The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe and Other Stories of Women and Fatness

Edited by: Susan Koppelman

First line: On April 13, 1973, at 9 A.M. at the Atkinson Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, I stood before a room filled with people, announced, "I am fat," and slowly peeled the wrapping off of a giant Baby Ruth candy bar and took a bite.

Why you should read this book: The twenty-five short stories in this anthology span one hundred years of portraits of and attitudes toward fat women, including women from many cultural and class backgrounds, and encompassing the full spectrum of emotions about fatness. From self-reliant side show fat ladies to high school students with low self-esteem, and touching on every form of eating disorder; physical, mental, and emotional abuse; the ups and downs of dieting and exercise; and the relationships between men and women, along with the relationship between women and women, the reader can discern a complete picture of size in modern American history. In addition to its proud, eye-opening feminist perspective, this is also a collection of great, readable, provocative short stories.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Typos galore. Seriously needs some proofreading.