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Fat Girl, Skinny
After her husband leaves her for a skinnier, blonder, younger woman, Amye is forced to confront the food addiction that has been holding her back for most of her life and has left her weighing two hundred and sixty-five pounds. With the help of the gang of girls of Weight Watchers, and their fearless leader —former fatty and community college dropout—Pantsuit Pam, Amye spends the next year losing weight and learning to live in a skinny (er) woman’s body. Only being skinny is not as easy as it looks, especially when inside, she will always be a fat girl. Fat Girl, Skinny is Amye’s story, but it’s also the story of anyone who has ever been told: “You’d be pretty…if”.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2016
47 people are currently reading
661 people want to read
About the author
Amye Archer
9 books31 followersAmye Archer writes, mothers, and teaches in Northeast, PA. She has an MFA in Creative Writing, a very handsome cat, and a Sam’s Club membership. Her memoir, Fat Girl, Skinny is forthcoming from Big Table Publishing. Amye’s full-length poetry collection, Bangs, was released in 2014. She has also published two chapbooks: A Shotgun Life and No One Ever Looks Up. Amye’s work has appeared in Nailed Magazine, PMS: Poem Memoir Story, PANK, and her ex-boyfriend’s garbage can. She is the creator of The Fat Girl Blog. You can read more about her at www.amyearcher.com. Follow her on Twitter @amyearcher.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
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October 27, 2016I saw Amye Archer read an excerpt from her book at HippoCamp, a conference for creative nonfiction writers. She had the entire room in stitches, belly laughs so big our stomachs hurt. I was particularly intrigued by the topic of her memoir because my relationship with my body has, for much of my life, been my most complicated relationship. After that evening’s reading, I made a beeline for the book table and picked up a copy. This humorous account of Archer’s own struggles with weight and body image didn’t disappoint.
— Steph Auteri
from The Best Books We Read In September 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/10/03/riot-r...
— Steph Auteri
from The Best Books We Read In September 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/10/03/riot-r...
February 14, 2016
An honest account of what it means to be a fat girl in a skinny world! But don't be fooled, this book is not just for those struggling with weight. It is for anyone who has struggled with anything in life and found a way to claw through to the other side. Archer's prose is beautiful. I couldn't put it down but at the same time was sad when I reached the last page! Can't wait to read more from this author!
June 15, 2016
Once I started Fat Girl, Skinny I could not put it down. Amye’s phenomenal writing, humor, and total honesty, drew me in right from page one. Her experience is something that everyone can relate to—and I’m not necessarily talking about a struggle with food. Everyone has been through something. A something where the light at the end of the tunnel seemed dim and unreachable, a something that made us worry our life would swallow us whole if we weren’t careful, a something that made us feel less then we deserved. Based on that, it might be one of the most important memoirs you read this year. Fat Girl, Skinny is more than just one woman’s weight loss journey. It is a book about life, forgiveness, and the understanding that it is okay to trip a little on the journey toward self discovery.
February 23, 2016
The combination of edgy eloquence and unstinting honesty makes this a must-read. Anyone who's ever felt inadequate or unwanted because of body image will relate to Amye and her fight to achieve self-esteem. Spend a few hours with Amye's book, and you'll walk away knowing that you have a soulmate in the struggle.
May 6, 2016
Order this book. Funny, engaging, tender and heart-rending, Archer has a gift with memoir and prose. Her characters are believable and drive the story, making the reader flip the pages.
Let me start by saying I am a slow reader with three part-time jobs. I finished this book in under 48 hours. Archer writes with wit, tenderness and an aching truth that will keep her readers hooked until the very last page. Her characters are beautifully explicated; her prose flows like the Susquehanna in the summer. With no self-pity, she fillets her deepest, most painful experiences and turns them into literary morsels that you will gobble up (insert number of points here). This is a must-read!
