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Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds
Kara knew she could reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She had done it once before. That’s why, when she failed in a second attempt, it brought her so low. Struggling with a food addiction and looking for ways to cope with feelings of failure and shame, Kara ballooned to 360 pounds. Deep in her personal gorge, Kara realized the only way out was up. She resolved to climb the mountain again — and this time, she would reach the summit without waiting for her plus-sized status to disappear.
Gorge: My 300-Pound Journey Up Kilimanjaro is the raw story of Kara’s ascent from the depths of self-doubt to the top of the world. Her difficult but inspiring trek speaks to every woman who has struggled with her self-image or felt that food was controlling her life. Honest and unforgettable, Kara’s journey is one of intense passion, endurance, and self-acceptance. In Gorge, Kara shows that big women can do big things.
Gorge: My 300-Pound Journey Up Kilimanjaro is the raw story of Kara’s ascent from the depths of self-doubt to the top of the world. Her difficult but inspiring trek speaks to every woman who has struggled with her self-image or felt that food was controlling her life. Honest and unforgettable, Kara’s journey is one of intense passion, endurance, and self-acceptance. In Gorge, Kara shows that big women can do big things.
264 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2014
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1865 people want to read
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February 20, 2015
A raw story? Try blisteringly raw story. Have you ever sat with someone who had no problem recounting an embarrassing personal story that you would take to your grave had it happened to you? That's what it's like to read Kara Richardson Whitely's book.
I read it because she didn't wait to get to the perfect size before going after what she wanted, which happened to be climbing the largest free-standing mountain in the world. All I want is to wear a shirt without sleeves.
The blurb says she failed her second attempt at hiking Kilimanjaro, but the story goes into greater, cringe-worthy detail.
The pants didn't fit. She ended up paying someone $5 to split open her second pair of pants and sew them to the first. Then she went to her room and ate a gallon of chocolate she bought for the kids she would see along the road to Kilimanjaro. One the first day up the mountain, she kept burping up chocolate. On the 2nd day she vomited, which tasted like chocolate. On the third day her legs couldn't take her another step farther, and she was forced to turn around 3 miles from the top. She was there to raise money for orphans of AIDS, by the way.
She came prepared for her 3rd attempt, even though she was the butt of jokes and stared at wherever she went.
The woman bleeds onto the page without shame.
I struggle to finish nonfiction, but this is one memoir I was able to read without putting down for months at a time. I don't know how someone who is an avid nonfiction reader would rate this book, but I gave it 5 stars for two reasons. One, I actually finished the book. Two, I loved that the ending didn't talk about a miraculous 100-pound weight loss. She still struggles with her weight. She still has problems with food. She just doesn't let that stop her from living her life--most of the time. She is honest throughout the book, even with the ending.
I read it because she didn't wait to get to the perfect size before going after what she wanted, which happened to be climbing the largest free-standing mountain in the world. All I want is to wear a shirt without sleeves.
The blurb says she failed her second attempt at hiking Kilimanjaro, but the story goes into greater, cringe-worthy detail.
After gaining more than half of my weight back after the first Kilimanjaro climb, I was there for the second time in hopes of dropping pounds, but I really should have done that before arriving in Marangu, the village at the base of the mountain. This time, instead of taking a hike as a celebration, the trek felt more like a condemnation.
I looked back at my duffle bag, which was just as stuffed as my size twenty-eight jeans. I had packed the same things as last time, ignoring the fact I had gained seventy pounds while pregnant and in the months after life with my daughter. I hesitated in terror.
Wait, did I even try on my pants? I remembered sticking both pairs in the bag, trying to ignore that size 3X might not fit me anymore. The last time I wore them, they were roomy, and I needed to use the canvas belt woven through the waistband to keep them up.
A moment of panic set over me as I unzipped my duffle bag, its contents nearly spilling out of the overstuffed sack. My heart pounded. I may be about to set off on a seven-day journey on a mountain without proper pants. I was sure I’d lose fifteen pounds while hiking, but that didn’t matter before everything started. The two pant legs swished together as I held them up as if in prayer. Please let these fit. Please let these fit.
The pants didn't fit. She ended up paying someone $5 to split open her second pair of pants and sew them to the first. Then she went to her room and ate a gallon of chocolate she bought for the kids she would see along the road to Kilimanjaro. One the first day up the mountain, she kept burping up chocolate. On the 2nd day she vomited, which tasted like chocolate. On the third day her legs couldn't take her another step farther, and she was forced to turn around 3 miles from the top. She was there to raise money for orphans of AIDS, by the way.
Back home, I told my friends and family that I had picked up some kind of stomach bug, but I knew the real reason I had failed was that I was unprepared. I had gone from being at the top of Kilimanjaro to the low point between two mountains--the gorge.
She came prepared for her 3rd attempt, even though she was the butt of jokes and stared at wherever she went.
