Body Image Inside Out (publication day 10/31) by Deb Schachter MSW & Whitney Otto MA, PCC is a worthwhile addition to the self-help books that already exist on body image and healing in the current world we live in. I was first impressed when the book began with a note on language–the use of theContinue reading “Body Image Inside Out”
Author Archives: bbwesquire
The Vanishing Half
I’m late to The Vanishing Half (2020) by Brit Bennett, which was deservedly named a best book of the year by many popular news outlets, and was one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year. Beginning in 1968, when one of the “lost twins” of Mallard, Louisiana, returns after having run away at 16Continue reading “The Vanishing Half”
Fat Girls Dance
I was on a roll last month with fat positive books, culminating in Fat Girls Dance (publication date October 22, 2024) by Cathleen Meredith. Semi-autobiographical based on the FatGirlsDanceMovement on Instagram, and told from the perspectives of three fat women in New York City: Liv, Reese, and Faith, it’s an inspiring story that illustrates theContinue reading “Fat Girls Dance”
Because Fat Girl
I cannot gush enough about Because Fat Girl (publication Day October 22, 2024), by Lauren Marie Fleming! It was such a delight!! Diana works at a high-end department store, as a personal shopper, in Los Angeles with her bestie Janelle, and is an out and proud queer fat woman. Since her brother’s death from cancerContinue reading “Because Fat Girl”
No Boy Summer
This is the 200th post on Reading While Fat!! I’ll do another giveaway to celebrate–if you leave a comment here on this post, I’ll choose a name and send you a copy of the book. Please comment by midnight EDST, October 22, 2024 and I will randomly choose a name thereafter. No Boy Summer (2023)Continue reading “No Boy Summer”
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
As usual, Lisa See has crafted an engaging historical fiction novel centering on women and their relationships in Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (2023). In the late 1400s, in China during the Ming dynasty, child Tan Yunxian witnesses her mother’s death because of infection in her bound feet and the lack of medical care forContinue reading “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women”
The Sons of El Rey
The Sons of El Rey (2024) by Alex Espinoza is a brilliant historical, polyvocal, family drama with a bit of magical realism that was the August selection for Roxane Gay’s The Audacious Book Club. Although this was the third book from her book club that I’ve read this year, I’ve not been able to manageContinue reading “The Sons of El Rey”
The Guncle Abroad
I was very excited to listen to The Guncle Abroad (2024), by Steven Rowley, which was read by the author, as The Guncle had been. I enjoyed it much more than the first book with Patrick, Maisie, and Grant, as Rowley avoided most of the anti-fat bias that had sadly been peppered throughout The Guncle.Continue reading “The Guncle Abroad”
The Emperor and the Endless Palace
I was drawn to the beautiful cover of The Emperor and the Endless Palace (2024) displayed on the “New” shelf at my local library. I was thrilled to find out it was one of my favorite genres–historical fantasy–and it was super-queer! Huang takes us to three different time periods. First in time is the yearContinue reading “The Emperor and the Endless Palace”
Body Phobia: The Western Roots of Our Fear of Difference
Body Phobia: The Western Roots of Our Fear of Difference (published September 17, 2024) by Dianna E. Anderson is, in many ways, exactly what the title says it is–a book about how, in 2024, so much of what is wrong with our world today can be traced back to the times when people only sawContinue reading “Body Phobia: The Western Roots of Our Fear of Difference”
Reading While Fat 