Reviews

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

Only show reviews with written explanations

maggior's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

lindseyfranson's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

I need everyone who exists to read this book- not just those who are fat, or who love fat people- every human. Gordon has a way of sharing these human stories to shed light on facts (supported by research), that makes you feel like you’re reading a narrative- but it’s educational and factual.

anjelica's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

kah296's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative sad

4.0

This book is really important and weaves together research and personal experience very well. My two critiques are that she seems to especially demonize Black women involved the diet industry (namely Oprah and Michelle Obama) without acknowledging the societal pressures that might lead Black women to vocalize their buy-in to the dominant narrative, even when harmful. The other thing that slightly got to me was that it didn’t seem structured particularly well. She brought up a lot of the same studies twice without going into more detail and the chapters tended to bleed over into each other. But I did really like the book and will definitely read her new book!

hao_ming_zi's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING

—To thin people, we reflect their bodies back to them: thinness made beautiful in proximity to the abject failure of our fatness

—Anti-fatness only serves to remind thin people of their perceived virtue.

—Can you love fat people enough to sacrifice your own comfort?

—Be defiant in the confidence you were never supposed to have.

—Anti-fatness demands that the only way to love your body is to be detached from it.

—We’ll have to advocate for ourselves even when it’s risky. It’s always risky. Step into courageous vulnerability.