Helpful Score: 6
(review for LibraryThing Early Reviewers)
Moose tells the story of the author's experience at fat camp as a preteen. In a humorous voice, she talks about both the good and the bad - the camp helped her with her weight in some ways, but it also became the first place where she ate simply because she was bored, and introduced her to bulimia.
I really liked this book. The author's voice was engaging and compelling, and she painted such a clear portrait of herself that she could have been a character in a novel. Her portrait of the camp was just as clear; as she describes some of the absurdities of the camp (how, for the first time, she would eat because she was bored), the scenarios common to any summer camp (the complex web of junior-high friendships), and the ways the camp actually helped her, I could almost feel like I was there. Her view of fat camp was mostly humorous, although she did talk about some serious things, such as the unhealthy habits she learned at the camp. In the last chapter, she dropped the humor entirely, for a more serious look at her ongoing weight and body image issues, which was a bit jarring but also, I believe, important to the book.
Moose tells the story of the author's experience at fat camp as a preteen. In a humorous voice, she talks about both the good and the bad - the camp helped her with her weight in some ways, but it also became the first place where she ate simply because she was bored, and introduced her to bulimia.
I really liked this book. The author's voice was engaging and compelling, and she painted such a clear portrait of herself that she could have been a character in a novel. Her portrait of the camp was just as clear; as she describes some of the absurdities of the camp (how, for the first time, she would eat because she was bored), the scenarios common to any summer camp (the complex web of junior-high friendships), and the ways the camp actually helped her, I could almost feel like I was there. Her view of fat camp was mostly humorous, although she did talk about some serious things, such as the unhealthy habits she learned at the camp. In the last chapter, she dropped the humor entirely, for a more serious look at her ongoing weight and body image issues, which was a bit jarring but also, I believe, important to the book.
Helpful Score: 1
Hard to say why, but I was unable to read this book to the end. I was bored, should say it all. Good writing, but the interesting or funny episodes were really spread thinly. I believe though, I am in the minority.
