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A review by angelaptrice
Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
5.0
I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book and I’m struggling to express them all. I wish I would have taken notes so that I could write a more in depth review. Mecca Jamilah Sullivan’s words read like poetry to me in a way that made even the most heart wrenching parts of this novel tender.
The theme of gentrification woven throughout is fitting in so many ways.
After finishing the book I read some of the reviews and a reoccurring critique was that people who struggled with being overweight would have a hard time reading it. While I recognize that today we are sensitive to subject matter that could trigger, I appreciate that Malaya is from my generation, the book is unapologetically written without a 2023 filter, and the characters and settings were as authentic to the era as I remember. As someone who was overweight for most of my childhood and adulthood, I found Sullivan’s raw style compelling, refreshing and relatable.
I was surprised to learn this was a debut novel! Brava, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan!
The theme of gentrification woven throughout is fitting in so many ways.
After finishing the book I read some of the reviews and a reoccurring critique was that people who struggled with being overweight would have a hard time reading it. While I recognize that today we are sensitive to subject matter that could trigger, I appreciate that Malaya is from my generation, the book is unapologetically written without a 2023 filter, and the characters and settings were as authentic to the era as I remember. As someone who was overweight for most of my childhood and adulthood, I found Sullivan’s raw style compelling, refreshing and relatable.
I was surprised to learn this was a debut novel! Brava, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan!