Stranger Here: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head [Paperback]

Jen Larsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2013

Jen Larsen always thought that if she could only lose some weight, she would be unstoppable. She was convinced that once she found a way to not be fat any more, she would have the perfect existence she’d always dreamed of. When diet after diet failed, she decided to try bariatric surgery, and it worked better than she ever could have dreamed: she lost 180 pounds. As the weight fell away, though, Larsen realized that getting skinny was not the magical cure she thought it would be—and suddenly, she wasn’t sure who she was anymore.

Stranger Here is the brutally honest, surprisingly hilarious story of one woman’s journey from one extreme of the weight spectrum to the other, and of the unexpected emotional chaos it created. Insightful and unsparing in her self-examination, Larsen depicts the exhilarating highs and devastating lows she experienced as a result of her weight loss—the incredible joy of finally beginning to look like the image of herself she’s always carried inside her head, and the crushing pain and confusion of feeling like a stranger in her own body after losing the weight that has always defined her.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Honest, brave and sparklingly funny, Larsen’s memoir reminds us that one size doesn’t—and shouldn’t—fit all.”
—People Magazine

"For all the noise our culture makes about fat and thin and health and perfect bodies, Jen Larsen's voice rises above the clamor, disarming and funny but unflinching, too. Combining stark honesty with generosity of spirit, this story of loss and recovery is like no other."
—Wendy McClure, columnist for BUST Magazine and author of The Wilder Life

"An arresting memoir about the author's experience with weight–loss surgery.

Larsen initially lied to her mother about the nature of her surgery and didn’t tell her the truth until well after the procedure. She admits that her librarian co–workers 'probably knew more than I did' about the risks and potential complications, and she spread the first payment across three credit cards. When a doctor reprimanded her for gaining, rather than losing, weight before the surgery date, Larsen asked, 'If I don't lose the weight, can you still operate?' She smoked and drank heavily. After her painful recovery, she 'ate whatever I could fit inside me, and suffered for it, and lost weight anyway.' In the hands of a lesser writer, all of these facts could lead readers to feel judgment or disgust. Instead, Larsen's honesty and insight make for a searing account of precisely what it feels like to be fat and to have complicated relationships with food, family and friends. We understand exactly why one would look to surgery as a solution to not only excess weight, but also fear, loneliness and unhappiness. Larsen eventually lost the weight, and she also moved on from her dead–end job and her bad relationship. But though her life is measurably better, she still reels from the shock that self–acceptance did not come automatically: 'You lose weight without having to develop self–awareness, self–control, a sense of self. In fact, you go ahead and you lose your sense of self.'

Raw vulnerability and rigorous emotional honesty make this weight–loss memoir compelling and memorable." —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Jen Larsen is a writer and editor living in Ogden, UT. In 2006, she underwent weight loss surgery and lost almost 200 pounds. Six years later she's still trying to figure out what that means in terms of health and body acceptance, but feels lucky to have experienced the full spectrum of weight and size issues on either end of the scale.

For two years Larsen was the featured blogger at Condé Nast's Elastic Waist. Her columns have also been syndicated on Yahoo!'s Shine Network for Women. She is a contributor to Big Fat Deal, a blog about weight in media and popular culture, and her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Word Riot, and Emprise Review, and South Loop Review, among other publications. She is obsessed with tattoos as a way to transform your body, and has an MFA in creative writing from the University of San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (February 19, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580054463
• ISBN-13: 978-1580054461
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Self-Help & Psychology

More About the Author

Jen Larsen is the author of Stranger Here: How Weight Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed With My Head. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of San Francisco and currently lives in Ogden, UT. Find her at jenlarsen.net.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars After "Happily Ever After" February 9, 2013

By Patrick Cleary

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jen Larsen's "Stranger Here" sounds like a weight-loss memoir. Certainly, it's about someone who lost a lot of weight (through weight-loss surgery), but the story isn't about pounds lost and foods ingested. Rather, this is the story of what happens when someone thinks she knows the answer to all her problems in life and finds out that sometimes, getting exactly what you wanted isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

Larsen has a light, easily-readable style that carries the reader along on her journey. She turns a critical eye to society's criticisms of overweight people, to the weight loss industry, to doctors and medical professionals who may be a little too eager to push heavy people through the system, but mostly, she analyzes herself. This is not a tale of a perfect woman who just needed to make a change, Jen Larsen is a flawed protagonist who makes a number of mistakes, but tries to do better.

"Stranger Here" isn't just for those people considering weight-loss surgery or people who struggle with body issues. There's a lot to be learned from the story of someone who does what she can to make a change in her life, but realizes that "happily ever after" is just one more step on her journey.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and moving February 4, 2013

By Kristin

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Full disclosure; I know Jen Larsen personally(Lucky me!). I am not a writer, but I enjoy sharing what I love. I loved this book. I met Jen Larsen a few years post surgery, through mutual friends- and I was immediately taken by this charming human being with what seemed like fountains of confidence, a smile that could win over a troll, and an amazing personality to top it all off. You think, when you meet her that she is one of those people who truly have it all. You would never guess she had lost half her body weight, neither from her attitude nor her appearance.

As I got to know Jen better, she shared with me tidbits about weight loss surgery, and her life post op... But reading this book was a deep, raw, and vivid window into that journey. Jen Larsen is not shy about the pains, downfalls, and struggles it took to reach her goal, nor the daily battle to maintain it. Unflinchingly honest- you follow her from planning to execution, and every painful and humorous pound lost to her goal. This book shouldn't just be read by someone who is considering weight loss surgery, someone who has had it, or even someone who has struggled with weight issues. Anyone who enjoys good story telling will enjoy this book. Anyone who has had to overcome that voice inside that says "you cant" will enjoy this book. Anyone who has won, or triumphed, and then figures out the finish line isn't the end of the race will love this book. When I reached the end, all I could think was "I want to know more!" I wont give anything away, but there are more stories to be told and journeys to be written about, so I am looking forward to book #2.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jenny Shaw February 3, 2013

By Jenny Shaw

Format:Paperback

One of the most powerful and moving books I have ever read. It seemed sometimes as though the author had snuck glances at my personal diary and the struggles I have gone through with the love of my body while writing her words.
"Stranger Here" touches on some of the things I believe every woman struggles with in regards to weight, romance, self love and growth...in a funny, uplifting & sympathetic way. Jen Larsen has struck a chord that I believe will resound for years to come.