There was something about taking on a cause such as this and announcing it to the world. It was a way of crying out. Please, I’m good. Please see me as something other than the three hundred-pound blob that I am. Please know I’m worthy. I am kind. I am motivated. I’m not the lazy stereotype you picture when you see someone encased in a mountain of fat. The charity climb was, in part, a way to give myself a gold star—a way of feeling better.
The woman bleeds onto the page without shame.
I heard Kenedy, our head guide talking about me, “Mama Kubwa” or “Big Woman,” and I knew he was laughing at me. I knew, as I listened to his grunts and groans, that he was mimicking my sounds on the trail. At first, I was mortified. I wanted to hide in my sleeping bag and not get up. Then, I was mad. I wanted to unzip my sleeping bag and go tell him off. But what would I say? Maybe I was a laughing stock. Let them have their fun, I thought. I am an oddity. I can do this, I whispered to myself again and again until I fell asleep. The next morning, I kept hearing that laughter in my head, those unseemly grunts and groans. Was I that ugly? Did they feel disgusted by the mere sight and sound of me? I felt humiliated and angry all over again, but we needed them to get us up and down this mountain safely.
I struggle to finish nonfiction, but this is one memoir I was able to read without putting down for months at a time. I don't know how someone who is an avid nonfiction reader would rate this book, but I gave it 5 stars for two reasons. One, I actually finished the book. Two, I loved that the ending didn't talk about a miraculous 100-pound weight loss. She still struggles with her weight. She still has problems with food. She just doesn't let that stop her from living her life--most of the time. She is honest throughout the book, even with the ending.
June 13, 2016
As an overweight hiker, I really connected to this book. Even though I'm about half the size of Kara and don't have her kind of disordered eating/emotional baggage with food, I still experience a lot of what she does as an overweight hiker. I'm often the heaviest person on the trail, and being all geared out and working hard while thin people in flip-flops and skinny jeans bound uphill like puppies brings up a lot of the emotions that Kara details in the book. Just reading about someone who has that shared experience is amazing--being an overweight hiker when you hike with thin people is isolating. Reading about someone much heavier accomplishing something far more difficult than anything I've attempted is incredible. It's given me some coping strategies on really difficult hikes, and it's made me more excited about hiking (which is good, because I have a tough hiking/camping trip in a few days).
The book alternates because her trip up Kilimanjaro, and scenes from her past--her childhood as well as her adult life. Consequently, the book is just as much about her disordered relationship with food, and the deeper issues that drive that relationship. Some of the writing in this section is a little heavy-handed, but the raw emotion and honesty is pretty powerful.
I know this is not that kind of book, and that this is someone's personal story, but I get a little frustrated with how the prevailing narrative of overweight women (that's what I'm familiar with) is that their overeating stems from some kind of past trauma. I know that is very true for a lot of people, and those stories are so important, but it makes me feel alienated even within a community I should be feeling a part of. I've been overweight my entire life: I don't overeat, and there is no traumatic event that triggered my weight gain. Again, the existence of these stories is crucial, but I would also love to see stories of overweight women (especially hikers) whose weight is not a signifier of some kind of trauma. I love this book and it's so important for everyone to read, but I want some diversity in experience. If anyone has book or blog recommendations, let me know!
The book alternates because her trip up Kilimanjaro, and scenes from her past--her childhood as well as her adult life. Consequently, the book is just as much about her disordered relationship with food, and the deeper issues that drive that relationship. Some of the writing in this section is a little heavy-handed, but the raw emotion and honesty is pretty powerful.
I know this is not that kind of book, and that this is someone's personal story, but I get a little frustrated with how the prevailing narrative of overweight women (that's what I'm familiar with) is that their overeating stems from some kind of past trauma. I know that is very true for a lot of people, and those stories are so important, but it makes me feel alienated even within a community I should be feeling a part of. I've been overweight my entire life: I don't overeat, and there is no traumatic event that triggered my weight gain. Again, the existence of these stories is crucial, but I would also love to see stories of overweight women (especially hikers) whose weight is not a signifier of some kind of trauma. I love this book and it's so important for everyone to read, but I want some diversity in experience. If anyone has book or blog recommendations, let me know!
March 15, 2016
Someone else described this book in a review as "raw." That's a pretty good word to describe it. This author is certainly brutally honest as she describes her eating and weight issues, her personal problems, her reactions to others around her, and her life. Almost to an embarrassing point. I suppose it is admirable to expose one's thoughts and emotions to this degree, but it made me think of her as whiny and ungrateful. I am trying not to belittle her emotional issues, but I suppose I had a hard time relating to them. By the end of the book she seemed to have somewhat of a handle on her problems, and her successful hike up Kilimanjaro seemed to boost her confidence to tackle them in a new way, so I guess that was the point of the book.
