Bigger: Essays

by Ren Cedar Fuller

Winner of the 2024 Autumn House Nonfiction Prize, this large-hearted personal essay collection by Ren Cedar Fuller invites us to imagine a more generous way of being in the world, drawing on Fuller’s experiences as a daughter, sister, mother, teacher, and patient. 

A father’s hurtful rigidity becomes slightly more comprehensible when viewed through a lens of neurodivergence, and a mother’s well-timed lie allows her children to see an escape from fundamentalist strictures. Parents build support systems for their transgender child, and a disability that makes it impossible for the author to cry tears opens up new paths for expressing emotions. 

 With disarming charm and good humor, Fuller charts a clear-eyed path for not only accepting but celebrating differences of all kinds. Bigger explores how we want the world to be as large and open as possible for the people we love—and how this kind of love expands our own world too.

Genres: Essays

162 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Livia · Rating 5 out of 5]

these essays made me tear up at the thought of my hypothetical future children moving away. what a masterpiece

[Rachel Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit that I am biased since I had the good luck of growing up with Indigo and therefore knowing Ren, but I genuinely thought this was a fascinating collection of personal essays even outside the personal connection. I love how the stories fit together, and it was such a gift to learn more about Ren’s life—especially in such a well-written form. The reflections on how relationships change between children and parents in different times and from different perspectives were bittersweet and beautiful.

[Jan Priddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short collection, less than 150 pages but timely and effective. These essays are memoir, slightly overlapping, each with a powerful ending. Fuller deals with health issues, and supporting her trans child.

I am glad to have ordered it and eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

[Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bigger is an incredibly moving collection of essays. Almost nothing about Ren's life has been like my own and yet reading these stories felt so familiar. There's so much that resonates with our human experiences of empathy, trauma, personal growth, accountability, and connection. These essays are well worth the read! It's a quick read too, helpful for busy parents who can't get a moment to ourselves!

I received a free copy and my review is given freely and honestly.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the start, this book drew me in with its quiet, engaging power: brimming with empathy yet very accessible and sometimes with a spark of humor. Within each chapter the writing flows between personal stories and informative vignettes - they spiral out from one another like layered tree rings.

I loved Ren’s voice. Her care for others, especially her family, and her positive personality shone through this book. I also appreciated how she nudges the reader to think beyond binaries. There is always more complexity than you might initially think and it’s good to think “bigger” as that’s where much joy and acceptance can be found. This essay collection is aptly named.

I would have loved to hear more of Indigo’s perspective on their parents actions and how it affected them, which would have lended another generation to this multigenerational story, but the book is great as is.

A few of the topics covered were coming of age, gender and sexuality, parenting, disability, Alzheimer’s, autism, and more.

There were a lot of quotes I loved, but I’ll share one from a favorite paragraph “It takes energy to be different, and I didn’t want the teenagers spending their energy snapping the caps.” 🥰🥰 You’ll just have to read the book to get the whole story there!

This short, beautiful book will definitely leave a lasting impact on the reader.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tara Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

With clear, honest prose, Ren Cedar Fuller explores how families overcome obstacles in history and society to love one another. Some essays examine her role as daughter, coming to terms with her emotionally unavailable--likely undiagnosed autistic--father, and her mother who, after decades of depression, has become a happier person with Alzheimers. In other essays, she reflects on her role as mother, and desire to protect her transgender child from the world, while realizing she has to let them grow and go. With compassion and heart, she opens our eyes to all the ways in which our family history resonates in our most intimate relationships.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In each of her essays, Fuller peels back layer after layer of her family’s ways. Sometimes it’s simply the act of becoming older, more mature, and more educated that helps her understand what made her family different. Other times, she uncovers the distinctions through observing those whose ways of life differ greatly from her own.

Read the rest of my review in Hippocampus Magazine: https://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2...

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful essay collection. Ren Cedar Fuller writes of growing up in the 1970 & 1980s, of family, particularly her immigrant mother and transgender child, and in telling challenges us all to expand our perspective and think BIGGER. A stunning collection by an author I’ll continue to read. 4.4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Laurie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's unflinchingly honest reflections on her own life helped me to reflect upon my own, and I feel Bigger as a result. The essays in Bigger will expand readers' hearts and minds, a lovely and important gift in these polarized — and polarizing — times we find ourselves in today. I hope this book finds a wide audience, as the world will be a better place for it. Highly recommended!

[Lindsay Bartels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this memoir told in essays - easy to pick up, read and sink into the experiences of Ren’s life. Her words left me feeling bigger in my awareness and compassion for others. A beautiful read.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasant experience this short collection of essays is. I enjoyed hearing author Ren Cedar Fuller's introspective thoughts & discoveries surrounding her dear ones. From her emotionally unavailable father, transgender child, to her mother's Alzheimer's, she shares her approaches and struggles, in an open and endearing way. At the start with Naming my Father, and again in Four Words, there were "ah hah" moments for me that resonate.
I won this book from a LibraryThing giveaway.