Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You

Best for:
Anyone who has been exposed to fatphobia (e.g. all of us) and who wants to work on unlearning it, via book with a lot of heart but also a lot of humor.

In a nutshell:
Comedian Sofie Hagen is a fat woman working to help other fat people to love themselves while also targeting the reasons why fat people might not love themselves: the gross fat bigotry that is evident pretty much everywhere one looks.

Worth quoting:
There are a lot, but because I listened to the audio book while out and about I didn’t write them down. One of the downsides of audio non-fiction for me.

Why I chose it:
I have an Audible UK subscription and this was one of the suggestions.

Review:
I love a humorous memoir. It’s one of my favorite genres of books, but I show more also can find it a bit challenging to review. Especially this one, which is mixed in with a lot more activism and education than the typical memoir. But let’s give it a go!

Sofie Hagen is a comedian, and she is fat. And she has learned to love herself in a world that tells people that there’s something wrong with being fat. However, as others in fat activism spaces have also pointed out, yes, loving one’s self is good, but the problem is with society, not individuals. Loving one’s self does not make airplane seats accommodating, or clothing options magically appears in physical stores. Accepting and appreciating one’s size does not stop other people from being assholes to you.

There is so much to like in this book, but one part I especially enjoyed were her interviews with other fat activists with different perspectives from her own. She interviews fat Black people, disabled fat people, and others, and she has them record their own part of the interview, so we get to hear their voices. That’s pretty cool.

I found myself laughing out loud many times, but was also drawn into Hagen’s overall personality and the joy that comes through as she tells her story. I could see myself listening to this again, because I think there’s a lot here that I want to properly take in and think about.

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend show less

Four stars for the content and writing style, five stars for the performance (on audio) and delivery.

I don't think there's anything really groundbreaking or new here as far as inspirational body/fat positive content goes, but I found myself relating to the author often and appreciating her sense of humor, so I gave it a 5. Actually, this is one of those cases where I feel like we'd be really good friends if we knew each other. Creepy? Weird? Maybe. But I really enjoyed listening to this and found myself wanting more at the end.

I recommend the audiobook over print/ebook as there are a lot of funny moments you'd miss otherwise.

A social commentary on overemphasis of looks and weight and thriving fatfobia. The writer is a comedian but I didn't really find the book funny. This book is important and supportive, and even though skinny people probably won't read it it does have some good points. Hovever, I find it a bit strange that while demanding the right to have pizza for breakfast Hagen also claims that no one likes kale and dark chocolate tastes like dirt. I would hope anyone who roots for personal choice would truly give that same choice for anyone, even if it is something that happens to be healthy.
All in all, I did not find the book very interesting, there were good bits here and there but a lot of editing could have been done.

This should be read by everyone. But especially fat people, and anyone who has ever feared or hated the idea of being fat, or fat people. Which is nearly everyone.