Book Challenge 10/12

[foxinthestars]

My latest fill in the 2016 Book Challenge is the "book you should have read in school." As things turned out I interpreted it less as "book that should have been assigned reading" than as "book I wish to goddesses I'd had when I was that age," but here it is:

"Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls" by Jes Baker (aka The Militant Baker)

At one point I actually had a plan along the "should have been assigned reading" line, but the 600-page Japanese History textbook got squeezed out of my schedule, and when I encountered this book, I very much wanted to read it. It fits! I actually checked it out from the library like three times before I got through it, though. At one point it seemed another patron and I were playing tug-of-war by placing holds on it and I had to wait my turn again before I could finish, but seeing that (and seeing it on the "staff picks" shelf) also makes me feel really good. Because dang I wish I'd had this book when I was younger, and the more people who read it the better.

The basic premise being: if you're fat, you are still an awesome human being who deserves to be loved by yourself and others.

Yeah, when I was in school being socially traumatized, being called fat entered into it heavily (and my Mom was and still is somewhat diet-obsessed), so I wish I'd had this book. And yes, I've heard anecdotes about fat-positivity going too far, but I found this book to be nicely enlightened, with lots of intersectional issues addressed, body positivity applying to thin people, too, etc. The style is breezy and conversational, with lots of friendly profanity, but taking in the ideas made it a dense read in its way. I highly recommend it, and I think I will need my own copy.

And if it weren't for this book, I might never have gone ahead with my Halloween costume this year! One of the challenges she issues in the book is to "wear what scares you" --- wear things you really love but feel disqualified from because of your weight, and for me, the number one thing that means is cosplay. It had been too long since I did it and too long since I did a sewing project. It was a blast, I love my costume and got lots of compliments on it, and altering a pattern to fit my body and my design specs was, dare I say, empowering. It helped me understand my own figure better (I'm basically pear shaped but with big boobs), and, like, I really can wear "all the things," because even if no one else will make them in my size, I can do it myself! Must figure out how to make opera-length gloves; I have been denied for too many years...



Challenge progress:

-A book published this year (2016)
-A book you can finish in a day
-A book you've been meaning to read
-A book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller
-A book you should have read in school
-A book chosen for you by [a loved one]
-A book published before you were born
-A book that was banned at some point
-A book you previously abandoned
-A book you own but have never read
-A book that intimidates you
-A book you've already read at least once

Planned up next: I want to squeeze in a non-challenge book, then on to the "book you previously abandoned."