Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology

Lots of great shorts with insight on the "weight" issue faced by us Americans today. I was, as expected, disgusted by the story about "hogging." I just take that as another example of shallowness of most men. Even the ones who truly enjoyed a woman with more meat on her bones would never admit it. Fat women are just not for show. But a word to the fellows: If you do find a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, hang on to her no matter the size, she is a treasure. My favorite stories were Fat Guys Kick Ass and Fat Like Him, and also David Sedaris's story of his sister Amy in her fat suit and makeup bruises. What characters they all are! Thank goodness not everyone aspires to being "normal!" How boring would that be?

I picked up this book for some "light" reading but was pleasantly surprised by the range of provocative and thoughtful contributions. Some made me sad, some made me laugh and all of them had me reflecting upon my life as an overweight woman. I recommend this book to anyone, not just those of us whose weight makes it especially relevant but also those luckier ones who tend to regard us somehow inferior, or even invisible.One comment on one of the official reviews...my edition does NOT contain a piece by Bill Bryson.

Essays pack an anthology largely original in content, which explore fat, reality, and confrontations with biases surrounding fat people. Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology is packed with angst, observation, admonition, humor, and serious reflection by such notable writers as Anne Lamott and David Sedaris. Any reader interested in body image will find Scoot Over Skinny a most provocative collection of insights.