March 1, 2018
Kara Whitely had made it to the summit of Kilimanjaro once before and had tried and failed a second time. This is the story of her third attempt. I liked the premise of the book, that fitness is not about body shape or weight and that physical challenges can be cathartic and life changing, but I had a hard time liking this book. First, Whitely's problem isn't weight; although I'm no psychologist, she is clearly still traumatized by early experiences and her disordered eating is a symptom of disordered feeling and thinking. As a narrator, Whitely brushes this aside to continually berate herself for lack of self control. I felt like she was blaming herself for behavior that was compulsive. Second, I don't mind reading about physical hardships. Obviously, on a trek of this magnitude there are going to be dangers and discomforts, but I feel like that's almost ALL I got from the story. At one point, near the end of the trip, the narrator develops a very large blister. While I don't care for blisters, this hardly seems to merit nearly a whole chapter of narrative buildup and exposition. Also, tell me I'm being petty, but the ONE time the narrator stands up for herself and confronts someone, it is her Tanzanian climbing guide whom she berates for talking about her when off duty. Granted, it was rude of him, but maybe the person who is literally depending on you for their livelihood and who probably sees you as just another rich Western client (which you are by his standards) who can either afford to pay thousands for the trip or raise charity money to pay thousands for the trip does not see you as vulnerable. Why does he become your "moment of self assertion" when you cave to your travelling companions and others who could reasonably be expected to understand your feelings more fully? That said, I am impressed by her physical achievement and I did feel it inspired me to work toward better fitness.
June 4, 2015
Inspiring and encouraging. I'm a lot like Kara....strong, able and ready to try anything but not always the picture you would expect to see. I've always jokingly called myself "the amazon" to throw off the fact that I'm too tall and too heavy. Loved feeling welcomed into my own head by someone else and having them remind me that I can do anything and I should keep trying and doing until I find the thing that makes me value getting myself happy and healthy without letting a number on a scale take it all away in an instant.
This was also a great unexpected lesson for my 8 year old Grandson. He has some learning difficulties that make school very challenging. We were talking about how kids shouldn't "judge a book by it's cover" and what that meant. I was able to give him a very tangible lesson in realizing that not everyone is the same but we can all do whatever we put our mind to and the people that think they know us by how we look or how our brain works.....get REALLY surprised in the end :).
This was also a great unexpected lesson for my 8 year old Grandson. He has some learning difficulties that make school very challenging. We were talking about how kids shouldn't "judge a book by it's cover" and what that meant. I was able to give him a very tangible lesson in realizing that not everyone is the same but we can all do whatever we put our mind to and the people that think they know us by how we look or how our brain works.....get REALLY surprised in the end :).
September 20, 2015
Meh. As a fellow fat athlete, I appreciate her story. The book felt a little whiney to me, though.
May 10, 2016
I actually finished a book while on vacation!
This was really good if you're into memoirs of people struggling with body/weight/food/emotional issues. If you don't like those kinds of books, you might not be too interested in it. Whitely alternates describing her (third) trip up Kilimanjaro with the troubles she experienced with her parents' divorce, her father's absence from her life, and her addiction to food.
My full review over at Big Reading Life: http://bigreadinglife.wordpress.com/2...
This was really good if you're into memoirs of people struggling with body/weight/food/emotional issues. If you don't like those kinds of books, you might not be too interested in it. Whitely alternates describing her (third) trip up Kilimanjaro with the troubles she experienced with her parents' divorce, her father's absence from her life, and her addiction to food.
My full review over at Big Reading Life: http://bigreadinglife.wordpress.com/2...
October 25, 2018
I have plans to hike Kilimanjaro even though I'm tipping the scales at over 200 pounds. I was REALLY hoping for some inspiration in this book but was slightly disappointed that much of it felt like a pity party. Then again, that's what extreme obesity does to one's self-esteem, right? Despite all that I would still recommend this book, especially to overweight travelers. Adventure can be had by women of all shapes and sizes!
June 1, 2015
While I've never been 300 pounds, I really related to this book. The way the author talks about food is so similar to how I've always thought about food. This book is important, especially if you've ever felt out of control of your body and what you consume.
April 3, 2020
Can’t say I recommend this one. I think the adventure is cool and thought it was going to be more of an empowering book (like yay, fat people can also do athletic things!), but it is actually a lot of internalized fatphobia with some other problematic issues relating to cultural competency.
May 3, 2015
Good read but a little slow
I enjoyed reading about the climb, but her personal journey was a little boring. I would like to know more abut the mountain.
I enjoyed reading about the climb, but her personal journey was a little boring. I would like to know more abut the mountain.
