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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
3 stars
I've realized that I really enjoy contemporaries that focus on issues. I'm not sure how to else to categorize this type of book. the ones that follow someone that's going through crap and you just live life with them, trying to figure it out.
I loved our main character, I loved dealing with her life with her, I loved reading this book.
Things I didn't love:
1. her graphic imaginings of her brother's date rape. what the heck?
2. the fact that she said "date rape" every two seconds
3. her extremely reasonable conversation with the girl who he date raped. Very mature. and very unrealistic.
4. and the fact that when she finally became comfortable in her own skin she started body shaming skinny girls. why can't people love the way they look without hating the way other people look?
her life was crap but it was real. I loved it and I loved her and I loved Froggy
***trigger warnings for eating disorders, rape, and self harm****
I've realized that I really enjoy contemporaries that focus on issues. I'm not sure how to else to categorize this type of book. the ones that follow someone that's going through crap and you just live life with them, trying to figure it out.
I loved our main character, I loved dealing with her life with her, I loved reading this book.
Things I didn't love:
1.
2.
3.
4. and the fact that when she finally became comfortable in her own skin she started body shaming skinny girls. why can't people love the way they look without hating the way other people look?
her life was crap but it was real. I loved it and I loved her and I loved Froggy
***trigger warnings for eating disorders, rape, and self harm****
There are so many books that would have saved my life if I had read them when I was 14.
This is one of them.
This is one of them.
This book was hilarious. To the other people Virginia may seem shy and unconfident, but I think that she is funny just because she understands her "problem" and is able to make fun of it. My body is larger-than-average and when I was younger I felt bad about it next to the thinner bodies of my friends. Now when I've grown older I've understood that I like my body, I love it. It is a part of me and I am proud of it. And just like Virginia says at the end of the book; "If you had a small, puny present and a big, round present, which one would you open first? The big, round one, right? Who ever said smaller is better? NO ONE, that's who!", big things are not bad, they are normally things we want.
I loved to read how Virginia builts up her confidence and realizes that she is proud of herself the way she is. She undestands that the most important thing is that she feels good about herself, not that someone else says what she should look like. After Virginia feels good about herself she is ready for new friends and even a new romance.
This is the second book I've read this year about a girl struggling with her weight. Pretty Face by Mary Hogan (I have a review about it here)
told about girl who also struggled with her weight but in the end realized that she is beautiful just the way she is. I loved the both books and I would love to read more books like them. So if you know any books like that, please leave me a comment. :) Also, if you have read any other books by Mackler I would love to hear what you thought about them. :)
I loved to read how Virginia builts up her confidence and realizes that she is proud of herself the way she is. She undestands that the most important thing is that she feels good about herself, not that someone else says what she should look like. After Virginia feels good about herself she is ready for new friends and even a new romance.
This is the second book I've read this year about a girl struggling with her weight. Pretty Face by Mary Hogan (I have a review about it here)
told about girl who also struggled with her weight but in the end realized that she is beautiful just the way she is. I loved the both books and I would love to read more books like them. So if you know any books like that, please leave me a comment. :) Also, if you have read any other books by Mackler I would love to hear what you thought about them. :)
There were not a lot of likable characters in this book, save for the protagonist and perhaps her best friend. Even with that handicap, this book was involving and pretty funny in spots. I enjoyed watching Virginia mature a lot in a very believable way over the course of the story.
This was book dealt with a couple of serious issues but ultimately it was cute and even funny at times. The ending was nice.
So she just overcomes her body issues in a few days just because???
I picked up The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things in part because of its humorous title. I was expecting something lighthearted going in, though I knew the author would focus on themes of being overweight and having low self-esteem. This book is also somewhat unique for its time. It was originally published back in 2003, though Bloomsbury reprinted it when its sequel came out. From what I understand, they even added texting and other more modernized technology to the story, since the original version alluded to some outdated concepts, like emailing long-distance friends and whatnot.
I’m sad to say that, even with the changes made to the text, this story doesn’t stand the test of time. And that has little to do with the technology. In fact, this story is easy to fall into, especially with Virginia’s narrative, which is the one thing I genuinely appreciated while reading this. Virginia is comical and clever—definitely solid narrator material. That, plus Mackler’s easy-to-read prose, make this book tolerable.
Where this story fails, in my opinion, is in its treatment of its overweight main character. Sadly, in 2003, it was considered revolutionary to even include or focus on a plus-size character. I imagine that’s why this book was nominated for an award, but I have to say, I didn’t appreciate the portrayal of Virginia’s character. I understand what Mackler was trying to do, showing her struggle with self-confidence and emotional eating, but I think there are plenty of books now that handle these things better. And honestly, I’m tired of seeing overweight protagonists be portrayed as people who wear ugly clothing, eat three donuts in under five minutes, and then hide in bathroom stalls during their lunch breaks.
Apart from the outdated treatment of our main character, I also found that this story—like many others released during the early 2000s—glossed over some pretty heavy topics.
In the end, this book just wound up being okay in terms of storytelling. I enjoyed watching Virginia’s journey to accepting herself, but almost everything else fell flat for me. Add the problematic components to that, and I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be continuing on with this series.
Check out my full review here: https://peaksandpages.com/2019/02/02/the-earth-my-butt-and-other-big-round-things-spoiler-free-review/
I’m sad to say that, even with the changes made to the text, this story doesn’t stand the test of time. And that has little to do with the technology. In fact, this story is easy to fall into, especially with Virginia’s narrative, which is the one thing I genuinely appreciated while reading this. Virginia is comical and clever—definitely solid narrator material. That, plus Mackler’s easy-to-read prose, make this book tolerable.
Where this story fails, in my opinion, is in its treatment of its overweight main character. Sadly, in 2003, it was considered revolutionary to even include or focus on a plus-size character. I imagine that’s why this book was nominated for an award, but I have to say, I didn’t appreciate the portrayal of Virginia’s character. I understand what Mackler was trying to do, showing her struggle with self-confidence and emotional eating, but I think there are plenty of books now that handle these things better. And honestly, I’m tired of seeing overweight protagonists be portrayed as people who wear ugly clothing, eat three donuts in under five minutes, and then hide in bathroom stalls during their lunch breaks.
Apart from the outdated treatment of our main character, I also found that this story—like many others released during the early 2000s—glossed over some pretty heavy topics.
In the end, this book just wound up being okay in terms of storytelling. I enjoyed watching Virginia’s journey to accepting herself, but almost everything else fell flat for me. Add the problematic components to that, and I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be continuing on with this series.
Check out my full review here: https://peaksandpages.com/2019/02/02/the-earth-my-butt-and-other-big-round-things-spoiler-free-review/
who this book is good. It deals with the emotion stress of not fitting in because your fat.there are some unexpected things that happen in this book. you should all read it because it's a great book