Let me start by saying I am a slow reader with three part-time jobs. I finished this book in under 48 hours. Archer writes with wit, tenderness and an aching truth that will keep her readers hooked until the very last page. Her characters are beautifully explicated; her prose flows like the Susquehanna in the summer. With no self-pity, she fillets her deepest, most painful experiences and turns them into literary morsels that you will gobble up (insert number of points here). This is a must-read!
June 10, 2018
Loved this memoir! I enjoyed her honesty and her true to life connections. Hoping to see more by her!!
August 21, 2019
Amye is easy to relate to whether one is skinny or chubby because the issues that she describes so artfully are hurts of the soul; self-rejection, shame, past traumas, judgment, and so on.
As someone who helps overweight people, I found this book not just hard to put down, but also a fantastic resource. As I went through the emotional ups and downs with Amye (because she pulls you into her world where she slowly found healing), I learned more than I could have ever imagined.
It is a must-read to:
- all the therapists out there
- all parents whose kids suffer from excess weight or ANY eating disorders
- teachers and people who work with kids and young people
- and women who find it hard to love themselves.
I believe we all have a piece of that Amye in us; the one who is feeling hurt, vulnerable, the one who feels ashamed and unloveable, the one who feels lost and disconnected.
This book tells her journey of self-discovery that we can all learn from.
As someone who helps overweight people, I found this book not just hard to put down, but also a fantastic resource. As I went through the emotional ups and downs with Amye (because she pulls you into her world where she slowly found healing), I learned more than I could have ever imagined.
It is a must-read to:
- all the therapists out there
- all parents whose kids suffer from excess weight or ANY eating disorders
- teachers and people who work with kids and young people
- and women who find it hard to love themselves.
I believe we all have a piece of that Amye in us; the one who is feeling hurt, vulnerable, the one who feels ashamed and unloveable, the one who feels lost and disconnected.
This book tells her journey of self-discovery that we can all learn from.
November 23, 2020
At rock bottom when her husband leaves her Amye Archer realises that she cannot continue living the way she has been and that her route to regaining her self esteem and shedding weight is in her own hands. This is a raw, honest and beautifully written memoir detailing some very painful periods in her life and the struggles she faced. It's also a very emotional memoir but one which is laced with humour and self awareness too. I admired her for baring her soul quite so openly and describing how vulnerable and filled with self loathing she was at times.
With the help of Pantsuit Pam from WeightWatchers, family and friends Amye finally realises her goal and I'm very pleased to say genuine happiness.
With the help of Pantsuit Pam from WeightWatchers, family and friends Amye finally realises her goal and I'm very pleased to say genuine happiness.
April 29, 2022
Fat Girl, Fat
As a fat girl who is still fat, and who grew up in the same time period, I really related to Ayme's story. I think that the things that she has experienced and worked to overcome will resonate with many women. There were definitely some things that she wrote about that led to realizations for me about my life and weight journey. I actually think that anyone who has ever struggles with love or body image would benefit from this book.
As a fat girl who is still fat, and who grew up in the same time period, I really related to Ayme's story. I think that the things that she has experienced and worked to overcome will resonate with many women. There were definitely some things that she wrote about that led to realizations for me about my life and weight journey. I actually think that anyone who has ever struggles with love or body image would benefit from this book.
June 10, 2017
I may be biased because I've had Amye in class and have loved her writing style ever since, but this book is incredible. I have never felt more introspective or confident than while reading this memoir. Amye's voice is vulnerable, realistic, inspiring, and even didactic at times; the varying tones really help her story come to life. I almost forgot it was non-fiction.
October 20, 2017
Great beginning, mediocre end.
The beginning of this book was good, drew me in. Dense-in-a good-way, with vivid, riveting descriptions that put me there.
Then she got thin, and so did her words. Just wafted off the page like so much steam. Meaningless cliches. Kept hanging in there thinking she'd get her groove again, but nope.
The beginning of this book was good, drew me in. Dense-in-a good-way, with vivid, riveting descriptions that put me there.
