Books We Love words and photo by casey rose frank
If you liked “Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a saying, “Sincerity is an easy target, but I don’t want to excise sincerity from my life — that’s a lonely way to live.” Life” by Kelsey Miller, try (Trigger Warnings: West responds to life experiences of Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West being body shamed, threatened on the internet, and her stance Sometimes before we can create change for ourselves we need a trailblazer to help blast open a path for us. With well-honed comedic wit, West has been dedicated to shedding a light on the uncomfortable truths associated with being a large female in a world that would prefer we be small in both voice and stature. In regard to female beauty standards in the media, West says, “…they tell you that if you hate yourself hard enough, you can grab just a tail feather or two of perfection.” And while much of what makes West’s work so joyously
“Only small peoplethe inside-small kinddon’t like you to be big.” relatable is the humor she applies to situations that are otherwise not very funny, West is also self-aware enough to respect growth and learning experiences when they appear,
on rape culture.)
If you liked “Dumplin’” by Julie Murphy, try Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven The world of YA books has become incredibly diverse over the years, thankfully growing to include positive female role models that have nothing to do with fighting a post apocalyptic dictatorship, and everything to do with fighting the limits and expectations of size and beauty. “Holding Up the Universe” is told through the perspective of two characters: Libby who is redefining her life, exploring what being comfortable in her life and in her body means in the wake of trauma, and Jack, a popular high school student who is secretly dealing with a severe case of face blindness. Niven does an incredible job of showing through both characters that compassion goes a long way in dealing with the fear that often leads to a person’s cruelty. Libby’s journey to not only self-acceptance, but self-celebration is one that will make you want to stand up and cheer.
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