30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS BOOK ROCKS!, July 25, 2005
This review is from: Fat Chicks Rule!: How To Survive in a Thin-Centric World (Paperback)
Round. Plump. Zaftig. It doesn't matter what word you use, they all mean "fat." And it's beautiful. That's the message from Lara Frater in her new book, "Fat Chicks Rule." LF doesn't apologize for being on the heavy side and neither, she says, should any woman (or man) who's in the same general size category. Fat is fun. It's cool. It's a survival asset in more cultures and at more historical periods than anyone at the New England Journal of Medicine is ever going to admit. LF gives tons of information about the history of fat, the history of women, background on why the medical profession is not necessarily your friend, as well as advice on tips that makes it a little simpler for fat chicks to work, shop, play and travel. Most importantly, she tells her readers that as long as they eat well, exercise, and let common sense dictate their impulses to lose weight (rather than the billion dollar diet industry), they'll probably do just fine. I picked this book up on a tip from a friend at work (we're all on the heavy side) and I was amazed and excited to read a message that finally made sense to me after having heard the same recycled dogma from doctors, the government, and other so-called "professional" health experts who were obviously more interested in selling their own "health products" than my health. This book is a gem!
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fat Chicks Rock!!, July 14, 2005
This review is from: Fat Chicks Rule!: How To Survive in a Thin-Centric World (Paperback)
We had a chance to read Lara Frater's "Fat Chicks Rule!" When I asked Liza what she thought, she simply replied, "This is every woman's story..."
Lara talks of her "thin voice" - you know the one that promises you friends, romance, success, beauty - if you could only lose some weight. The same little voice the drives us back to the roller coaster world of dieting. And then one day, she stepped off the ride, and began to live her life . . .
And she wants the reader to live too! She wants them to reclaim their bodies from the diet industry and from media stereotypes of beauty. The writer takes the reader on a how to journey of Ruling as a Fat Chick!!
Fat Chicks Rule! is a great resource for everything the Fat Chick needs to live her life fully. Need a role model? Check out Fat Chicks in history or famous entertainers. Lara has done her homework; a practical guide covering everything from size-positive movies to shopping tips to dare we say it? Yes folks, SEX!! It's all there and more.
Even witty comebacks for those insensitive remarks. . . My favorite being, "There's a thin person inside you." "That's because thin people are so tasty!"
So, if you need some advice, looking for a place to shop, or need a little boost in the self-esteem department - check out "Fat Chicks Rule!"
Your Friends at [...]
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
*Almost* a Really Good Book, April 25, 2009
This review is from: Fat Chicks Rule!: How To Survive in a Thin-Centric World (Paperback)
I *wanted* to love this book.
I have "Fat?So!" by Marilyn Wann, which I loved and found absolutely life changing, so I bought this one as a companion to that volume. I agree with other reviewers that if you are only going to buy one "Fat" book, buy "Fat?So!", it is, by far, the best.
Mostly this is a good book. It does have some problems though.
1. It was in *dire* need of a good editor. The author is a very good, engaging writer, but whoever her editor was, they should be fired and find work in some other field. This book is *full* of typos, incomplete sentences, in one chapter the last part of the final paragraph of the chapter just wasn't there ... like it got accidentally deleted. While this did not detract from the over all value of the book, it was really, really irritating.
2. I wasn't that impressed with the "fluffy" stuff up front - what movies I should be watching as a Fat Chick, what clothes I should be buying, what styles are "cool" and which ones aren't, etc. I found that part annoying as well, and unfortunately, it was unwisely placed at the beginning of the book - the first several chapters are "fluff". It would have been more appropriately placed in the back of the book - after the "meat" of the book [again an editing problem].
Once you get past those initial chapters you get to the "good stuff", the meaningful stuff, the stuff that will help you improve your life and enjoy it more. That part is great.
3. It felt like the author was pretty angry writing the book. While I definitely understand the anger and where it comes from, I think the book would have been better if anger could have been set aside at least a little. In contrast, Marilyn Wann in "Fat?So!" manages to communicate her anger, sadness, outrage, and frustration with our "skinny culture" without seeming too bitter - in fact, she's really funny about it and uses humor as a way to cope, encouraging the reader to do so also. It makes for a better, more constructive read.
All in all, this book is worth buying and the author writes an enjoyable and educational book.
With a little bit of judicious editing, this could have been an outstanding book.
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