Sep/Oct - Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay - Post Your Reviews!

[Pam]

So it seems to me that as more of rape culture is exposed in our real lives the more it is glorified by our entertainment, too. That if you have a female with a POV in a drama, it is a rule that she must be raped or endure some form of abuse at some point in her narrative (Mad Men, Private Practice, Game of Thrones, Girl on a Train, Me Before You) (though this is not to say at all that rape only happens to women) Equally though, is that if these women survive their attack, then they are either given latitudes to seek vengeance which leads to a “case closed” or the repercussions are glossed over. In both instances, the trauma ends before the epilogue or next episode.* (Save for Jessica Jones, if you have not watched it, please do, it hits all the right notes).

But for the statistically 1 in 6 women who are raped in real life (or the even higher rate of 1 in 3 if you are a woman of color) the narrative does not end. For every minute you live, you will remember and be marked by that violence.

I am appreciative that Roxane has shared her truth. All of it. The pain, the anger, the stubbornness, the fool hardy, the effects, the mind games, the shame, the fears, the societal currency. How her family reacted, how she coped with it - limping along for so long. How desired security can also become a prison. How trying to fade into the background meant also sticking out. How rape can be covered up with baggy clothing, but obesity is a public shame - compounding the pre existing pain. The contradictory logic. The weight of family. All of how this act of violence has shaped her life and body.

I'm also umm.. thankful?.. that she has also dived into life as a woman, as a black woman, and as a queer woman. My heart goes out to Roxane, but also to her partners; at least the ones who treated her well. I'm curious how the lesbian population swelled (or still does) from female victims escaping male rapists.

[Stephanie]

I am only to Chapter 11 in this book, but I love it so far. Her way of writing is like a mix of prose and poetry in places. It is also very relatable. I think anyone who has struggled with any kind of eating disorder will identify with her thoughts in this book. I'm looking forward to finishing it!

[Britt]

I started reading the book yesterday and have so far finished Part I and the first chapters of Part II.

I have one word to describe these first pages: heartbreaking.

Just like in her essays for Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay is so honest and open about her feelings here, but in Hunger I really feel her pain when she is writing about what happened to her and how she feels about her body, how she became overweight.

Her words are beautiful and I was close to tears for the whole time I was reading those first few chapters. It's so sad, but I'm glad Emma chose this book for our Sept/Oct read, because I've never read anything like it before. I don't know anyone who's been raped (thankfully, although maybe people I know have been but won't talk about it) and while this is a good thing, I think reading Roxane Gay's story is important because reading her story makes me feel like she's a friend confiding in me and her words really make me go through all kinds of emotions and maybe knowing about what rape does to a victim will dissuade certain people to talk about it so lightly.

[Ross]

Book review section Skype 14/10/2017

As more of the group have progressed through the books we are posting first review:-

Two main points arose from the discussion firstly was the Hunger a strictly feminist book or a book about a feminist. This tautology was resolved by taking the two books suggested for this bi-month together.

The Hungers theme of identity and what it is to be a woman a sexual being in a male dominated world was sufficient for the majority. However the point was taken it is not as pure a treaty as Bad feminist.

The second aspect we discussed was one of style. The author choice of words and use of old English,
varying chapter lenth. This styling was less obvious in Bad Feminist but is seen in her fictional work. We concluded it was not artifice as such but another example of the authors honesty this book is written as it is felt by the writer.

rating the books we decided the scale should reflect impact not "like" as such to that end we combined the Hunger with the Bad Feminist for a group review.

Attendees awarded 8 out of 10 with the provisos that could be raised to 9 when people have completed reading both works.

[Devin]

I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Gay, which was really well done.

My reaction to the book was physical. I was disgusted. The cultural hatred of women (in the usa) put so viscerally on display in this narrative is something out of a horror story. It was all the more horrifying to recognize how this hatred has affected my body in ways similar to the author.

The mountain of pain exposed in this book is astonishing. A physical understanding of this pain, and an intense horror at the culture that inflicts it, is what I have walked away with.

This is my favorite read of the club.

[Mary]

This book had all the feels for me. I can completely relate to Roxane Gay. Weight has been a major part of our society and how we view it. I've been overweight most of my life and I have had people make fun of me or guys laugh at me saying they could not date someone so ugly. This is such a raw story about her life and struggles. I admire her for her courage to open up. She is also such a talented writer.

[Louise]

I feel like I cheated having “read” and audio version of the book so that I could get through it in a timely manner. Hunger is a cold hard truth of what is in a world that values the appearance of things over the truth of things. It was a dense read with little room for comfort or lightness. It is unfortunate that this truth is common and that it is so desperately in need of telling. As hard as it was to read I would assume writing such closely held truth to be a challenging and strenuous feat. I feel that everyone who reads hunger will have something to think about if they do not chose to close their eyes to the truth of things.

[Andrea]

Aline wrote: "Overall I enjoyed it and learned how it must feel to be in an overweight body, because I'm not and I never got to experience it. She describes it in detail, which gave me a whole new perspective of..."

I just finished the book, I wanted to read it since they announced it in the group but I hadn't had the opportunity. By reading somme of the comments I wasn't sure to post mine until I read Aline's comment. I agree with you.

I didn't know if I "liked" the book.
The parts that I liked: I admire her honesty and bravery for telling her story and open up in such a public way, a way most of women do not. Even if she did it many years after, she can be a role for other girls that suffered as her, and avoid them the hell that she has been through. Most of traumas come when girls do not open up about their experience, they must make the aggresors pay and involve their families, as familiy is the one and true love.

But, I think she is not entirely correct in all what she says. That's why I cannot like her book. This is a memoir of her body, of her experience, of how a trauma in her teenage damaged her spirit and her mind, not her body, because what she did to her body was caused by her mind. As a consequence she ruined her health. I know that people criticize when your body is "different" to what it is '"ought to be" , what society says it "should be", and that makes it harder to live in this world. But that does not mean that you have to eat more and unhealthy just because you are determined to be contrary.
She makes beleiving that eating unhealthy and in huge quantities is "good" and eating healthy is "bad" because it is not "tasty" or you avoid "being happy" by eating what you want.
There is an state of mind called balance, I can say that I eat "healthy" most of the time but I do not deprive myself of eating a hamburguer, pizza or whatever I want. And when your health is compromised, then you should be aware, beacause without health we cannot do anything.
She criticizes how public spaces are not designed for people of her size, and it is hard to believe it, but most of the people are not her size, and sadly the majority often wins.
Instead of feeling criticized by others, she should work on loving herself, she should focus on rejoining mind and body. And then, she wouldn't even care about what others say.