The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe: And Other Stories of Women and Fatness (The Women's Stories Project) [Paperback]

Susan Koppelman (Editor), Alix Kates Shulman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003 | Series: The Women's Stories Project

A daring new anthology of short stories, The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe features women’s stories on the theme of women and fatness, edited by the award-winning scholar on U.S. women’s short story Susan Koppelman. Spanning from the 1890s through the 1990s, this vital collection explores the many psychological and emotional tensions in women’s -relationships to—and perceptions of—their physical selves. Addressing the peculiarities, the delights, and the shames of body politics that reside in the flesh, these stories of bodies that refuse to be contained deftly and astutely comment on popular notions of acceptable body types and behaviors. Whether celebrating bodies deemed transgressive or simply acknowledging that such bodies exist, these diverse literary representations of fatness render the unfettered body brilliantly, -unapologetically visible.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SUSAN KOPPELMAN is a pioneering literary historian, acknowledged as the leading authority on the women's short story in the United States. Her ten anthologies include Between Mothers and Daughters and The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY; 1 edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558614516
• ISBN-13: 978-1558614512
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, January 22, 2004

By 

Barbara Harman (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe: And Other Stories of Women and Fatness (The Women's Stories Project) (Paperback)

This extraordinary book of short stories, The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe, had me thinking about all the ways people are perceived to be different, and think of themselves as different, from their peers. The women in these stories are fat, some hugely and obviously, others only in their own minds. Their stories are funny, smart, infuriating, and courageous. Editor Susan Koppelman selected these 25 stories from 167 written over the last century by women on the subject of fatness. Her encylopedic afterward is an additional bonus, giving readers both a view of fatness in our culture and a condensed history of women's short stories in the U.S. An extensive bibliography provides written and online resources for anyone interested in further research.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strange and Wonderful, March 28, 2005

By 

S. Edwards - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe: And Other Stories of Women and Fatness (The Women's Stories Project) (Paperback)

There were a few stories in this book that I didn't like. Many of the stories presented the heroines as not just *feeling* badly about themselves, but also as somehow *objectively* bad. In one, "The Hershey Bar Queen," I still remember that in the main character's worst, most rock-bottom moment, the description we get of her eating her candy bars is of shoving them into her "cavernous" mouth. Ugh. I would have preferred to see more stories in which we understand the struggles and difficulties one faces as a large person in the world, but one which didn't present those of us who are as being objectively revolting.

With that said, context is everything, and many of these stories require a little more history around them to properly understand just how subversive they really are. Susan Koppelman provides this context in the Afterward, which changed the way I saw several of the stories by providing the cultural context for the times in which several of them were written. "Juanita," for example, which was written in the late 19th century, struck me at first as being a story that simply reinforces the notion that fat women are drab and dowdy, and can only get the sorts of men that no one else would want. After reading the portion of the Afterward dedicated to providing context for "Juanita," however, I see it now as a deeply feminist story dedicated to the ideas of choice and freedom and independence.

There are also several stories in this collection which made me laugh out loud, such as "A Mammoth Undertaking," which is filled with moments of delicate and delightful humor, and relieve the often deadly seriousness of the subject of weight. "This Was Meant To Be," was hands-down my favorite story, in which the reader is witness to the fickle and capricious nature of society's aesthetic values. Our heroine need do nothing but be herself to be a smashing success, and all the world changes around her. I wanted to cheer when I finished it.

In stark contrast is "Goodbye, Old Laura," which is by far the most compelling piece in the collection. The writing is brilliant, and immediately I was drawn into the world and the achy inner landscape of Laura, the 200 pound teenage protagonist. Just how far I was drawn in made the ending that much more horrible. (I won't say why, to avoid spoiling it.) The worst part is that I can't tell whether the author approves of what her characters do at the end or not. Is she endorsing the gruesome ending or condemning it? I just don't know, and that is much of where the power in the story lies. I read it almost a week ago, and I am still thinking about it, and the choices we make as fat women to please those around us, and am still left wondering how many of those choices really make us happy.

There are still some stories that I don't think do justice to the fat woman's experience, and could have done without reading. However, those are more than outweighed by the rest. The very fact that so many women's voices were reclaimed from obscurity makes this book worth reading. Susan Koppelman is a brilliant author in her own right, and I strongly recommend reading the Introduction and Afterward (which I often skip). All in all, this is a book filled with excruciating pain, incredible wit, fantastic writing, and a depth and breadth of women's experiences that is both heartbreaking and wonderful.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Short Story Collection, February 10, 2004

By 

Barbara Hillyer (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe: And Other Stories of Women and Fatness (The Women's Stories Project) (Paperback)

Susan Koppelman's books preserve short stories that could otherwise be lost, and provide them with new settings that make them even more moving, and interesting than they are alone. This new collection, stories about women's body awareness in our fat-phobic culture, is so discouraging, encouraging, entertaining, and provocative that it should please any woman, fat or thin, satisfied, dissatisfied, or (probably) ambivalent about her body. Organized by theme, the stories build on each other and leave the reader thinking and rethinking each story in light of the ones that came before and after. Some of the stories are very sad; some are very funny. Every one is good fiction, "true to life," suggesting new possibilities and reevaluating old ones. The afterword enriches our understanding of each story and of the cultural pressures on women to hate and to change our bodies. Happily, it also gives us hope and makes us laugh.