eleanorareads's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0


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harper2301's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.25


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chryzo's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.0


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charlie_emgwy's review

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medium-paced

4.75

Not quite 5 for some reason I can’t think of but something wasn’t complete for me. 

I really enjoyed reading this I’ve recommended this books to multiple people in my life, honestly as I was reading it it felt as it was changing my life and my perspective. It has helped to heal some of my wounds but I will say that I’m not sure I’ve take it all with me I think I’ll definitely need to read this yearly to keep my head in the right place. But this book is brilliant and let me see things I hadn’t before I’ve been quoting facts and information at people whenever diet or comments come up from people in my life and I can see that’s slightly changed their thoughts as well and I am glad. 


I feel as though everyone needs to read this book ED or not.

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oceanwriter's review

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

Happy U.S. publication day!

Where do I start?! This is a book I didn't realize I needed to read until I began. Though I've been fairly fortunate not to get stuck in the diet cycle, that hasn't taken away the feelings of inadequacy I've felt about my body for most of my life. This book is an eye-opener. 

Growing up in a family riddled with various eating disorders, I'm no stranger to the harm body image issues do to mental and physical health. On one side, I grew up the fat cousin, and comments and attitudes toward me were between the lines. On the other side, I was the thinnest, and yet I was constantly subjected to blatant body-shaming. Sometimes it was directed at me despite being the closest to the 'ideal' weight, but more painfully, I had to witness it happening to people I loved. My body image issues have resulted in overall low self-esteem even if my weight hasn't been the main focus of this. I just accepted I was the 'ugly duckling' and the result was, and still is, letting myself be walked over. It didn't stop at family, either. Being the heaviest of most of my friends as a teenager was damaging as well.

I wish this book had been around for me then.

Along with a history of how we've arrived at the 'thin is good, fat is bad' mentality we've been groomed to believe, Alex Light debunks the myths we've come to accept as fact. 'Skinny people can't be unhealthy', 'Fat people can't be healthy', and in general the moral issue that has become different food groups. She provides sets of healthy, reasonable, and achievable guidelines to live your best life in the natural body you were given. Her own story and battle with self-image are intertwined through all of this providing so much inspiration. 

In the time that I've been reading this book, I've found myself more aware of the toxicity in the media surrounding weight. There have been so many red flags all along that I've been blind to because the diet culture mentality has become such an accepted part of life. While I personally swore off diets quickly, the trade-off was/is thinking I'm not good for much and will never achieve anything because I lack the willpower to do what I need to do to be 'successful'. After reading this book, I'm already starting to question my own thought process. I eat when I'm hungry because I feel miserable if I don't... I can't believe it took seeing it in ink to realize that's not a bad thing. 

No matter what your personal struggle is with weight and/or body image, I highly recommend reading this book. I learned so much and have felt inspired since the first chapter. My point of view on these matters will never be the same.

A huge thanks to HarperCollins/Harper360 for providing me with a free ARC to read and review.

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witchhenrietta's review

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This is great for straight sized people who are starting out on their journey to improve their body image. It gives you a nuanced overview of the history of diet culture and fatphobia and raises awareness of their origins.

For fat people, it may not be the right book to start your journey. You can tell it‘s written from a straight sized person‘s lens (and there‘s nothing wrong with that, obviously!) and it may not be as helpful because of it. 

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