Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body in Around the Year in 52 Books

Jul 23, 2019 Blaine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: from-library, 2019

Three years ago, I read Salt Sugar Fat and, for a time, it changed my life. It inspired me to try to avoid eating heavily processed foods, and I began losing weight. Over about 18 months, I lost 90 pounds, and was no longer overweight. I had lost that much once before, about 10 years earlier, through a heavy running and exercise regime that ultimately required knee surgery. When I couldn’t run, the weight came back. But this time, I felt I had found a truly sustainable path to healthy eating an Three years ago, I read Salt Sugar Fat and, for a time, it changed my life. It inspired me to try to avoid eating heavily processed foods, and I began losing weight. Over about 18 months, I lost 90 pounds, and was no longer overweight. I had lost that much once before, about 10 years earlier, through a heavy running and exercise regime that ultimately required knee surgery. When I couldn’t run, the weight came back. But this time, I felt I had found a truly sustainable path to healthy eating and a healthy body.

Then an illness in my immediate family turned my life upside down. Even as I knew it was happening, I’ve spent the last eight months stress eating half the weight back on. Thankfully, it appears that life is about to get back to normal (fingers crossed). And I thought—hoped—that perhaps this book could help me find the inspiration to jumpstart my return to healthier eating.

Well, Hunger is many things, but it is not that kind of book. Ms. Gay was gang-raped when she was 12. She blamed herself, did not get counseling or other professional help, and she turned to eating to remake her body into a literal 570-pound fortress so that no one would ever try to hurt again. Despite holding a Ph.D, and having finally revealed that trauma to her family, she is still incapable of breaking her cycle of losing and gaining weight. It’s a tragedy.

This book contains about 90 short chapters. Occasionally, certain repetitions left me wondering if some or all of these were stories recycled from her blog. But the writing is gripping, moving, and effective.

So, will this book inspire me to healthier eating? I don’t know and, frankly, just because it worked once doesn’t mean it isn’t still an awful lot to ask of a book. But Ms. Gay’s memoir has caused me to give more thought to why I stress eat. More importantly, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that better captures the feelings that can come with being unhappily overweight. The self-loathing, worthlessness, powerlessness, sense of being judged, all of it is powerfully displayed and examined. A must read. ...more

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Feb 22, 2020 Katie added it

Another book that I didn't really read to give a star rating, per se. It is unflinchingly raw and honest and I think gets very cohesive from Part III onward. More a collection of stories than a memoir, but I understand and honor this decision.

I read this in 2 days; on the second day, I woke up still thinking about a repeated phrase in the book: "Or I do." Weirdly, this fragment was among the most powerful parts of the book for me. ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Meredith Lynch rated it it was ok

Props to the author for her raw vulnerability and transparency. She had a horrific event happen to her at age 12, a gang rape, which was obviously very traumatic and heartbreaking. The book, however, was 300 pages of self loathing, whining, and really a true insight into a victim’s mentality. I’m not one to write negative reviews, but this book praises insecurity and not taking ownership over your emotions or circumstances. She describes herself as being “hyper-self conscious” and incredibly ins ...more

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Apr 11, 2019 Serena.. Sery-ously? rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019, popsugar-reading-challenge-2019, aty-reading-challenge-2019, eng-2019

Roxane, quanto ti ho capita, io, quanto!!
E quanto ti stimo per il tuo coraggio, per aver messo nero su bianco la fame, la vita da persona grassa e il tuo orgoglio nell'affrontare la vita quotidiana ♥

Io il lieto fine te lo auguro con tutto il cuore!!

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