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Fatizen 24602
In a dystopian America of the not-too-distant future, the Office of Size Compliance (OSC) claims there is a national food shortage and Congress has enacted the Endomorphic Laws in its war on obesity. It is now a crime for citizens to have Body Mass Indices of 30 or more. Fast food, eating in public restaurants, contraband back-alley breads, butter and meats, and fried chicken and desserts are felonies for the obese, and pre-programmed grocery carts direct oversized shoppers to spend their grocery allotments on federally-sanctioned foods produced by the OSC. ‘Fatizen’ felons are imprisoned in Calorie Camps or sent to Psychogenic Re-Integration – or worse – while families are torn apart, and parents sell their children with the ‘deviant condition’ of obesity. This debut novel declares that ‘Fat is not a four-letter word’ in a big way. The fast-paced plot is action-packed and driven by its unforgettable characters. By turns poignant and graphic, this is a story that is unnervingly close to home even today. Secret, grisly technology drives the world of the OSC as the fatizens’ rebel underground works to contain the worst of the Dietary Guard Patrol. Author Philip Barragan takes us full-tilt into a profound civil rights issue, and, of necessity, the subject matter, violence and language have sharp edges and may be uncomfortable for some readers. But that’s the point. Barragan’s searing, thought-provoking dialogue and Mason Arrigo’s complex and arresting illustrations together serve up a warning about tolerance and acceptance: the future is not all that far away. ‘Fatizen’ Delilah Palladino has found a secure channel to impart an important message and the time to pay attention is now.
370 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2015
About the author
Philip C. Barragan II
7 books9 followersPhilip C. Barragan, II is an author and activist born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. His debut novel, Fatizen 24602, was published in 2015 by Branch Hill Publications.
Philip earned his MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles in 2011. And when not challenging the status quo, Philip works with his husband, artist Mason Arrigo, on their indie imprint, Embonpoint Publishing specializing in graphic novels.
Philip earned his MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles in 2011. And when not challenging the status quo, Philip works with his husband, artist Mason Arrigo, on their indie imprint, Embonpoint Publishing specializing in graphic novels.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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February 7, 2016This novel just wasn't for me, I am afraid to say, so it goes on my 'Did not finish' shelf .
The premise intrigued me, a dystopian novel set in California in the not too far off future, when the Office of Size Compliance (OFC) is charged with enforcing Endomorphic Laws to eliminate obesity, by ensuring those above a certain BMI are only permitted to buy approved healthy food products. Non-compliance results in incarceration in Calorie Camps until the required weight loss, under a harsh and brutal regime. Schools are used to indoctrinate children and young people, encouraged to inform on parents who need 're-education'. Delilah Paladino is one of the 'fatizens' seized by the OSC for unacceptable obesity and bolshiness.
You will have noticed obvious parallels here to Nazi Germany and its treatment of Jews and groups labelled as 'undesirable' or 'deviant'. This is one of the problems I had with the novel, its over-done comparison of the fat-phobic fascism of the OSC regime with Hitler's Third Reich: Endomorphic Laws are the Nuremberg Race Laws, Calorie Camps are Concentration Camps where prisoners are treated by guards in the same way the SS dealt with its victims, elimination of 'fatizens' is equated with the Nazi's Final Solution. It made me very uncomfortable, to be honest. Obesity, with the exception of those with underlying medical problems, is something that can be controlled and undone, a choice made if you opt for calorific foods full of sugar and fat and don't get enough exercise. You cannot stop being Jewish or gay or Romany. The methods used by the OSC are extreme and inhumane and I would NEVER condone such treatment of any human beings, yet the more I read the novel (I stopped at 50%) the more I sympathised with the aims of the OSC because the obesity epidemic is real and threatens our future well-being and health services. What starts as satire becomes polemic, reading the novel too much like being bludgeoned with it.
The OSC character is over-the-top EVIL, whereas Delilah is obviously written as a Super-sized Super Hero, who strangely seems to lose no weight despite being kept in solitary confinement for 51 days under a punishment regime that presumably doesn't involve much feeding. The sex bits are quite graphic and did nothing at all for me, least said the better. I must say I was highly amused by the early scene in a supermarket when poor Delilah attempts to buy fried chicken and gooey desserts for the family dinner thereby activating a shrieking alarm system on the automated trolley.
I decided halfway through I had had enough. I accept the problem is more with me than the book. I am not the intended audience. I don't read comics or graphic novels and the writing reminded me of that sort of style, larger than life, exaggerated for effect. I can see that those looking for positive role models outwith conventional size standards will cheer on Delilah and Co., and, really, I welcome its diversity because society's obsession with thinness is not something I am comfortable with either. The novel makes some very valid points, it's just that it could be done with more subtlety, to reach a wider readership outside the Fat Acceptance movement.
The premise intrigued me, a dystopian novel set in California in the not too far off future, when the Office of Size Compliance (OFC) is charged with enforcing Endomorphic Laws to eliminate obesity, by ensuring those above a certain BMI are only permitted to buy approved healthy food products. Non-compliance results in incarceration in Calorie Camps until the required weight loss, under a harsh and brutal regime. Schools are used to indoctrinate children and young people, encouraged to inform on parents who need 're-education'. Delilah Paladino is one of the 'fatizens' seized by the OSC for unacceptable obesity and bolshiness.
