Dumplin' (Dumplin', #1)

by Julie Murphy

All the best things in my life have started with a Dolly Parton song. Including my friendship with Ellen Dryver.

The word fat makes people uncomfortable. But when you see me, the first thing you notice is my body. And my body is fat. It’s like how I notice some girls have big boobs or shiny hair or knobby knees. Those things are okay to say. But the word fat, the one that best describes me, makes lips frown and cheeks lose their color. But that’s me. I’m fat. It’s not a cuss word. It’s not an insult. At least it’s not when I say it. So I always figure why not get it out of the way?

I don’t get why we call it a crush when it feels more like a curse.

Beautiful, he says. Fat, I think. But can’t I be both at the same time?