Then she got thin, and so did her words. Just wafted off the page like so much steam. Meaningless cliches. Kept hanging in there thinking she'd get her groove again, but nope.
January 23, 2018
Well-written. Good structure. Universal themes. Readers will find something to relate to, whether they've struggled with weight loss or not. The narrator was introspective and reflective about her personal issues and the growth/change she experienced, but I couldn't help thinking she could have dug a layer or two deeper. Overall, it's a very good book with honest, straight-forward writing.
March 31, 2020
Full disclosure: I know and adore Amye. :)
The missing star is for some distracting typos and edits --but the author goes so bravely into all the deep and painful aspects of womanhood: beauty, sex, weight, food, family--and I admire so much the self interrogation and vulnerability she brings to the story.
The missing star is for some distracting typos and edits --but the author goes so bravely into all the deep and painful aspects of womanhood: beauty, sex, weight, food, family--and I admire so much the self interrogation and vulnerability she brings to the story.
January 17, 2021
Great book
Easy read but tend to drag at the end a little bit. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny and then there were parts that How do you cringing for the main character because you felt so bad for her. But it did what most great books do is evoke some emotion positive and negative throughout the book.
Easy read but tend to drag at the end a little bit. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny and then there were parts that How do you cringing for the main character because you felt so bad for her. But it did what most great books do is evoke some emotion positive and negative throughout the book.
August 8, 2022
Been there; still there
Thank you so much for strengthening the hope that i thought was lost through the emotional roller coasters of my younger years. Losing weight has been phenomenal, but keeping it off has made me understand the addiction. There was much here that was familiar to me.
Thank you so much for strengthening the hope that i thought was lost through the emotional roller coasters of my younger years. Losing weight has been phenomenal, but keeping it off has made me understand the addiction. There was much here that was familiar to me.
December 11, 2017
Great book
I am going thru the same issues she did and can totally relate. Great book. Helped to motivate me to keep going.
I am going thru the same issues she did and can totally relate. Great book. Helped to motivate me to keep going.
August 14, 2018
Honest and candid
February 8, 2022
heartfelt
one of the truest feeling stories I have ever read. I can literally feel her pain and happiness. no sugar coating here.
one of the truest feeling stories I have ever read. I can literally feel her pain and happiness. no sugar coating here.
June 21, 2025
I love love this book. It was honest and real.
August 1, 2016
Amye Archer draws the reader into her battle of the bulge and so much more. She shares her reflections, questions, and brutal self-loathing as she journeys through a seemingly endless series of poor decisions. Bullied and wounded as a girl because of her weight, she fills the cavernous emotional wounds with secret addictions with food, alcohol, and boys.
At 265 pounds and 10 years of marriage, Amye's husband divorces her for a skinnier younger woman leaving Amye floundering. Determined to face her addiction, she begins the tumultuous journey to rebuild her lost self-esteem, find acceptance for herself, and find balance in her life. Archer gives the reader a realistic look into the battle with weight as she recounts her experience in Weight Watchers: "If you listen close enough you will hear the hum of something darker. Ribbons laced with bulimia, starvation, and self-loathing so deep the bottom could pop out at any second. Strings of pain, fear, absolute anguish. Whispers, really. Hushed stories..."
Amye Archer somehow makes the reader cringe, laugh, and cheer with her at the same time reflecting on his or her own battle with self-esteem and addiction. Her truths are universal-drugs, porn, or alcohol could be substituted for food when she says, "I think about what I've done and want to puke. I want to cry, hit something, drown myself, whatever will make the remorse dissipate. I have once again given in to my urge, the obsession, a force controlling the very center of me. This is the face of food addiction. We promise, we disappoint, we eat, we feel bad, we repeat. It's a daily struggle for metabolic sobriety. A vicious cycle of self-sabotage."
