read Gordon's book to communicate to publishers that yes, this is a subject that warrants further acknowledgment, then listen to Maintenance Phase.
cameron_cassidy's profile picture

cameron_cassidy's review

4.75
informative medium-paced
emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

Whatever your body size, READ THIS BOOK! This is an intersectional feminist look at body justice and addressing fatphobia and stigma. it is inclusive,  clever, and breaks down the messages that we've been raised on. Maybe even give a copy to the person most "concerned" about your health.

The overarching content of this book was incredible yet horrendous to read. Anti-fat bias is real, vile and it permeates every aspect of our lives. Aubrey is an incredibly smart and well-researched author. I found this book being an avid follower of Maintenance Phase - a truly marvelous podcast debunking various aspects of wellness like fad diets and influencers.

Reading about Aubrey lived experience resonated deeply with me. I wanted to hear more about her and learn more about the woman behind this podcast I loved. Her stories echoed many of the feelings, fears and frustrations I have faced throughout my life with my weight.

I really struggled with the style of the book, thus my low rating. Aubrey’s storytelling approach was disjointed throughout making for a very redundant experience at times.

That said, I applaud Aubrey for this book and remain a fan of hers.

fillechaude's review

3.0
informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

If you don't think fatphobia is a social justice issue, please read this book. Actually, read it even if you already do. I work in the field of eating disorder treatment and consider myself relatively well-informed about issues around diet culture and medical fatphobia, but my gosh. Recognizing the sheer number of ways fat people are literally dehumanized in our society was humbling. My privilege as a straight-sized person absolutely shows. I could sit here and ramble about it, but just read the book.

I do acknowledge that some parts of it are repetitive in a way that suggests poor editing as opposed to repetition for emphasis or reader retention. My guess is that the chapters probably began as individual essays that were compiled together into the book. That being said, I'm looking forward to reading Gordon's next book, which comes in January, and I'm so excited that she'll be reading the audiobook for it!
persephonelw's profile picture

persephonelw's review

4.25
challenging emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

sbluestone's review

5.0

Aubrey Gordon has changed my life.