I LOVED this book and so wish that it had existed when I was an awkward, fat teen! There's such a great range of essays, poems, and art (in the digital ARC I had some of the art was still TK but what's in here is already great). I love how intersectional it is and how hopeful, helpful, and angry it is. Both affirming and eye-opening. I F-ing love it.

I am so glad this book exists and is aimed at fat teenagers in particular. My favourite essays were by Alex Gino, Amy Spalding, and Lily Andersen. Really great!

I'm so glad I read this book. It's incredibly diverse, examining the fat experiences of people of different races, genders, abilities, and sexualities. I think anyone reading this will learn at least one thing about the world and one thing about themselves. I hope fat people reading this can figure out the next step to loving themselves, and societally conventionally sized people can learn to be more compassionate and be an ally to the fat community.

I also thought it was cute how a lot of the authors in this anthology cited each other as inspirations.

p.s. all the pieces written by miguel m morales were beautiful and amazing and i loved them so much!

I have a lot of time on my hands, so I did little reviews for each piece written in this book. I added content warnings to some of them, but only for the ones that really impacted me. If I missed important warnings I'm sorry.

Body Sovereignty: This Fat Trans Flesh is Mine by Alex Gino
A strong start to the anthologie that explains the importance of doing what you want with your body, not what others want you to do. The intersectionality of fat and trans is something I think more people need to know about. Creating awareness that there can be difficulties transitioning due to doctor prejudices against fatness is really important, but also knowing that that fat body is yours and you deserve to love it and do what you want with it is really powerful.

Chubby City Indian by Jana Schmieding
A beautiful essay on how surrounding yourself with your culture and people like you can help you shine and how european beauty standards are bullshit.

How to Be the Star of Your Own Fat Rom-Com by Lily Anderson
This was a fun and empowering step-by-step on being the main character in your own life and navigating the world of romance. After every step was a trope to avoid pertaining to the step. For example, Step 3 involves surrounding yourself with friends and family and the trope to avoid is The Frenemy.

The Story of My Body by Renée Watson
A poem about the author’s “fat, black, girl body” and how much it has experienced in life.
cw: mention of sexual assault

Brighter Than Starlight by Jiji Knight
Super cute illustration of a fat girl with a little blurb about the artists influence.

A Body Like Mine by Mason Deaver
Nonbinary author Mason Deaver laments the exclusivity of the fashion industry and what it’s like to be a fat clothes shopper. They also talk about how things are changing and suggests ways to help the change progress.

Fat, And by S. Qiouyi Lu
This piece talks about identity and how people often label themselves or others as fat without looking any further into who the person is. It stresses that fat is one aspect of oneself but people are so complex and multifaceted that it isn’t the only aspect or identity they have.

Write Something Fat by Sarah Hollowell
Sarah Hollowell writes a letter to her past self encouraging her to write fat characters and telling her she is capable of living any life she wants and she can do it while fat. This was really sweet to read.

7 Things I Would Tell Eleven-year-old Me by David Bowles
I loved this so much with my whole heart. David Bowles talks to his past self with so much love and compassion. It’s beautiful.
cw: mentions of an eating disorder

Black, Fat, Fem: The Weight of a Queen by Jonathan P. Higgins, ED.D.
I was a little confused by this one but I believe the author is speaking to the reader? Basically a reiteration of all the other contributors thus far about embracing your fatness and accepting yourself.

The 5 Things You Need to Start Your Own Rad Fat Babe Revolution (from Someone Who Knows) by Virgie Tovar
A fun guide that demonstrates how fat people are capable of having loud, joyful, glamorous, and loving lives, without losing weight.

I Wear What I Want ’Cause I Want To by P.S. Kaguya
A lovely message about finding confidence and loving yourself. I liked the way this was written in a tone that really encouraged the reader to find self-love. It was like “Hey! This sounds possible!”

Fatness & Horror: The Match Made in Not Heaven by Hillary Monahan
This explores the inequality and disrespect of fat characters in horrorー especially comedic horror. The message was super important but there were some graphic examples of horror that made me really uncomfortable. If you’re like me and don’t have the stomach for horror, maybe skip this one or just proceed with caution.
cw: graphic death and violence

A Poem That’s About Nature and Fatness by Miguel M. Morales
I love a good nature comparison and this poem delivers perfection. It talks about how people don’t judge trees and flowers, etc. and so fat bodies shouldn’t be judged either because both are natural and beautiful.

For the Love of Ursula’s Revenge Body by Julie Murphy
I actually really liked this essay. Murphy’s complicated feelings towards Disney’s Ursula and ultimately finding her an empowering figure was really interesting. Also, the fact that Ursula was inspired by a drag queen has always been one of my favourite facts, so, shout out to Julie Murphy for letting the world know!

