I admit that I’m late to the party when it comes to reading Roxane Gay but that doesn’t make her words any less meaningful to me. I’ve set two reading goals for myself this year. The first is to read more books Canadian indigenous authors and the second is to read more books by feminist/body-positive authors. While I set the goal this year, I plan to continue this line of reading beyond 2018! I will post about the indigenous authors’ books I’ve been reading in a separate post, after I’ve finished reading The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (I’m about 1/3 of the way through it right now).
Roxane Gay’s book Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
It took a bit of time for this book to really grab me. The content was relevant to me but the writing style wasn’t/isn’t a preferred one for me when it comes to reading books. The sentence structure was short, almost choppy at times, and she repeated a lot of things over, and over, and over again. Eventually, though, the writing style became almost like quiet white noise…nearly soothing, barely audible, and only running in the background.
It’s Roxane’s story, her experiences, that grab you in the gut and pull you along on the ride of her life. Except, if you are a woman, then you may find yourself transfixed because maybe, just maybe, there are so many similarities in the experience of being a woman that this is the story of your life, too, in its own way.
We all have our own stories, but the way Roxane writes about her feelings, her relationship with food, with hunger, with other people, and especially her relationship with herself resonates with me. Roxane also addresses the experience of being obese, of being a black woman, of being bisexual, and so much more in her book.
This is not a light read in that the subject matter can be raw and may be difficult to read, for some, but this is Roxane’s truth and it is only right that we step up and witness it. Make no mistake about Roxane Gay, for she is real, and she is powerful, and she is a survivor.
I absolutely recommend reading this book and I plan to read more of her books this year.
You can find a kindle copy of Hunger here: https://amzn.to/2sBMojO
Or a paper version here: https://amzn.to/2M3J9to
Another book I recently read is by Lindy West. I’ve listened to her on podcasts and have read some of her articles so I was happy when I heard she had a book coming out because Lindy is smart and funny!
Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West
If you enjoy dry, sarcastic humour you might just love Shrill. Lindy also shares her experiences of living as a fat woman through glimpses of her childhood, her love life, and her career. It’s clear that Lindy has decided she “good enough” and to love herself, regardless of her dress size. She’s funky, she’s bold, and you can’t help but cheer her on when she stands up to her boss (who happens to be Dan Savage) regarding his blatant bias against fat people. Lindy recounts the time she took on a comedian whose “jokes” about rape went too far and you want to cheer out loud at this bold, smart woman who dares to stand up for other women. Part of what gives this book an anchor is that so many of us remember these stories that circled the internet over the years, but this books gives you Lindy’s inside perspective on those events that she was an integral part of.
If you think fat women are just as intelligent, strong, beautiful, and funny as everyone else then (you are right!) check out this book. If you don’t think fat women are just as intelligent, strong, beautiful, and funny as everyone else then (you are wrong!) you should also read this book.
Get a kindle copy here: https://amzn.to/2sFb9va
Or a paper version here: https://amzn.to/2JGdsYC
I would love to hear your take on these two books and authors! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.