June 17, 2015
Disclosure statement: I won a signed copy of this book through School of Shine's Bad Ass Book Giveaway, which is much of the reason I read this book so quickly. (Often times, new books join the pile of unread purchases). I'm so glad it hopped to the front of the queue. It's not that I wasn't interested in the story; it's just that I have never considered hiking Kilimanjaro (or at all), nor have I ever jumped too far into “overweight” to be able to relate to her struggle. That is to say I didn't think it fell into my interests, until I gave it a chance. (I may not be into hiking, but I am a total sucker for memoirs). Whitely's prose is reason enough to step into this beautiful memoir of hers and it is precisely what sucked me in.
The subtitle to “Gorge” is summary enough: “My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds.” Indeed, that is what the book is about ultimately, but it is also not a self-congratulatory recount. What I love most about this book is that this is not her first journey up the mountain, but her third. “Gorge” recounts her first journey (a success), her second (admitted failure), and her third, well... shouldn't you find out? But I think it's a very important work precisely because the “Happy Ending” of that first hike is not the end of the narrative. Life goes on. “Gorge” is so painfully honest about how we measure ourselves in the face of our goals, our failures, and our self-image.
However, what I believe is most important about this memoir is its painful honesty. The conversation we are not willing to have openly in our society is one that attempts to empathize the struggle with obesity. Society is content with placing blame without hearing someone's story, thus robbing that person of their own personhood. (At a certain weight, it seems that people are no longer regarded as valuable members of society.) But this isn't a work of bitterness. I think that Whitely is very precise in how she presents the times in her life where she turned to food for comfort, in which food became an addiction, but also why that comfort was needed. This memoir takes out the question of blame, and restores the complexity of people and the nature of addiction. It's well-balanced in acknowledging her part, but the parts of others. We see the low points of her life, but the lens turns, and we might see ourselves in our ugly responses to those that are overweight.
While most of the book, Whitely writes with blunt honesty and distance, there is one particularly heartbreaking moment when her vulnerability comes out. To the people at the mountain that snigger at her size, that cant believe she could possibly be serious, she silently pleads (and in writing to her readers) “Please know I'm worthy. I am kind. I am motivated.” That sentence for me felt like the total manifestation of what this work aims to achieve, that we might see the Big Woman at the mountain and know she has earned her stay there, as any one else has. We would know she is worthy, she is trying, and that she deserves our respect. Of course, she has deserved mine.
Finally, this book is a celebration of a great accomplishment. I am in awe of her strength and I am inspired to do what I've never thought I could – hike, mountain climb, all of it. Maybe a three mile trail can kick my butt, but I want to one day be able to take on that 5-day journey. Thank you, Kara, for your story.
The subtitle to “Gorge” is summary enough: “My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds.” Indeed, that is what the book is about ultimately, but it is also not a self-congratulatory recount. What I love most about this book is that this is not her first journey up the mountain, but her third. “Gorge” recounts her first journey (a success), her second (admitted failure), and her third, well... shouldn't you find out? But I think it's a very important work precisely because the “Happy Ending” of that first hike is not the end of the narrative. Life goes on. “Gorge” is so painfully honest about how we measure ourselves in the face of our goals, our failures, and our self-image.
However, what I believe is most important about this memoir is its painful honesty. The conversation we are not willing to have openly in our society is one that attempts to empathize the struggle with obesity. Society is content with placing blame without hearing someone's story, thus robbing that person of their own personhood. (At a certain weight, it seems that people are no longer regarded as valuable members of society.) But this isn't a work of bitterness. I think that Whitely is very precise in how she presents the times in her life where she turned to food for comfort, in which food became an addiction, but also why that comfort was needed. This memoir takes out the question of blame, and restores the complexity of people and the nature of addiction. It's well-balanced in acknowledging her part, but the parts of others. We see the low points of her life, but the lens turns, and we might see ourselves in our ugly responses to those that are overweight.
While most of the book, Whitely writes with blunt honesty and distance, there is one particularly heartbreaking moment when her vulnerability comes out. To the people at the mountain that snigger at her size, that cant believe she could possibly be serious, she silently pleads (and in writing to her readers) “Please know I'm worthy. I am kind. I am motivated.” That sentence for me felt like the total manifestation of what this work aims to achieve, that we might see the Big Woman at the mountain and know she has earned her stay there, as any one else has. We would know she is worthy, she is trying, and that she deserves our respect. Of course, she has deserved mine.
Finally, this book is a celebration of a great accomplishment. I am in awe of her strength and I am inspired to do what I've never thought I could – hike, mountain climb, all of it. Maybe a three mile trail can kick my butt, but I want to one day be able to take on that 5-day journey. Thank you, Kara, for your story.
August 12, 2019
This is one of the best memoirs I've read in a while, and the author's inner journey was even more impressive than the more visible one. This is the account of a talented writer who is lovable by every measure, but who found it extremely hard to love herself. The same could easily be said for many of us.
This book focuses on her third trip up Mount Kilimanjaro. She had succeeded the first time, failed the second, and now on this third trek, we are all with her with every grueling step. Kara made the attempt while weighing 300 pounds, having weighed as much as 360 at one point in her life. But as is true with us all, the numbers in the scale are a meaningless data point compared to the other things that make her remarkable.