Fat Prom by Shelby Bergen
Another illustration. This one depicts a multitude of fat teens dancing at a prom. It’s fun and has a lot of energy. The artist briefly talks about being a fat artist and giving herself and others fat people in drawings that are out in the world having an awesome time.

Fat and Thriving by Isabel Quintero
This one went a little over my head, but I believe it had the continuous message of this anthology of loving yourself and owning your beautiful fat body

Can’t Find Your Community? Create Your Own by Bruce Sturgell
This was super cool. I’ve never heard of Chubstr (fashion blog for fat men) before and the whole idea and story behind its creation is pretty neat. I love the idea of just going online and creating such an awesome community and resource. It’s kinda inspiring.

Your Journey to Being #fatandfree by Saucyé West
Not sure if I’m totally on board with the self-love activity Saucyé West recommends. Honestly I think basic cognitive behavioral therapy to change your negative self-talk would be better than putting up negative Post-it notes to remind you of what you don’t like about yourself. I get the idea was to keep it in mind so you want to change it, but many therapists I’ve talked to say writing down negative thoughts without writing an immediate challenge can be more harmful than good. It would probably be better to write challenging Post-it notes. Like instead of writing “my belly is too big” write something like “my belly is soft and comforting” so every time that negative thought comes into your mind you can remember your positive note.

Confidence by Corissa Enneking
Yeah this was awesome. This essay talks about how you should prioritize self-love over confidence because once you’ve got the self-love part down, the confidence will follow. I especially liked the author’s take on non-judgmental thinking. It’s so true that once you stop judging others you judge yourself less!

Make Your Own Self-care Kit by Rachelle Abellar
Super cute and helpful illustrations of what to put in a self-care kit.

Losing My Religion by Jess Walton
This poem is about how unhealthy losing weight can be for your mental health and how beautiful your body can be when you accept it.

You Are Loved by Ady Del Valle
Some positivity about how fashion makes one feel fierce and how the author is out there living his plus-size male model life, so don’t give up on dreams. Fat people can do anything.

Fat Acceptance is (Really) Real by Evette Dionne
This was so cool. This article explains what the fat acceptance movement is. What made this so awesome were the amount of facts used. There was an honest-to-goodness reference page after the article, so you know this is the good stuff.

50 Tips from a Fat and Fabulous Elder by Miguel M. Morales
Mr. Morales is out here dropping some sage wisdom and I’m loving it.

Does this poem make me look fat? by Miguel M. Morales
Another beautiful poem. I had to read it out loud the second time I read it just to hear how well the words flowed.

Elephant, Hippo, and Other Nicknames I Love by Jes Baker
I love reading people’s personal journeys to loving themselves. This one was really neat because it talks about reclaiming and reframing words people try to use as insults. Hippos really are crazy awesome animals!
cw: mentions of eating disorders

Love You by Mel Stringer
An illustration of popular big bodied characters from various media and a little message about finding curvy bodies in media and creating your own fat media.

To All the Pizzas I’ve Loved Before by Laina Spencer
This one was about being fat and aro-ace. Short but affirming.

From Your Fat Future by Adrianne Russell
Another letter to the past. This included the struggles the author experienced with accepting her weight and saying how it won’t be like that forever.

Fat. Boy. Walking. by Miguel M. Morales
Gorgeous little story of walking while fat and all the wonderful movements of the body.

Reasons to Hang in There by Samantha Irby
Funny but also totally real and valid.

Baltimore… and Me by Amy Spalding
One of the previous pieces in this book mention Tracy Turnblad from the 2007 movie Hairspray, but Amy Spalding goes much deeper into the impact and inspiration Tracy had on her and the positive representation she brought to the screen. Also I just have to say Amy’s cat dress in her author photo is stunning!

This was absolute perfection in e-arc, black and white form. I cannot wait for it to be finished and see how beautiful it is.

This anthology was absolutely wonderful. I'm not the biggest fan of nonfiction so I wasn't motivated to finish it all in one sitting, but I think that's what makes it even better. It covered a wide variety of topics, not just advice about being a fat person. It covers everything from letters to their past selves, dating advice, or just advice on how to be your best you. It was really inspiring and just all around wonderful. By it being non-fiction, I got to enjoy and be inspired by this anthology for the week it took me to read it. I got to read and digest inspiration and words from people like me and really think about what they were saying. I think this book could inspire anyone but I am so happy to finally see an inspiration book for me. I'm fat and fat isn't a bad word. The title alone makes me feel so good about myself. I think this is a must for anyone who isn't sure they can love the skin they're in.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amulet Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*