Big Fat Manifesto

If Big Fat Manifesto were only the story of a fat girl struggling for acceptance, it would be worth reading. But it's much more than that. It's really about a teenager's search for herself. As she navigates the world of school, friends, love, college applications, and everything else that an intelligent and talented high-school senior has to juggle, Jamie sees the world through the eyes of Fat Girl, a persona she has created for herself. The reader goes along with her on her journey, admiring this smart and sassy girl for her guts and determination, laughing with her as she skewers her opponents in her school newspaper column, and feeling for her as she is forced to figure out where Fat Girl ends and Jamie begins.

In some ways, Jamie Carcaterra is your average high school senior. She is overwhelmed with deadlines, struggling to study for the ACT, courageously filling out college applications, stressing on how to pay for college, dedicated to practicing for her school's musical, and completely committed to spending hours on the school paper. Somehow, in the midst of all of this madness, Jamie finds time to spend with her two best friends --- Freddie (Frederica) and NoNo (Nora Nostenfast) --- and her football-playing boyfriend, Burke. In other ways, Jamie is not a typical teen. She is what some health professionals would call "morbidly obese." Jamie, however, simply considers herself to be fat. She doesn't delude herself about her health, nor does she let it slow her down in any way; she has a very busy life filled with friends and activities. Sure, Jamie has tried to lose weight and has dreamt of being supermodel skinny. But she plows ahead with her life as if it doesn't bother her --- even though, deep down inside, it really does. Jamie decides to enter the National Feature Award scholarship program by writing the best, most outrageous, hilarious, chock-full-of-attitude school newspaper series ever. Not only will winning pay for her college expenses, it would be her chance to convey to the world what it's really like to live as an overweight teen. In her Big Fat Manifesto, she calls herself Fat Girl, debunks myths, shares alarming statistics and even goes undercover with the curvy Freddie and skinny No-No into a fashion mall, proving how horrid overweight people are treated. Then Burke shocks Jamie with an announcement. He decides to get weight loss bypass surgery, which has huge risks associated with it. Jamie argues with him and tries to talk him out of it, but eventually she accepts that he is going through with the life-changing operation and vows to support him. Jamie adds this unexpected twist into her articles, describing the gory details and heart-draining worry as she and his family brew in the hospital waiting room during the procedure. Jamie's articles start drawing more and more attention, even reaching beyond the school halls and out into the community. But not all of it is positive. Will these writings be enough to win her the scholarship? Will she lose Burke as a result of the surgery? Jamie experiences some painful discoveries as she searches for the answers. Award-winning author Susan Vaught brings the world a very different kind of novel, one in which the main character is strong, defiant, ambitious, hilarious, intelligent and overweight. Jamie will remain in the hearts and minds of readers long after the last page is turned. Not only does Vaught weave into her story some very disturbing statistics and trivia about obesity in America, she also invites her audience to share in some of the emotional suffering that people like Jamie endure. BIG FAT MANIFESTO is a winner! --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING

Jamie is sexy, talented, smart, hard-working, and oh yeah, fat. Not a typical insecure size 10 swimming in a sea of zeros, Jamie tops the scale at over three hundred pounds. She is inspirational as she describes the challenges of being morbidly obese in a world that is unwilling to drop the "thin is beautiful" sterotype. Although Jamie dosen't always come out on top she never blames anybody else for her weight and she never lets it slow her down in her quest to live a ordinary (make that extraordinary) life. Big Fat Manifesto is a great read for people of all sizes!

Jamie Carcaterra is outspoken, opinionated, talented, sexy, not afraid to be in the spotlight - and fat. She starts her senior year with her FAT GIRL column to let people know what it really means to be a fat girl. I just loved Jamie's verve and nerve but even more the humanness she tried to hide. Her friends are also great - loyal but honest. Then when Jamie's boyfriend decides to get his stomach stapled - WOW! First of all, I had no idea about the dangers and sideaffects of that procedure which were awful enough - but the real question is, how will Jamie handle having a 'thin' boyfriend. This is a great book for teens and adults. You'll never look at a 'fat girl' the same.

Does the world discriminate against fat people? Jamie Carcaterra thinks they do, and she is out to change things. Proudly calling herself "Fat Girl," Jamie has started a feature column by the same name in The Wire, her school newspaper. Making people aware of the unfairness suffered by overweight people is her goal. She is also hoping her top-notch journalistic efforts will help her win the National Feature Award which could earn her a fully paid college education. With the help of her friends, Freddie and NoNo, Jamie has planned an attack on a popular clothing retailer offering clothes in sizes designed for the very thin. Jamie weighs in at over 300 pounds, and her plan is to enter the store, request an item, and demand a fitting room to try it on. Armed with her notepad and a video camera, she gathers material for her column. Jamie is comfortable with her size. She doesn't try to disguise the fact that she is fat. Her mother is fat. Her father is fat. Her boyfriend, Burke, is fat, but not for long. Another issue Jamie explores in her feature column is the fact that Burke has decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery. The risks are enormous (pardon the pun) but Burke tells Jamie he is tired of it all. She agrees to support him, but will things ever be the same? Teen readers of all sizes will relate to Jamie. She has lots of friends, is active in school activities, and is feeling the stress of senior year with ACT pressure, college applications, and financial concerns. She candidly reveals her thoughts and feelings about being fat in a world that worships those who are thin. BIG FAT MANIFESTO is a must-read. Susan Vaught offers everything in this book. She has great characters, humor, roller-coaster emotions, and romance along with interesting statistics and opinions about being overweight. I hope she will give us another peek into the life of Jamie Carcaterra some day. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"