This isn't an easy fluffy book to read. There is much here that is painful. This is the account of a life that, in many respects, was far more arduous than an African mountain. Kara details her early years growing up in a single-parent home. She yearns for the love of a father--a love that never comes her way. Even before she got her first period, she was sexually molested by a teenage friend of her brother. And she was heavy and growing heavier with the passing years.
But it is this slog up that mountain the third time that helps Kara recognize that she is as worthy of self love as she is the love of her husband and children. This is a well-written account of both the horrendous climb to the summit and the equally challenging journey to a new more forgiving self. As you might expect, her success at achieving the summit did not result in magical immediate weight loss. But forced her to confront some of the issues that made the weight gain a reality. This is a memorable examination of adversity and its varying impact on us all. It is a celebration of the triumph of a heavy physical body over gravity, but even more impressively, it is an account of the triumph of a wounded spirit who found the beginnings of a path to healing in the cloud-surrounded oxygen-deprived tortured steps up that mountain.
The audio version of this is narrated by the author, which lends credibility to the account. The narration is lovely from a stylistic perspective, too. Hers is one of those melodic voices you can listen to for hours and be enthralled as much by the narration as by what she wrote. Nothing is over dramatized here, but nor is it an emotionless recitation of facts. It's a well-balanced narration that will vivify the story for you.
This book focuses on her third trip up Mount Kilimanjaro. She had succeeded the first time, failed the second, and now on this third trek, we are all with her with every grueling step. Kara made the attempt while weighing 300 pounds, having weighed as much as 360 at one point in her life. But as is true with us all, the numbers in the scale are a meaningless data point compared to the other things that make her remarkable.
This isn't an easy fluffy book to read. There is much here that is painful. This is the account of a life that, in many respects, was far more arduous than an African mountain. Kara details her early years growing up in a single-parent home. She yearns for the love of a father--a love that never comes her way. Even before she got her first period, she was sexually molested by a teenage friend of her brother. And she was heavy and growing heavier with the passing years.
But it is this slog up that mountain the third time that helps Kara recognize that she is as worthy of self love as she is the love of her husband and children. This is a well-written account of both the horrendous climb to the summit and the equally challenging journey to a new more forgiving self. As you might expect, her success at achieving the summit did not result in magical immediate weight loss. But forced her to confront some of the issues that made the weight gain a reality. This is a memorable examination of adversity and its varying impact on us all. It is a celebration of the triumph of a heavy physical body over gravity, but even more impressively, it is an account of the triumph of a wounded spirit who found the beginnings of a path to healing in the cloud-surrounded oxygen-deprived tortured steps up that mountain.
The audio version of this is narrated by the author, which lends credibility to the account. The narration is lovely from a stylistic perspective, too. Hers is one of those melodic voices you can listen to for hours and be enthralled as much by the narration as by what she wrote. Nothing is over dramatized here, but nor is it an emotionless recitation of facts. It's a well-balanced narration that will vivify the story for you.
April 25, 2015
Thank you to Seal Press for the ARC for me to review. I was really looking forward to reading through Kara’s account of conquering Kilimanjaro as this is a lady that has climbed Kilimanjaro previously, then attempted a second ascent but failed, then was resolved to attempt it for the third time a remarkable lady by any standards especially when you take into account that she climbed Kilimanjaro weighing 300 pounds. A Remarkable achievement.
This is not just primarily an account of climbing Kilimanjaro but a real insight to the author’s deep and private life and is a warts and all account of her struggles with the addiction of food the associated problems that this brings. Kara is not looking for a shoulder to cry on here far from it more telling the reader that who-ever you are whatever you are going through you should never give up your dreams. Kara’s passion in life that comes through is to be an adventurer and Kilimanjaro has been a magnet that has pulled Kara back more than once.
The book moves through her private struggles with her addiction and through to her preparations and then the ascent of Kilimanjaro itself. Kara’s resilience and motivation are plain to see as you read through her account and is inspirational for anyone struggling with food addiction.
Having climbed Kilimanjaro in the past I know what that mountain can do to you, and it does pull you back. I just wish I shared Kara’s journey up Kili with her as she is a brave remarkable woman.
This is a book that should be read by anyone struggling and it will motivate you.
This is not just primarily an account of climbing Kilimanjaro but a real insight to the author’s deep and private life and is a warts and all account of her struggles with the addiction of food the associated problems that this brings. Kara is not looking for a shoulder to cry on here far from it more telling the reader that who-ever you are whatever you are going through you should never give up your dreams. Kara’s passion in life that comes through is to be an adventurer and Kilimanjaro has been a magnet that has pulled Kara back more than once.
