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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A different weight-loss memoir, August 3, 2005
This review is from: I'm Not the New Me (Mass Market Paperback)
First things first: yes, in this book, Wendy McClure loses weight. And yes, she does engage in a fair bit of navel-gazing that seeks to elevate what is essentially ordinary into something grand and heroic. That being said, I would not call this a weight-loss memoir. The weight loss thing gives structure to the book, certainly, but it is not the ultimate point. It is most certainly not meant to inspire other people to lose weight, or even to justify McClure's own weight problems. Rather, it is a book about McClure's life at the cusp of 30 in Midwest America, living as an educated young fat woman trying to find an identity. This is not a book for someone looking for inspiration, or even a way to lose weight. McClure tells us that she herself is incredulous about, and perhaps even a little apprehensive toward, those who tell her her website has inspired them to go off and lose weight on their own. This is a book for fellow people who are or have been where McClure is. It is, ironically enough, a book about an identity beyond weight and weight loss.
McClure doesn't lose sight of the fact that she feels that she's buying into something by joining a group to lose weight. That cynicism is certainly refreshing. It keeps the book from plunging too far into cloying feel-good tripe, or from ascending too high into the sphere of the truly self-obsessed navel-gazing memoir. It's not that McClure advocates not improving oneself; rather, it's that she sees that there is more to the modern push to lose weight than is immediately apparent, and that finding out how to improve yourself without buying into the weight-loss culture is one of the trickier things to try to accomplish.
The plot meanders at times, and there is no great apotheosis of Wendy McClure awaiting readers at the end, but this is perhaps one of the most honest, unabashed books I've come across in quite some time. If you want a self-help book, this is not for you. If you want to step inside the life of Wendy McClure, and perhaps even feel some resonance with your own, then go and read this right away.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly enjoyable and encouraging, May 16, 2005
This review is from: I'm Not the New Me (Mass Market Paperback)
Caveat: This is the first "fat girl story" that I've read.
I expected it to be another Bridget Jones diary and it was not. I was pleasantly surprised by the respect that Wendy has for herself and that she didn't focus [at least her book] on changing for a man or for a reunion (cliche weight loss themes). The book is witty, funny, and not juvenile (for the most part) although the depression did remind me of my high school days as an "alternative"/psuedo-goth. I think Wendy did a decent job of depicting herself as a whole. Ultimately, I never felt pity for Wendy because she seems so cool (although health is a separate issue).
I have a little (compared to Wendy) weight to lose myself and I could relate to the "IRS Audit photographs". Her description was so vivid! Ultimately, this book was encouraging and really encouraged me to make an effort to get healthy without making me feel guilty.
The WW cards are awesome and I enjoy showing them to friends. :) Her site candyboots.com has more of the cards.
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25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lose Weight From Laughing So Hard At This Book, May 9, 2005
This review is from: I'm Not the New Me (Mass Market Paperback)
What a great book. You will absolutely die laughing at the Weight Watchers Menu Cards in the center section of the book. Get the web URL and visit the site to see even more cards. I love the way she exploits the props and themes of the photographs, not just the items. This stuff is hilarious.
Wendy McClure is a crack-up, but the girl is no slouch or one-trick pony. She has an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, one of the country's most difficult programs to gain entry to. I'm so glad to see her using her excellent talent and skill for something so valuable: making me laugh until I pee on myself.
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