Every Body Shines

April 15, 2021
Authors unite around body-celebrating fiction. Aubrey Gordon writes movingly about fat friendships and community in the introduction to this 16-story anthology, and readers might describe its stories as an assortment of fat friends holding out hands of welcome. Consisting primarily of contemporary realistic fiction, the volume also includes some speculative fiction entries. It starts out strong, with Claire Kann's "Guilt Trip" really speaking to the book's title as it follows a young Black musician who has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand onstage next to her favorite music group. In "Weightless," a labyrinthine story with an intriguing premise, Sheena Boekwig presents a White math prodigy sent on a world-saving space mission who has a hard time believing anyone will value her genius when her large body is a costly addition to the ship. Kelly deVos and Monique Gray Smith refreshingly celebrate fat girls doing sports. A number of other stories similarly have fantastic hooks and characters diverse in ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality, but in too many cases they read like novels rewritten and compressed to fit a page limit. While undeniably earnest and filling an important niche, this collection contains multiple entries that expend too much energy on proving that they adhere to the theme at the expense of other elements. A valuable and thoughtful prompt inspires sincere but uneven contributions. (author bios) (Anthology. 12-16)

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May 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Newbould's anthology is a feminist take on intersectional body diversity and fat acceptance. The collection includes a foreword by Aubrey Gordon, creator of the Your Fat Friend site and podcast, and stories by authors including Nafiza Azad, Alex Gino, Francina Simone, and Ren�e Watson. This inclusive compilation features short stories about fat girls, boys, and nonbinary teens with various sexualities and backgrounds: characters are Black, Indian, Muslim, Chinese, and more. The stories highlight a number of genres and settings-from the hockey arena to outer space and prom shopping to the softball field. Empowering and reflective, these stories tackle finding your voice, even if "well-meaning" family members may not know how to show love the way it is needed. The common thread throughout these selections is that fat characters are centered, not sidelined; they are bold and bright, demanding to be seen. In Gordon's moving foreword, she concludes, "Telling stories like the ones in this collection-and stories like yours-is part of how we change the world around us." VERDICT These characters should be seen in all collections. Recommended for both school and public libraries.-Lisa Krok, Morley Lib., Cleveland, OH

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 17, 2021
Featuring 16 genre-diverse stories by fat-identifying writers, this anthology edited by author and Fat Like Me podcaster Newbould showcases fat characters across a variety of cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, places, and passions. Through a body-affirming lens, the contributors, including Alex Gino, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, and Renée Watson, provide a space where, as written in Aubrey Gordon’s (Your Fat Friend) moving introduction, fat-identifying readers will “feel understood, validated, seen, and celebrated.” Similar themes appear throughout, but each entry is distinct: in Nafiza Azad’s “Dupatta Diaries,” desi teen Jamilah confronts her family’s fatphobia with the help of a sentient dupatta that encourages her to embrace her hunger and enjoy food. In Chris Baron’s “Food Is Love,” Jewish aspiring chef Josh navigates his complicated relationship with food, love, and the ways they intersect. Presenting both joys and frustrations, this unapologetically honest collection features characters finding their voices alongside characters who fully embrace their bodies, challenge stereotypes, and refuse to let anything hold them back, effectively dispelling any notion of fatness as a singular perspective. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jordan Hamessley, New Leaf Literary.

Starred review from May 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Whether they're comfortable with their own bodies or not, the fat characters in this anthology of YA stories know that society is definitively not OK with their size. These stories range in tone and even genre--some characters are faced with finding the perfect outfit for a school dance, others change their diets for someone else's approval, others save a whole community in outer space--but share an undercurrent of the emotional toll being fat in the world imposes. Among the 16 stories, particularly charming standouts include Kelly deVos' "Outside Pitch," about a girl and her mother's catfishing scheme; Cassandra Newbould's cyclical "Shatter," which is reminiscent of Russian Doll; and "Dupatta Diaries," by Nafiza Azad, about a girl facing her mother's disapproval of her weight. As this is an intersectional feminist collection, readers can expect diverse takes on the experience of living as a fat person in modern times: readers can expect to find characters of different gender identities, sexual orientations, cultural heritages, and race. No longer relegated to comedic relief or token sidekick, these fat teens, who are given multidimensional personalities, face troubles beyond others' views of their size and are given room to cultivate their own identities. A broad selection of genres makes this appealing to an expansive swath of socially conscious readers.

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