The book moves through her private struggles with her addiction and through to her preparations and then the ascent of Kilimanjaro itself. Kara’s resilience and motivation are plain to see as you read through her account and is inspirational for anyone struggling with food addiction.
Having climbed Kilimanjaro in the past I know what that mountain can do to you, and it does pull you back. I just wish I shared Kara’s journey up Kili with her as she is a brave remarkable woman.
This is a book that should be read by anyone struggling and it will motivate you.
April 25, 2015
Thank you to Seal Press for the ARC for me to review. I was really looking forward to reading through Kara’s account of conquering Kilimanjaro as this is a lady that has climbed Kilimanjaro previously, then attempted a second ascent but failed, then was resolved to attempt it for the third time a remarkable lady by any standards especially when you take into account that she climbed Kilimanjaro weighing 300 pounds. A Remarkable achievement.
This is not just primarily an account of climbing Kilimanjaro but a real insight to the author’s deep and private life and is a warts and all account of her struggles with the addiction of food the associated problems that this brings. Kara is not looking for a shoulder to cry on here far from it more telling the reader that who-ever you are whatever you are going through you should never give up your dreams. Kara’s passion in life that comes through is to be an adventurer and Kilimanjaro has been a magnet that has pulled Kara back more than once.
The book moves through her private struggles with her addiction and through to her preparations and then the ascent of Kilimanjaro itself. Kara’s resilience and motivation are plain to see as you read through her account and is inspirational for anyone struggling with food addiction.
Having climbed Kilimanjaro in the past I know what that mountain can do to you, and it does pull you back. I just wish I shared Kara’s journey up Kili with her as she is a brave remarkable woman.
This is a book that should be read by anyone struggling and it will motivate you.
This is not just primarily an account of climbing Kilimanjaro but a real insight to the author’s deep and private life and is a warts and all account of her struggles with the addiction of food the associated problems that this brings. Kara is not looking for a shoulder to cry on here far from it more telling the reader that who-ever you are whatever you are going through you should never give up your dreams. Kara’s passion in life that comes through is to be an adventurer and Kilimanjaro has been a magnet that has pulled Kara back more than once.
The book moves through her private struggles with her addiction and through to her preparations and then the ascent of Kilimanjaro itself. Kara’s resilience and motivation are plain to see as you read through her account and is inspirational for anyone struggling with food addiction.
Having climbed Kilimanjaro in the past I know what that mountain can do to you, and it does pull you back. I just wish I shared Kara’s journey up Kili with her as she is a brave remarkable woman.
This is a book that should be read by anyone struggling and it will motivate you.
December 27, 2017
I read this right before reading the author's book about her first trip up Kilimanjaro, which was an interesting way to do it.
The author explores her personal history and trauma and doesn't shy away from sharing embarrassing details about herself. Unfortunately you can almost feel the sense of self-disgust coming through.
The story about attempting something remarkable while not at your peak of fitness (and after having failed) is a really important one, and one that I think a lot of people can relate to, even if it's just comparing your middle-aged self to your high school self's swimming times. Not that I'd know anything about that. *cough*
There were a few typos and silly errors in the book that stood out to me and made me wonder if it had been self-published or if it just really needed some copyediting. A few examples - Kara mentions going to Weight Watchers and gaining .08 pounds. I can almost guarantee she means .8 pounds, because it's a common mistake in weight loss circles and you'd be hard pressed to find a scale for humans that measures in the hundreths of a pound. Or, she mentions Ironman Arizona and then calls it The IMAZ, which no one would do. "The Ironman" or "an Ironman" or "Ironman Arizona" or "IMAZ". But "The IMAZ" is not said. It's just nitpicky stuff like that that most people wouldn't notice, but that bugged me.
The author explores her personal history and trauma and doesn't shy away from sharing embarrassing details about herself. Unfortunately you can almost feel the sense of self-disgust coming through.
The story about attempting something remarkable while not at your peak of fitness (and after having failed) is a really important one, and one that I think a lot of people can relate to, even if it's just comparing your middle-aged self to your high school self's swimming times. Not that I'd know anything about that. *cough*
There were a few typos and silly errors in the book that stood out to me and made me wonder if it had been self-published or if it just really needed some copyediting. A few examples - Kara mentions going to Weight Watchers and gaining .08 pounds. I can almost guarantee she means .8 pounds, because it's a common mistake in weight loss circles and you'd be hard pressed to find a scale for humans that measures in the hundreths of a pound. Or, she mentions Ironman Arizona and then calls it The IMAZ, which no one would do. "The Ironman" or "an Ironman" or "Ironman Arizona" or "IMAZ". But "The IMAZ" is not said. It's just nitpicky stuff like that that most people wouldn't notice, but that bugged me.
