Plus Sized!
This week's topic is Books I Wish I Read as a Child. I have struggled with my weight my entire life, and was only thin and acceptable, when I adopted disordered eating strategies, which resulted in in-patient treatment. I know there were books, which featured plus sized characters, when I was younger, but they were are prevalent as they are these days. Not only is there more fat in YA, but I love that the focus of the stories isn't solely about their size. The books I list below were are all fantastic, and feature some amazing young women, who I would have loved to have "met" when I was younger. *Each are linked to review
- There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
- Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
- Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
- What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume
- The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding
- Squashed by Joan Bauer
- The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
- Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
What books do you wish you had read in your youth?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I have a graphic novel on my list this week that tackles weight issues, and body dysmorphia and I wish I had read that -- or any of these in your list -- when I was growing up.
ReplyDeleteI am just glad to see more of it, because there are a lot of people in general, who deal with body issues.
DeleteYES! I wish I had access to these when I was younger too. I've always struggled with my body and these books had such fat-positive rep. I'm jotting down the names of those I have yet to read.
ReplyDeleteI remember you had Sweetie on your list, and she's not a unicorn. She reminds me of young women I had met or taught. Menon made her so much more than her dress size, and it's so important to have characters like this visible for all the young women, who also struggle with impossible beauty standards.
Delete"and was only thin and acceptable, when I adopted disordered eating strategies"
ReplyDelete😧 😥 The word "acceptable" is so darned sad to read. I'm sorry you had to experience such problems {{{hugs}}}.
But wow, there are so many books with plus-sized characters nowadays! That's wonderful! You know from my review that Cora from Beneath the Sugar Sky is one of them, and she's a character I really grew attached to.
It's hard being the fat kid. I racked up a LOT of absences just to escape the harassment. What can I say, we live in a very superficial world. There are definitely a lot more, and the big difference is that these books don't focus on the character's size. They aren't about being the "fat kid". It's part of the story, but not the whole story. I have not personally encountered too many plus sized heroines in SFF, but I have seen lists that have Cora on them. It's great that we are making some progress on this front.
DeleteI love how books these days are so much more inclusive and relatable. No matter what kind of person you are, how different you think you are, there's still most likely a book character out there for you to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI do believe there were books out there for everyone, there just are a LOT more these days, and there should be.
DeleteI think body positivity in general is such an important concept to feature in our entertainment. For years, I was on the opposite end of the scale, binge eating to try to get my weight up. It took years of retraining myself to develop more consistent eating habits (something I'm still working on).
ReplyDeleteFor me, I wish I had been exposed to more books featuring LGBTQ characters. It would have made coming to terms with my sexual orientation much easier. I'm so happy that there are so many books that feature this representation today!
LGBTQ books were definitely almost nonexistent, when I was teen. Not only are there more, these days, but they are also a lot of intersectional offerings too.
DeleteI'm sorry you've dealt with that, Sam. Truly. I've had almost lifelong issues and struggles with weight/body size/acceptance. I first remember feeling "fat" when I was 10 years old. So it's been 40 years of issues that have waxed and waned over the years. The only book related to size that I remember as a child was Judy Blume's Blubber. And that was about the heavy girl being horribly bullied. So not exactly helpful. Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequited really struck a chord with me when I read it a couple years ago and I related *so hard* to Molly. I would have loved to had that book as a teenager.
ReplyDeleteWe all know kids can be really mean, but it also stinks, when you family harass you about your weight too. So the world turns. That's what I am talking about. The books with fat rep were always the bully books or the eating disorder books. Now, we finally have rep without the whole story being about their weight. Part of Molly's story was about her weight, but it was primarily about her being a teen, a sister, a bit awkward in general. We need to see those people in roles like that as well, and we are getting more and more books like that across all diverse groups.
DeleteI think most women whether considered plus sized or not struggle with body image. I always have even though I'm not considered plus sized, I'm not reed thin either. I think it's best to focus on being healthy in eating choices and exercise rather than model thin, which is usually only achieved in unhealthy ways.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear there are more books out there encouraging positive body image. I'm sorry you struggled with eating issues!
I don't have to shop at a plus sized store (in fact, I don't even need a large), but I am considered big compared to the "accepted" size. Even when I weighed 90 lbs I wasn't reed thin. It took so long to accept, that I will never be the sort of thin I wanted to be. The women in my family just don't look like that, and I like that we see healthy being pushed more.
DeleteI agree- this is so important and I think books can play such a role in helping us accept ourselves. I'm so glad these books exist now. I've seen What I Like about Me pop up just in the last few days and it sounds fabulous.
ReplyDeleteEveryone wants to see themselves, even if they are not models. I was happy to see What I Like About Me pop up a bunch today. It's such a fantastic book!
DeleteThere are so many books now that deal with issues that I was dealing with then (as a teenager) that I wish I could've read. I didn't have a lot of options then bc YA wasn't really a thing.... and I felt so alone about so many things that I know I wouldn't have if I had the same books. Teens today are so lucky!!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of YA when I was a teen, but I feel like the depiction of someone who was considered "different" was always with the horror story type angle. Like, all gay characters get killed/beat up, all fat girls get bullied, etc. It's good to see, that a girl can just be plus sized, and live her life.
DeleteWow. These would've benefited me SO much as a kid! Even now I love reading books like this. :) Thanks for the recs, Sam!
