Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Bloomsbury USA Childrens (2007), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 320 pages
Description
Overweight, self-assured, high school senior Jamie Carcaterra writes in the school newspaper about her own attitude to being fat, her boyfriend's bariatric surgery, and her struggles to be taken seriously in a very thin world.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Spottyblanket
This is a book about being fat. And living in a society that worships thin.
Making people aware of the unfairness suffered by overweight people is her goal. She is also hoping her top-notch journalistic efforts will help her win the National Feature Award which could earn her a fully paid college
From the word go, the main character 'Fat Girl' aka Jamie, proudly shines her 'fatness' at the reader like a blinding sunbeam inviting you to accept her for what she is. My sister commented that she found the main character arrogant, I did as well. I found myself agreeing with everything she said, arguging with her, debating the things she threw at me, feeling her distress, being impressed by her interlect and wondering how I would be if I were her size.
The story is divided into Jamie's POV and her FAT GIRL news snipits, where she candidly reveals her throughts on unfairness suffered by overweight people.
This story would not have been so stunning if it weren't for the main character's large (pardon the pun) personlity. Jamie is bubbling with energy, wit, sharpness and emotion--not just her but the characters surronding her as well.
This book also taught me a lot about Gastric Bypass surgery. Before of which I knew nothing. Vital reading.
Making people aware of the unfairness suffered by overweight people is her goal. She is also hoping her top-notch journalistic efforts will help her win the National Feature Award which could earn her a fully paid college
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education. From the word go, the main character 'Fat Girl' aka Jamie, proudly shines her 'fatness' at the reader like a blinding sunbeam inviting you to accept her for what she is. My sister commented that she found the main character arrogant, I did as well. I found myself agreeing with everything she said, arguging with her, debating the things she threw at me, feeling her distress, being impressed by her interlect and wondering how I would be if I were her size.
The story is divided into Jamie's POV and her FAT GIRL news snipits, where she candidly reveals her throughts on unfairness suffered by overweight people.
This story would not have been so stunning if it weren't for the main character's large (pardon the pun) personlity. Jamie is bubbling with energy, wit, sharpness and emotion--not just her but the characters surronding her as well.
This book also taught me a lot about Gastric Bypass surgery. Before of which I knew nothing. Vital reading.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Jamie is a goal-oriented high school senior. She writes for the school paper. She's in the school play. She has a couple of caring, passionate best friends. She has a loving boyfriend. She wants to go to Northwestern. Oh, yeah. And Jamie's fat. Determined to win a journalism scholarship, Jamie
When Jamie's boyfriend Burke decides to get bariatric surgery to help him lose weight, Jamie's world is turned upside down. She worries about his health, about the risks of the surgery, and about what role she will play once he's slim and trim. I found Jamie's voice to be compelling and raw and I couldn't put this book down. Graphic descriptions of bariatric surgery and its least desirable side effects may be off-putting for some.
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starts writing a new column for the school paper: Fat Girl. She wants to educate the community about what it's like living in a world that doesn't fit you, in a country that is so sensitive about racial discrimination but constantly discriminates based on size. And Jamie's column gets more attention than she ever thought it would. When Jamie's boyfriend Burke decides to get bariatric surgery to help him lose weight, Jamie's world is turned upside down. She worries about his health, about the risks of the surgery, and about what role she will play once he's slim and trim. I found Jamie's voice to be compelling and raw and I couldn't put this book down. Graphic descriptions of bariatric surgery and its least desirable side effects may be off-putting for some.
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LibraryThing member eenerd
Thoroughly enjoyed this journey into the heart and mind of an overweight high school senior named Jaime Carcaterra. Vaught did a great job with the characters in this story--especially Jaime and her parents. The way Jaime seems so forceful in her convictions, until you see that she is in reality
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torn up by them. This book does a great job of talking about how difficult it is to be ourselves and even moreso to love ourselves, and that, even if we appear to do so to the rest of the world, it may be just an illusion. Awesome awesome book. Show Less
LibraryThing member chibimajo
Jamie is a fat girl and has decided to column her fat girl life and thoughts in her school newspaper in an effort to win a scholarship. She writes about what it means to be fat, her boyfriend's gastric bypass surgery and other "taboo" topics for fat people. This book was fairly predictable. Jamie
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is a fairly likeable character, with her own insecurities and strengths. The romance is so very, very obviously predictable it really distracted from the rest of the book. Would have liked to spend more time on the other aspects of Jamie, and much less on her romance. Liked Earth, My Butt and other Big Round Things better. Show Less
LibraryThing member df1a_allyvk
I thought this book was decent. It was a little sad at some parts and very graphic at others. The descriptions of gastric bypass surgery and it's side effects grossed me out. It was not a bad book though.
LibraryThing member ewyatt
Jamie is determined to go to college and wants to win a writing fellowship. She writes a column called the Fat Girl Manifesto. She rants and rails about the trials and tribulations of being fat in our society. Within the column she also explores her boyfriend's weight loss surgery. In her personal
Some of the characters are a little flat and the tone of the book is a little preachy at times. Although I did enjoy Jamie's exploration of what and who she is and wants to be.
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life, she feels overextended and torn between her boyfriend and a good friend, Heath, fellow editor of the school paper.Some of the characters are a little flat and the tone of the book is a little preachy at times. Although I did enjoy Jamie's exploration of what and who she is and wants to be.
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LibraryThing member df1aemilyr
this book shows that life as a bigger person can be kind of hard even though people say its not.. no one is ever alarmed of everything that could happent to them or the awareness of problems at times.. things get harder for her as the book goes on.. then her whole life starts to turn around and it
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suddenly gets better. she starts dating someone besides burke realizing that she doesnt love burke that much.she gets a lawyer to sue someone because they were discriminating against her article.. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mrs.ParsonsGrade10
This book was pretty funny. At times I felt as though the novel could go either way. It was great to see a character go through real teenage struggles and be both a good guy and a bad guy.
LibraryThing member kurlykee
Being an overweight teen myself, I found this book to be funny and very relatable to. Most people won't admit that they judge people on how big they are and turn a blind eye to the fact that bigger people really do have it harder out there in the real world. At times I did find Jamie to be a bit
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whiney but her jokes and funny newspaper articles lightened the mood of the story, it wasn't all complaining and nagging skinny people. I liked how Jamie has an overweight boyfriend , Burke, who struggles with the decision to get gastric bypass surgery or not, and how Jamie has two bestfriends who are skinny so you get some perspective on bigger people from littler people. I think Vaught did an excellent job of "embodying" an overweight teenager who goes through daily struggles because of her weight. Show Less
LibraryThing member JennysBookBag.com
I came across this as I was browsing the YA section at the library. I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did.
LibraryThing member BarnesBookshelf
I found this very typical of a YA novel. Some of the points were predictable, but it did have a fresh spin with the main character being a fat girl. The humor and Jamie's column are two of the things that really make this novel shine. I also love how real statistics and facts are woven into the
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story. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Nominee — 2010)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2009)
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
320 p.; 8.04 inches
ISBN
1599902060 / 9781599902067