Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught

Jamie Carcaterra isn’t just a big girl. She is Fat Girl. In hopes of winning a college scholarship, Jamie writes a column for her high school newspaper. The dedicated topic is life as a Fat Girl. Fat Girls are more than women who weigh a lot. They have feelings, desires, and needs. They have boyfriends, best friends, and a life that doesn’t revolve around food and being fat.

When Jamie’s boyfriend Burke (a.k.a. Fat Boy) decides to undergo gastric bypass surgery, she must no only deal with her opinions of this type of surgery, but also the changes to Burke (both mental and physical) and their relationship. Add to this all the normal stress of senior year (ACTs, friends, family, college applications, scholarship applications) and Jamie’s extracurricular activities (the school paper and acting in the high school’s musical), and Jamie’s stress levels are raising through the roof. When the Fat Girl column begins to receive media attention – both local and national – Jamie must learn what exactly about being Fat Girl means to her.

This book was suggested to me by my good friend (and fellow librarian/bookie) Robyn. I did enjoy the story – and will admit, I relate to some of Jamie’s weight dilemmas. I thought that there were a few spots that seemed rushed, and that the end was a little far fetched (support from others) without being a fairy tale ending.

I wouldn’t say skip this one, but there isn’t a need to run to the library to check it out. It’s a quick read…I finished it in two days, with only reading at night after work/book club.

I’ve read one other book by Susan Vaught – Trigger. That is an excellent book, and one that I highly recommend.