You will have noticed obvious parallels here to Nazi Germany and its treatment of Jews and groups labelled as 'undesirable' or 'deviant'. This is one of the problems I had with the novel, its over-done comparison of the fat-phobic fascism of the OSC regime with Hitler's Third Reich: Endomorphic Laws are the Nuremberg Race Laws, Calorie Camps are Concentration Camps where prisoners are treated by guards in the same way the SS dealt with its victims, elimination of 'fatizens' is equated with the Nazi's Final Solution. It made me very uncomfortable, to be honest. Obesity, with the exception of those with underlying medical problems, is something that can be controlled and undone, a choice made if you opt for calorific foods full of sugar and fat and don't get enough exercise. You cannot stop being Jewish or gay or Romany. The methods used by the OSC are extreme and inhumane and I would NEVER condone such treatment of any human beings, yet the more I read the novel (I stopped at 50%) the more I sympathised with the aims of the OSC because the obesity epidemic is real and threatens our future well-being and health services. What starts as satire becomes polemic, reading the novel too much like being bludgeoned with it.
The OSC character is over-the-top EVIL, whereas Delilah is obviously written as a Super-sized Super Hero, who strangely seems to lose no weight despite being kept in solitary confinement for 51 days under a punishment regime that presumably doesn't involve much feeding. The sex bits are quite graphic and did nothing at all for me, least said the better. I must say I was highly amused by the early scene in a supermarket when poor Delilah attempts to buy fried chicken and gooey desserts for the family dinner thereby activating a shrieking alarm system on the automated trolley.
I decided halfway through I had had enough. I accept the problem is more with me than the book. I am not the intended audience. I don't read comics or graphic novels and the writing reminded me of that sort of style, larger than life, exaggerated for effect. I can see that those looking for positive role models outwith conventional size standards will cheer on Delilah and Co., and, really, I welcome its diversity because society's obsession with thinness is not something I am comfortable with either. The novel makes some very valid points, it's just that it could be done with more subtlety, to reach a wider readership outside the Fat Acceptance movement.
September 2, 2015
This was a tough one for me. I liked the characters and enjoyed the story and writing style, but it's very violent which is not my thing at all, and I had a problem with how the author really sexualised the protagonist's relationship with food and eating. All in all a good read though, and refreshing to see a story about fat people that doesn't buy into the usual stereotypes.
July 4, 2018
Why do I always set myself to be hurt? I always expect everyone on the good side to live😭😭
This book went beyond being physically big, explaining society’s views and what can happen if humanity loses conscious about everyone’s genes being different. The only thing that bothered me was how gruesome and how unfair things went. I was fully entertained with this book, there were enough plot twists going on, I think it’s a great read. I just won’t be able to recommend it to a younger audience but I can’t speak for everybody, now can I. I loved the main characters, the character development was beautiful and slow so one can understand. I feel like this book content is current with immigrant. I mean that the things that happened in this book aren’t unrealistic, the same thing is happening to undocumented immigrants, the whole thing about sending them away and separating families is all to similar.
Nonetheless, a great read.
This book went beyond being physically big, explaining society’s views and what can happen if humanity loses conscious about everyone’s genes being different. The only thing that bothered me was how gruesome and how unfair things went. I was fully entertained with this book, there were enough plot twists going on, I think it’s a great read. I just won’t be able to recommend it to a younger audience but I can’t speak for everybody, now can I. I loved the main characters, the character development was beautiful and slow so one can understand. I feel like this book content is current with immigrant. I mean that the things that happened in this book aren’t unrealistic, the same thing is happening to undocumented immigrants, the whole thing about sending them away and separating families is all to similar.
Nonetheless, a great read.
April 6, 2017
Can't wait to see the graphic novel version of this.
June 20, 2024
The world described in Fatizen 24602 is in the not too distant future. While the book deliberately used fat as the sin of the day so to speak, it speaks of shame in all of its forms. By creating a powerful critique of the hypocrisies within American society in a fictional work, Fatizen 24602 boldly defends civil liberties and the right for the individual to make decisions for him or herself. It attacks the orthodoxies that many take for granted and instead, shows how when taken to their ultimate extent that those orthodoxies can hurt and yes, kill.
Delilah Palladino, the stories protagonist, and Mimi Master, the antagonist, are both well-rounded characters that engage the reader. Delilah being a beautiful plus-sized activist and Mimi, an obsessive, diabolical health nut that hates everyone of size. Fatizen 24602 is a delicious battle between the two that all of us can learn from and serves up that wonderful dessert on a silver platter of language. It certainly has me desiring for more!
June 21, 2024
When you zoom out of the main plot of this novel you realize that the dystopian future it presents it not that far-fetched. The hallmark of any great story is timelessness. This story is incredibly relevant. Also as a fan of graphic novels and comic books in general, I loved the references to the works of Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Jack Kirby. Both inspiring and entertaining.
October 22, 2025
I can't imagine treating my own kids the way Delilah does in this book. What an awful shitty parent, no true hero would just sit back and let her kid die.
December 7, 2017
too long. major plot points either obvious from 100 pages away or never developed to make sense. details so cal locations enough for me to understand exact areas where activities would be occurring but that prob alienates others. set in 2073 so I'm sure the author was surprised aspects were falling into place by 2017.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews