YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist: a searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself.

“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe. I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble. I tried to erase every memory of her, but she is still there, somewhere. . . . I was trapped in my body, one that I barely recognized or understood, but at least I was safe.”

In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog, Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance, and health. As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined,” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial, between self-comfort and self-care. In Hunger, she explores her past—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers along on her journey to understand and ultimately save herself.

With the bracing candor, vulnerability, and power that have made her one of the most admired writers of her generation, Roxane explores what it means to learn to take care of yourself: how to feed your hungers for delicious and satisfying food, a smaller and safer body, and a body that can love and be loved—in a time when the bigger you are, the smaller your world becomes.

ch 18 (view spoiler)[damn I didn’t know Roxane went through something so traumatic. Tbh I didn’t know much about her except her name and that’s she sorta famous. I definitely can relate to her feelings about food (hide spoiler)]

ch 41 (view spoiler)[damn so true what she said about chips. As someone who is only overweight I’ve definitely felt the pressure to not eat certain things or anything in public. Also theatre nerds unite 🎉 (hide spoiler)]

ch 70 (view spoiler)[yasss the bi awakening!! 😂😂this book is amazing with how honest it is. I relate to a lot of the things Roxane has said. Especially the part of comparing your size to everyone in the room and knowing you are the fattest in a particular room. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Damn what a book. While Roxane and I don't share every experience, I could easily relate to a lot of the topics she talked about. Especially the stuff about avoiding the doctor because they'll always bring up your weight etc. I definitely want to read her other books now! (hide spoiler)]

Andy wrote: "ch 18 [spoilers removed]

ch 41 [spoilers removed]"

@Ch 18 Yeah, I had no idea either, how terrible

Ch 1-18 (view spoiler)[ What happened to her is a nightmare and the fact that she was 12 makes it even more horrifying. I can totally understand why she wanted to gain weight so she didn't attract attention (hide spoiler)]

Andy wrote: "ch 18 [spoilers removed]

ch 41 [spoilers removed]"

@41 Yes! I completely identified with the chip part too

Ch 19-41 (view spoiler)[ I've seen so many horror stories from Biggest Loser. It's horrible and how can you expect people won't gain weight back? You aren't teaching them actual life changes (hide spoiler)]

Andy wrote: "ch 70 [spoilers removed]

Finished [spoilers removed]"

@70 (view spoiler)[ She is brutally honest and though it's sad, it makes the book better because she isn't lying or trying to convince herself or us of anything. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 42-72 (view spoiler)[ I'm so familiar with comparing yourself with everyone around you and whether you're the fattest person. It's awful and I'm glad that Gay has been able to realize that she doesn't have to live up to other's standards. She still struggles with it sometimes and that makes her so human and relateable (hide spoiler)]

Andy wrote: "ch 70 [spoilers removed]

Finished [spoilers removed]"

I agree, several of her experiences are relatable and she did a great job illustrating it

Ch 73-End (view spoiler)[ I'm glad I read this! I agree with so many of her thoughts and experiences about her body and people always acting like an issue you have is because you're fat. (hide spoiler)]