Living Large: A Big Man's Ideas on Weight, Success, and Acceptance

by Michael S. Berman, Laurence Shames

A poignant, funny, and, above all, honest look at obesity from the inside out. Is it the goal of life to be thin? Or to be happy? In this inspiring story, those two elusive goals become one, as a fat man learns acceptance, loses the guilt, and gains the wisdom to manage his weight.

You can hardly pick up a magazine or turn on the TV today without encountering a torrent of talk on weight. But all too rarely do we hear from overweight people themselves—especially men—about how life feels inside the body of a fat person. Mike Berman shares that story in this hopeful and uplifting memoir.

A self-proclaimed "fat man" who is also a happy man—successful in his career, marriage, and friendships—Berman has earned his insight and peace of mind through decades of personal struggle. In Living Large, this well-known political activist and Washington lobbyist never shies away from the pain and daunting challenges of being seriously overweight. But Berman has an important message that he wants to be heard: Fatness is not a moral failing, but a disease; and once it is accepted as such, it can be successfully managed.

Laurence Shames, author of Not Fade Away, has tackled this important story and captured Mike Berman's voice as movingly as he did the late Peter Barton's in that beloved, critically acclaimed memoir.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2006

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing particularly ground breaking about the advise or the personal accounts Berman gives of living as an overweight man. But I think his insight into the nature of "fatness" as he refers to it, as a disease, and his personal introspection into its causes, would be helpful reading for anyone struggling with any sort of addiction. I also found his discussion of the "anti-fat" or fatphobic attitude in our culture enlightening. He brings an interesting historical perspective to the problem, casting it as a form of minority dehumanization, and examines the problems it causes for fat people. Ultimately, I must stand by the central message of the book: that acceptance of oneself-as-is is the first step toward physical/mental health, that acceptance relieves the desperation brought on by the imaginary possibility of instant and permanent transformation, and ultimately allows for slow and lasting improvement.

[Leonora · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. I planned to just skim this book but ended up reading the whole thing. In general, I thought the author's writing was good.

If you think you're not prejudiced against fat people, read this book. If you want to know what it's like to be fat, read this book. It's important considering the obesity epidemic in this country.

[Melmoth Morgendorffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The advice sections are much more boring than the narrative, which is surprisingly effective at making powerful points in an engaging and personal manner. It's neither preachy nor cloyingly confessional. I admit I'm a little skeptical of the rhetoric of disease and addiction, but I do think Berman is quite just in his description of the experience of fatness.

[Laura Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, just okay, not great. Ho hum