ReplyDeleteI like seeing all sorts of rep in books, and I am glad we are seeing more and more, and not just the disaster story type stuff.
DeleteIt's nice that as times change, publishing is catching on and publishing these books with characters who aren't the "idolized norm." I know I always enjoyed the book that had a socially awkward heroine or one who couldn't run fast and whatnot because that's who I was as a teen...and an adult. Lol!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
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Old Follower :)
It good to see all types of characters. Maybe Hollywood will catch on more too
DeleteWhat a great topic! I love it! I wish there would have been more books like this, too. I really liked Dumplin'.
ReplyDeleteI especially like Murphy's books, because they are OwnVoices, and I like that she always features big girls in her stories
DeleteI could not relate more. Growing up, my parents really policed my weight, and even though I was an extremely in-shape athlete from 7 years old through college, I still felt horribly fat and had (well, have, really) a very unhealthy relationship with food. Like I still have to stop myself from hiding food away, because no one is going to make me feel guilty (spoiler, I still feel guilty) for eating. I am so sorry that you struggled so much with it. And I think that for SURE reading about characters for whom it's just part of who they ARE, not being "othered" for it, would have had a positive impact no question. This is such a wonderful list, thank you SO much for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI feel like once you have an unhealthy relationship with food, it's always there. Even finding the right diet plan is hard. I was so impressed with the results people I know were getting with Weight Watchers, that I tried it. I felt myself spiraling out, because the massive amount of plotting and tracking brought me to an unhealthy place. I think the most important thing about the books I featured is that the characters are people first, and not fat characters first, you know?
DeleteIt would have been great to have books like these when I was younger. I enjoy them now:)
ReplyDeleteI like they way characters who are "other" are written more now, than when I was younger. Definitely glad I found these books.
DeleteI LOVE your list! I wasn't overweight as a kid, but I was taller and bigger-boned than most of my peers, which made me feel big. Nowadays, I'm definitely overweight and always trying (and failing) to lose. It's a never-ending cycle that so many of us women are caught up in. I wish there wasn't such an emphasis on weight in our world, but I'm really glad that movies, t.v. shows, and books are starting to feature bigger characters and the emphasis is not on their weight, but their lives. I actually haven't read any of the books that you've listed, but most of them are on my TBR list somewhere. I'll get to them some day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story, Sam. You're definitely not alone in the struggle :)
That's what I like so much about the books available now. They let the girl be overweight, but that's not her whole story, nor is it the focus of the books. People need to see that. The beauty standard is impossible. --sigh--
DeleteI'm also very glad there are so many books like these available today. I don't remember reading any like it back when I was in high school. Dumplin' in particular is definitely one I would have loved to have read. Willowdean is such a great character and I know as a teen, I would have been inspired by her confidence.
ReplyDeleteWillowdean is fantastic. She was so her own person, and that's why I was drawn to her.
DeleteI've struggled with my weight and have always been on a diet for as long as I can remember. I love that there are so many more stories featuring plus sized characters, and think you have a great list here Sam :)
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Not everyone looks like a model, and I think seeing the character more, and not sidestepping their weight issues, but not making it the focus of the story, is an important step in normalizing it.
DeleteConsidering the pressure that society and media put on people to look a certain way I am never surprised to hear how people struggle with their weight. If you don't fit the ideal then there is pressure to try and fit in. I think it's great that there are far more books out there featuring plus sized characters. And what's better is that their weight is not always the focus of the story and it isn't something which stops them doing what they love and so I love seeing books showing that so it's great there's a couple of books on here I have read but I really need to get reading the rest.
ReplyDeleteThe books when I were younger were about being fat and teased or whatever, so it's nice to see stories where that is not the focus.
DeleteI think that there is a lot more acceptance of a lot of things now than there was when I was growing up. I don't remember any plus sized characters in anything that I read as a child or teen. I am so glad that those characters are available to children and teens today.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I know things aren't perfect, and I accept that they never will be. But, being on this earth for almost half a century, I can tell you, we are getting better, regardless of what some think
DeleteI love the spin you did on this week's topic sam! I had never weight's problems but one of my cousin's had similar problems as yours. It was sad ans scary.
ReplyDeleteIt's just another thing that makes one feel "less than", and I hope books like these help others see overweight characters as just people
DeleteI can't even imagine the physical and mental strain that an eating disorder could cause-it must have been a terrible ordeal. I agree that there are books covering every illness and aspect of growing up these days which is a great resource for kids.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see all sorts of rep, and it's great to be seeing better quality and more books featuring these perceived "otherness"
DeleteI haven't read any of these but they'd have been appreciated... The teen years and body image were rough. Who am I kidding? That relationship is still rocky af!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you struggled so much Sam!
It's good that when you get older you tend to car less about what other people think. It's sort of why I can get through the day, but these books may have made me feel better about myself when I was younger.
DeleteI agree that there are lots of great books with people of all shapes and sizes nowadays. It's great to see!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I really enjoyed The Poet X and the Upside of Unrequited. I agree that they both do plus sized rep very well, especially the latter! I want to read the Sweetie Sandhya Menon book now that I absolutely loved When Dimple Met Rishi.
ReplyDeleteSweetie was fantastic! I would be hard pressed to find someone, who didn't love her.
Delete