June 21, 2017
I bought this book expecting it to be motivational and help me find my way again after losing 60 pounds and gaining back 30 pounds due to a serious cycling crash. I did find it motivational but not for the reasons I expected. This book motivated me to redefine the word 'fat', it put into perspective the struggles of someone who is chunky vs obesity. Even more than that it forced me to examine my preconceived ideas, ignorance when it comes to an over weight person and/or food addiction, even though before reading this book I would have considered myself not to have any. It's motivated me to ask my close friends who are obese how I can be a better person when it comes to the struggles they face and not be a negative interaction but always an honest and positive one. I think this is a great book for so many reasons. She is brutally honest about all aspects of her journey, not in a 'woe is me' way but in a 'laying it all out there' kind of way. I'm a better friend, retail employee and person for having read this book and examined myself honestly. I thought Wild by Strayed was ok, but I truly loved this book.
September 20, 2020
There are some memoirs that stick with you for long after setting the book down. Kara Richardson Whitely's account of her journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro -- at 300 pounds no less -- is one of those reads.
This raw and unflinchingly honest account of one woman's struggles with personal trauma, food addiction and weight gain is incredibly powerful. As Kara hikes to the top of Africa's highest mountain, she reveals what led her to this epic adventure in such a way that you can't help but feel like you're walking in her hiking boots too. As someone who has suffered from body issues my entire life, I identified with some of the food addiction patterns that Kara divulges in her story, as well as the desire to simply be strong despite the appearance of my outer layers. I work everyday to come to grips and acceptance with my body, and it's refreshing to see someone so brave talk about such a hush-hush topic. This book is a terrific read for those who have struggled with self-esteem issues due to our weight or other physical challenges -- or simply love a great underdog story.
This raw and unflinchingly honest account of one woman's struggles with personal trauma, food addiction and weight gain is incredibly powerful. As Kara hikes to the top of Africa's highest mountain, she reveals what led her to this epic adventure in such a way that you can't help but feel like you're walking in her hiking boots too. As someone who has suffered from body issues my entire life, I identified with some of the food addiction patterns that Kara divulges in her story, as well as the desire to simply be strong despite the appearance of my outer layers. I work everyday to come to grips and acceptance with my body, and it's refreshing to see someone so brave talk about such a hush-hush topic. This book is a terrific read for those who have struggled with self-esteem issues due to our weight or other physical challenges -- or simply love a great underdog story.
September 6, 2016
This author is an excellent writer. I am looking forward to her next book.
She creates an immediate connection with her struggling self and shows us a woman who is both believable and admirable. I think she describes her difficulty with food and body image in an accurate and sensitive manner. If its difficult for readers to connect to those descriptions perhaps that's because we're not used to learning about what an eating disorder feels like from the inside out. The days of secrecy about eating disorders and their beginnings in trauma are over and Kara is one of the light bearers of truth. The adventure aspect of this book, the grueling hike up Kilimanjaro, had me tuned it at every step. As I said in the beginning of this review, Kara is an excellent writer.
Really good book! I enjoyed every page!]
She creates an immediate connection with her struggling self and shows us a woman who is both believable and admirable. I think she describes her difficulty with food and body image in an accurate and sensitive manner. If its difficult for readers to connect to those descriptions perhaps that's because we're not used to learning about what an eating disorder feels like from the inside out. The days of secrecy about eating disorders and their beginnings in trauma are over and Kara is one of the light bearers of truth. The adventure aspect of this book, the grueling hike up Kilimanjaro, had me tuned it at every step. As I said in the beginning of this review, Kara is an excellent writer.
Really good book! I enjoyed every page!]
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November 5, 20163* - tas ir labi. Man patika.
Kādas resnas sievietes kāpiens Kilimandžaro. Nu bet tiešām resnas - tā ap 150 kg.
Atstāstot kāpiena detaļas, autore pa vidu iepin bērnības atmiņas un citus stāstus no pagātnes, kas palīdz veidot viņas psiholoģisko portretu un varbūt izprast ēšanas traucējumu rašanās iemeslus, kas novedusi viņu līdz esošajam stāvoklim un arī līdz kāpienam kalnā. Ļoti daudz atklātības par rijības epizodēm, ko autore veiksmīgi slēpa no apkārtējiem, piemēram, kompulsīvi izēdusi saldējuma spainīti, viņa tūliņ dodas uz veikalu, lai iegādātu jaunu, ko nolikt vietā, lai vīrs nepamanītu.
Stāsts gan nebeidzas ar autores kļūšanu par supermodeli, bet atziņas, pie kurām viņa nonāk kāpiena laikā, ir spēcīgas, liek pārdzīvot līdz un piezīmēt sev nevērtēt un nenosodīt otru, ja neesmu pabijusi viņa ādā.
Kādas resnas sievietes kāpiens Kilimandžaro. Nu bet tiešām resnas - tā ap 150 kg.
