A review by kaynova
Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison

informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Chapter 3 and Chapter 6 ruined me, in the best ways possible. This book has challenged my own beliefs, or at least what EYE thought was my beliefs, into what needs to be done to reform and reshape a system that was never with me in mind and how to navigate these spaces without conforming to those values. I was actually working out when I was reading Chapter 3 and it made me sit down and rethink what is the purpose of exercise when I have always been sought out as black queer fat person who needs tp "lose weight" or "reframe your shape to be more curvy". This book pushes the envelope on current mindsets and narratives that make us believe one thing because it's more acceptable, not remembering or knowing that it is harmful and extremely anti-black and anti-fatness. Fatphobia does align with anti-blackness and transphobia, especially for black fat trans bodies and Da'Shaun L. Harrison does a phenomenal job of informing the readers of this while piecing other great works and articles to back their claims and findings. Because of the multiple name drops they put in the book, my TBR has grown to learn more about black bodies, especially black fat bodies when I, myself, have these same identities yet never accessed these works. I can't wait to learn more.
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