Archer's masterful writing is rich, real, and descriptive, giving glimpses into the cruel battle while giving truths to slowly win the battle against addictions integrating lifestyle change and self-acceptance. I would recommend this book to anyone that battles with low self-esteem or addictions of any kind or anyone who loves and supports someone who does. Reader be warned, it's a rugged battle told in a very real way. Perhaps a PG rating would be recommended because of its sexually explicit scenes.
by Cinda Brooks
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
At 265 pounds and 10 years of marriage, Amye's husband divorces her for a skinnier younger woman leaving Amye floundering. Determined to face her addiction, she begins the tumultuous journey to rebuild her lost self-esteem, find acceptance for herself, and find balance in her life. Archer gives the reader a realistic look into the battle with weight as she recounts her experience in Weight Watchers: "If you listen close enough you will hear the hum of something darker. Ribbons laced with bulimia, starvation, and self-loathing so deep the bottom could pop out at any second. Strings of pain, fear, absolute anguish. Whispers, really. Hushed stories..."
Amye Archer somehow makes the reader cringe, laugh, and cheer with her at the same time reflecting on his or her own battle with self-esteem and addiction. Her truths are universal-drugs, porn, or alcohol could be substituted for food when she says, "I think about what I've done and want to puke. I want to cry, hit something, drown myself, whatever will make the remorse dissipate. I have once again given in to my urge, the obsession, a force controlling the very center of me. This is the face of food addiction. We promise, we disappoint, we eat, we feel bad, we repeat. It's a daily struggle for metabolic sobriety. A vicious cycle of self-sabotage."
Archer's masterful writing is rich, real, and descriptive, giving glimpses into the cruel battle while giving truths to slowly win the battle against addictions integrating lifestyle change and self-acceptance. I would recommend this book to anyone that battles with low self-esteem or addictions of any kind or anyone who loves and supports someone who does. Reader be warned, it's a rugged battle told in a very real way. Perhaps a PG rating would be recommended because of its sexually explicit scenes.
by Cinda Brooks
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
February 14, 2017
After reading the prologue to this book (at weight watchers), I had high hopes for this book. It was good but I expected more. The author was a very immature 28 year old going through the breakup of her marriage, an unfulfilling job and a goal of losing 100 pounds. As a long long time weight watcher member, I can't believe she steadily lost every week drinking like a fish. The book was just too much about throwing herself at every male, drinking and eating fast food. Yes she lives happily ever after but did she work through her demons. My guess they are still there along with the pounds she lost.
February 11, 2016
Amye Archer’s Fat Girl, Skinny is a must read for anyone serious enough to look in the mirror, and knows definitively, they somehow ended up trapped in someone else’s fat body. Her book should be rubber banded with the Weight Watcher’s sliding scale cardboard POINTSfinder calculator. She right away bonds with the reading audience who is struggling with losing weight the healthy way….by moderating caloric intake, rather than in a pill or suck-it-out spa! It’s a page turner, the reader is easily brought into Amye’s world and walks beside her ups and downs, late nights, early mornings, over-the-years struggle of keeping it together and keeping it off…..looking forward to perhaps an ongoing saga after the Twins!
June 21, 2016
I might not be the person you'd be expecting to read this book, or to rate it five stars, but here we are. I mean, I'm a guy, one's who has never faced having to lose more than thirty pounds...but this book is intense. I felt it, from the beginning, whether I'd ever faced problems that were particularly similar or not. Archer is a stellar writer and this book is a dynamite example of that. It reaches beyond itself, to any kind of reader. Any kind of reader could dig this book.
February 27, 2016
An honest memoir about a woman's struggles to lose weight and start over after her husband leaves her for another woman.
May 17, 2016
Skinny girl can write,
Honesty rings in this memoir. Fat girl fights her way to skinny.
She gets the great guy and the dream
Honesty rings in this memoir. Fat girl fights her way to skinny.
She gets the great guy and the dream
December 30, 2016
Oh my god. Thank you, Amye Archer. Not one superfluous word, every detail needed. I had tears of joy and sadness and hope streaming down my face for the last pages. I really needed this.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews