Summer I Lost It

Title: Summer I Lost It

Author: Natalie Kath

Pages: 128

Pub: 2011; Stone Arch

Genre: Young Adult - Realistic

Etc: Net Galley

The Short of It

Kat is losing weight this summer.

The Long of It

“Kat is just like other fourteen-year-old girls. Except this summer, she's spending four weeks at a Health Camp . . . otherwise known as fat camp. Can she lose the weight she needs to be able to do the things everyone else does? Or will she let her body control her?”

The above is what was written on Net Galley.  Unfortunately, that summary is not ENTIRELY truthful.  The story IS about Kat and her desire to lose weight, but her parents don’t send her to fat camp.  They say they can’t afford it.  Instead she is given a gym membership and she journals her experience.

The Thoughts about It

This book was a quick read.  Like, maybe forty minutes tops?  And what I can give it positively is that it was a decent portrayal of how to lose weight healthily.  I mean, Kat doesn’t take any pills or starve herself.  She’s determined to lose weight “the right way”.  Oh, and I definitely like how there was a love interest but the whole mentality of it was: it’s not about the boy to make you feel good about yourself, it’s about what you can do to make you feel good about yourself.  That was right on.

BUT…the book was childish.  Seriously.  It would be perfect reading material for an eight year old, but I don’t know if I’d want an eight year old obsessed with their weight. 

I know that weight loss is the buzz now with our obesity rates skyrocketing.  And I totally dig the healthy way of eating being presented…especially cuz it’s obvious that it’s a lifestyle choice not a quick lose it fad.  But overall this book was so disappointing. 

I went to the author’s website and it appears that she’s currently blogging her weight loss.  Here’s the thing. . . for as much as I didn’t like the book, I really dug her blog writing.  Wish there was that much life and spunk in the novel.  

Skinny

Title: Skinny
Author: Diana Spechler
Pub: Harper Collins; 2011
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary Lit
Etc: ARC from NetGalley

In summation:

Gray is at a crossroad in her life.  Her estranged father recently died and while working through those feelings she turns to food.  The final blow is when Gray, as executor of his will, finds out that she has a half sister.  After some internet sleuthing, she finds out that Eden will be spending the summer at a fat camp in the Carolinas. Gray decides that she must meet Eden and applies for a camp counselor position.

In my opinion:


I admit, I requested Skinny because I wanted something relaxing to read over vacation.  And it seemed like the perfect Spring Break read - summer camp, weight loss, reunited siblings.  What else is there, right?  Well, in this case...a lot more depth than what I was expecting.  Depth is good, ya'll.  And I'm TOTALLY a shallow judgmental book judger because it WAS unexpected.  I never thought that there would be as many layers as there were to this book.

So here we have Gray.  She's about twenty-five and I gather that the boyfriend she is living with and has been with for the past three years has been her first MAJOR relationship.  Oh, and of course he was the reason why Gray and her father were estranged.  Gray's dad could not accept the relationship.  Yup.  Been there Gray.  I definitely get being on your own and OWNING your decisions.  Of course I couldn't imagine having that decision fill me with so much guilt and anger.  Which is, of course, what happens when Gray's dad dies.

Now, a year later, twenty or so pounds heavier, and about to embark on a journey to find her half sister, Gray is pretty unsure about everything.  And, she's pretty naive at times, which leads me to wonder where her girlfriends are, but her authenticity is never doubted.

Gray's relationship with men is explored through her her father, current boyfriend, and lover.  Levels of intimacy are questioned when she finally meets Eden and the other campers.  Gray appears to be awkward around most people.  I don't know if that was intentional or not, but she just seems overall uncomfortable being her.  Plus, I love that food and the relationship one has with food is thought about.

There aren't that many contemporary women lit books out there that surprise me.  Generally, I choose them because I want to be comforted in the formula.  Skinny broke out of the expected mold and in its wake left a strong and realistic portrayal of a young woman's journey. 

Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp

Title: Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp
Author: Stephanie Klein
Pub Date: 2008
Pages: 320
Genre: Memoir, Health & Diet

I first heard about Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp from The Book Zombie's blog. It captured my interest and I flagged it on my LT account for future purchase. Of course it never comes up on PBS or BM so heading out to the Keys last week I decided to download it to my Kindle. I wanted something light (bwahahaha) to read while I played passenger.

First off, I gotta say, Klein is one helluva truthful lady. I mean, ya'll, I wanna do a couple of tequila shots with this woman. She openly discusses her weight loss struggle since childhood, her discovery of her body and sexuality, her winnings, gainings, and losses. *whew* I was exhausted at times, still cheering her on.

Okay so at a young age Klein (and I really feel like I should be calling her Stephanie, so Steph? Can I? I mean, I FEEL like we're buds; even if it's a one-sided kinda friendship.) is told by her mom that she must start seeing Fran, a nutritionist of sorts that reminds me of weight watchers, but not? And of course Stephanie is shouting and hollerin' cuz she don't need to see no foodie person. But she does, cuz man, she's a kid.

Moving on. Steph goes through yo-yos with her weight until eventually her ma sends her to fat camp. (I can't remember the name, but it started with a "Y"). At fat camp a new thing happens to Steph becomes the hottie. Or close to it. At least the playing field is a bit more even. So, she lets loose a bit. And maybe a bit more. But you know, haven't we all heard the psychotherapy about how people can use sex as acceptance ergo ego booster?

And she's sharing this man! Open honest dirty raw in your face sharing it.