Atstāstot kāpiena detaļas, autore pa vidu iepin bērnības atmiņas un citus stāstus no pagātnes, kas palīdz veidot viņas psiholoģisko portretu un varbūt izprast ēšanas traucējumu rašanās iemeslus, kas novedusi viņu līdz esošajam stāvoklim un arī līdz kāpienam kalnā. Ļoti daudz atklātības par rijības epizodēm, ko autore veiksmīgi slēpa no apkārtējiem, piemēram, kompulsīvi izēdusi saldējuma spainīti, viņa tūliņ dodas uz veikalu, lai iegādātu jaunu, ko nolikt vietā, lai vīrs nepamanītu.
Stāsts gan nebeidzas ar autores kļūšanu par supermodeli, bet atziņas, pie kurām viņa nonāk kāpiena laikā, ir spēcīgas, liek pārdzīvot līdz un piezīmēt sev nevērtēt un nenosodīt otru, ja neesmu pabijusi viņa ādā.
August 10, 2015
This book had been on my list for awhile when I happened to see that my local REI store was hosting the author for a talk. SOLD. It's no secret that Cheryl Strayed has changed my life, and when I saw her review on the cover of this book I knew it was going to be good.
Kara's story is beautifully written and honest and raw and real in the way that all good memoirs should be. I found her to be incredibly easy to relate to--I think anyone who has ever had even the tiniest struggle with body image and self-worth would feel the same. I flew through this book because once I got started I just couldn't put it down. Pick up a copy today, you won't be sorry.
Kara's story is beautifully written and honest and raw and real in the way that all good memoirs should be. I found her to be incredibly easy to relate to--I think anyone who has ever had even the tiniest struggle with body image and self-worth would feel the same. I flew through this book because once I got started I just couldn't put it down. Pick up a copy today, you won't be sorry.
April 9, 2016
I dearly loved parts of this book. Also being a fat girl hiking, I could relate (although I haven't been in years). What kept me from giving it a five was a better editor. While memoirs are tricky, as an editor, the editor has to be strong. Trust that the reader gets it. This phrase was the mantra for the book: "After all, I was hiking the mountain for myself, but also for AIDS orphans." Kara is very admirable and I highlighted this paragraph as it resonated with me: "The thing about having an eating problem is that you have to eat no matter what. It’s not like being an alcoholic or a smoker, where you can quit cold turkey. Food is a necessity. How much food, though, is another question."
January 18, 2015
This is such a beautiful and tough story about a woman triumphing over her demons. No, the book didn't end with a 100 pound weight loss but that's what's great about it. The author's story is solid because it's exactly like real life. To create change, you simply keep plodding forward toward your goal. I applaud the author for sharing all the shameful secrets she had and in such an open, raw way. The book could use some editing as it stands but I read an early NetGalley version so I assume editing will be done before publication. Even so, I could not put this story down.
September 10, 2021
This book was well-written but painful to read, not just because of the author's losses and lifelong trauma, but because she never stops loathing her fat body. For the last few pages, she's slightly less disgusted with herself, but it doesn't resonate much after the ugly way she talks to and about herself through the book. It doesn't proclaim to be a book about body positivity, but I was hoping it wouldn't just be more fuel for the fat-phobia fire, directly from the words of a fat person. Alas.
September 16, 2017
I didn't love it. I'm glad I read it and may consider reading something else by the author. I'm in awe of her accomplishments and appreciate her unfathomable vulnerability in chronicling her journey. I just didn't enjoy her writing and I didn't bond with her as a person. I can't put my finger on precisely what kept me from thoroughly enjoying the book. I finished it and am glad I did. But I wasn't left satisfied, which is so interesting as being full is a major theme in the book.
November 24, 2015
An interesting account of an obsession with food. The author chronicles her constant thoughts about eating and about her weight. It's a little overwhelming, given how completely self-absorbed she is, and unfortunately the writing isn't as good as that of her buddy, Cheryl Strayed.
My favorite line: "Stay out of your mind. It's a bad neighborhood."
My favorite line: "Stay out of your mind. It's a bad neighborhood."
January 31, 2016
I read Kara's first book after hearing her speak at a women's leadership luncheon. I knew Kara when she was a newspaper reporter but had never met her. Fat Woman on the Mountain was a very good book, big Gorge was even better. She is truly an inspiration to all women.
January 12, 2015
I hate this word as feel it is used far too much but What an Inspiration this lady is. To climb all that way and still be breathing at the end , you go girl. I had no idea what to think about this book but I am so pleased I picked it up and read it
September 12, 2017
I love this story. It is so raw, so real, and so inspiring. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to climb Kili and especially for anyone who is struggling to scale their own mountain whether literally or figuratively. Thank you, Kara, for sharing your journey with the world.
June 27, 2015
Fantastic story about a woman overcoming the Kilimanjaro mountain at 300 pounds. I felt like I was there with her each step of the way in spirit. Reading her journey brought me joy. And I am glad she wrote this and shared it with us.
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