It kinda came at an interesting time because this week ABC Family premired the new series, Huge (which is evidently adapted from a YA book this past week). Will (short for Willamena) is the leading teen who has been shipped to fat camp by her parents. Her resolution is the gain as much weight as possible while there. She's sorta the rebel with a chip on her shoulder who's super cool and insecure inside but has a tongue that bites and makes you laugh out loud, for real. I was surprisingly pleased with the first episode and will continue to see how the show progresses. I also thought it was cool to see similarities with the book Moose and the show, having recently read it.

From what I've gathered after reading most reviews of Moose, is gen pop is a bit annoyed that Klein never really "grows" or reaches some epiphany at the end of her journey as a fat kid turned struggling adult. And personally, this is what I liked the most about the book. Come on people, how many of us who really have "weight issues" ever truly deal with it? How many, with the exception of maybe Jillian, can say, I'm doing this solely to be healthy and it's not an emotional fight for me against food. So, yeah, at the end, she still has her dependencies. She's not cleaned up. She's still a fat kid living in a skinny body. Makes sense to me. Perhaps her book isn't there to inspire us to make weight loss resolutions as most fatty memoirs are, but to allow us to breath and say, "Hey, it's okay if I still struggle with what I eat. It's okay if I can't always buy into the, 'I want to be healthy more than I want to look good.'".

All in all, this memoir is totally worth it even if you've never had to deal with losing weight.

Locker Room Diaries

Title: Locker Room Diaries - The Naked Truth about Women, Body Image, and Re-Imagining the "Perfect" Body
Author: Leslie Goldman
Pub Date: 2006
Pages: 236
Genre: Non Fiction, Health & Diet
Challenges: None

Argh!

Let me reiterate.

ARGH!!

This book was sooooo frustrating. Like, worse than having a hang nail and not be able to clip it, frustrating. And even worse than having someone stand right next to you pointing and saying, "I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you".

I picked it up because I was perusing through the library finding books that I normally wouldn't check out, when viola, it caught my attention. It presented itself as a "real look"at women and their body images. This sort of thing fascinates me. I mean, come on, we live in Dr. 90210 times and Biggest Loser marathons. I want to hear what real women have to say about their bodies. A no hold back sorta book, ya know?

And at first, that's what I thought I was getting. Goldman opens with her role in observing locker room conversations. How self conscious women are, how they self deprecate, judge, etc. But then, a few odd pages in, the woman seemed a bit, eh, flat? (For lack of better words). They didn't strike me as the type of friends I would surround myself with. Reading a bit more, I began to piece everything together.

These women were not normal women. At least, not in my universe normal women. These women were rich women. Skinny women. Women who spent $150 a month on a gym membership that would also give you a Brazilian wax after a workout for an extra $100. Ummm, my total gym membership for the year doesn't exceed $200. Are these women really speaking for the general public?

Plus, when she interviews the women about body images and weight, she never speaks to overweight women (two - I think - are interviewed in a later chapter specifically for that). More time was spent on: hey I've had an eating disorder and I understand the struggle. Not necessarily what I was looking for.

Nope. This book came across as superficial, over the top, and I was unable to relate. I kept reading it hoping for some redeeming qualities. My loss. I would not be surprised if this does not end up on my least liked list of 2010.

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne

Title: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies
Author: Erin Dionne
Pub Date: February 2009
Pages: 243
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
Rating: 3/5

Summary

Celeste's life has taken a downward spiral. First, she is a bridesmaid in her cousin's wedding and must endure squeezing into this hideous peach lacy dress, that she fondly refers to as the Monstrosity. Then, as if it isn't already painful dealing with popular Lively's fat jokes through out the day, Celeste's best friend, Sandra, goes to the darkside and joins the in-crowd. As if life couldn't get worse, her dear Aunt Doreen, unbeknownst to Celeste, enters her in a model competition - the Husky Peach. Hmmm...can you guess what type of models their looking for?

Celeste is mortified! The last thing she wants to be is a "big girl" model. What if anyone found out? If she thinks she gets ridiculed now, just wait if that news leaked. Thinking quick on her feet, Celeste does the first thing that comes to mind, she diets. Sure she loves her cookies and Aunt Doreen's Butterscotch Apple Crumb Cake, but giving it up for now is for a good cause - what's left of her dignity.

My Thoughts

This was a whimsical purchase while at the Scholastic Warehouse, and honestly, Model's Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies was a quick and fun, if not a bit predictable read. Celeste is a believable character, and I think relatable. One scene stands out in particular. After just finding out that she's been entered in the Husky Peach, Celeste stumbles upon one of those "drink this wacky mixture" fad diet drinks in her mom's magazine. Home alone, she decides to create the beverage, but she doesn't have all of the ingredients. That of course doesn't stop her. After all, is there really much of a difference between tomato paste and tomato juice? You can see where this leads, right? This awful concoction makes her retch. And it's a good laugh.

Still, I wasn't surprised at any point of the book. It moved along in a reasonable fashion, but the best that I can compare it to would be an episode of Saved by the Bell. The show's fun and cute, you might even giggle when Slater makes a "piggish" joke to Jessi, and sure you'll stick around after the commercial break, but you know that you're not going to really tear up with Zack and Kelly break up. Yup that's it! I liked Models; I just didn't feel any attachment to the characters.

This is Erin Dionne's debut, but from her cute website, it shows that she's in the process of getting another one out. Although this one didn't move mountains for me, I'll definitely give it another go and check out her next book.

[Side Note: I also think it's cool that she lists books that she's just finished on her blog.]