Review & Giveaway: FAT GIRL WALKING by Brittany Gibbons










SYNOPSIS
Told through a series of larger-than-life snapshots, a hilarious memoir in essays about love, sex, marriage, motherhood, bikinis, and loving your body, no matter what size you are from the acclaimed blogger and body image advocate.

Brittany Gibbons has been a plus size her whole life. But instead of hiding herself in the shadows of thinner women, Brittany became a wildly popular blogger and national spokesmodel—known for stripping on stage at TedX and standing in Times Square in a bikini on national television, and making skinny people everywhere uncomfortable.
Talking honestly about size and body image on her popular blog, brittanyherself.com, she has ignited a national conversation. Now in her first book, she shares hilarious and painfully true stories about her life as a weird overweight girl growing up in rural Ohio, struggling with dating and relationships, giving the middle finger to dieting, finding love with a man smaller than her, accidentally having three kids, and figuring out the secret to loving her curves and becoming a nationally recognized body image advocate. And there’s sex, lots of it!
Fat Girl Walking isn’t a diet book. It isn’t one of those former fat people memoirs about how someone battled, and won, in the fight against fat. Brittany doesn’t lose all the weight and reveal the happy, skinny girl that’s been hiding inside her. Instead, she reminds us that being chubby doesn’t mean you’ll end up alone, unhappy, or the subject of a cable medical show. What’s important is learning to love your shape. With her infectious humor and soul-baring honesty, Fat Girl Walking reveals a life full of the same heartbreak, joy, oddity, awkwardness, and wonder as anyone else’s. Just with better snacks.


MY THOUGHTS
I can honestly say that FAT GIRL WALKING by Brittany Gibbons is the best memoir I have ever read. Now, I might be a little biased by the fact that I don't really do non-fiction and pretty much read romance exclusively. That in itself is a bit of a rave review though, because the second I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it. Much like Brittany, I've been a plus-sized woman pretty much since Junior High and have seriously struggled with body shame and depression since elementary school. Reading about her experiences growing up and her mindset with regard to her body and the way she defined her femininity was definitely an eye-opener for me. It's a bit of a surreal experience, having thought sad, dark things for as long as you can remember and then having them all spelled out in print for you and realizing that there are others out there who have felt the same way about themselves. I don't want to go down a road where this whole review is about my own experiences but I will say that FAT GIRL WALKING made me feel things quite profoundly, forced me to reassess my life and the way I see myself, and literally made me laugh out loud and cry multiple times. What more could you possibly want from a good book?

Brittany's writing style and her personality are what really set the book over the top for me. She has such a great sense of sass and snark you can't help but admire and respect. Her story and her struggles are moving but her humor and spark are what keep you engaged and rooting for her. That woman really has a way with pop-culture references that won my heart. I absolutely loved hearing about her relationship with Andy and their email love letters were both sweet and hilarious. 


I honestly can't say enough good things about FAT GIRL WALKING and Brittany Gibbons as a writer. This book was just...everything. You don't have to be fat to connect with her story. This book is for all women, thin, curvy, short or tallwho have ever thought of themselves as less than beautiful. It's about self-love, finding confidence and ultimately, feminism. It might not be billed as a self-help book but it's definitely one of the most empowering books I've read in a very long time and has helped me reevaluate the way I see my body and value myself as a woman.


I wasn't familiar with Brittany Gibbons' blog, Brittany Herself, before reading FAT GIRL WALKING but now I can't wait to check it out and be further inspired by this brilliant woman. If she does write another book you can bet I'll be first in line to pick it up. Go read FAT GIRL WALKING, and thank me later. 



Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.


Purchase Links-



If you're looking for a little taste, here's an excerpt from FAT GIRL WALKING:
NOW WHAT?
My fitness and body aspirations at thirty are different from my aspirations at twenty. At twenty, I just assumed I’d work out until I was so tiny, people became concerned for my health and I’d roll my eyes at them from my Victoria’s Secret bras and Abercrombie jeans. Now I just want to maintain my current weight so I don’t need to buy new clothes. When you look at weight loss, it’s often clothing driven. Weddings, vacations, and high school reunions, all things you are supposed to be thin for. But what if you have a gorgeous wedding dress in your current size, loads of flattering bathing suits, and a killer pair of jeans? Starving myself has suddenly become a moot point. I have options; I’m no longer a fashion pariah. So where does that leave my weight? Well, unless I’m sitting atop you, what I weigh is really none of your business.
I like to put good food in my mouth, and while I am aware of the calories I ingest, instead of cutting them I make them count. I have a full-on love affair with food, appreciating the different cultures and processes within it. In fact, I take entire vacations around eating. It’s how I remember where I’ve been; I’ve either eaten, thrown up, or started my period without the proper supplies there.
Beignets with my best friend in New Orleans. Too much rum on the beaches of Playa del Carmen on our second honeymoon. Orlando, Florida, the city of emergency men’s tube sock maxi-pads.
You see, these flabby parts aren’t problem areas; they’re parts of a scrapbook.




Dey Street is giving away 5 copies of FAT GIRL WALKING. Enter using the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!



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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BRITTANY GIBBONS is a humorist, internet personality, model and nationally recognized positive body image advocate. She began her blog www.BrittanyHerself.com in 2007, and later founded the magazine, CurvyGirlGuide.com, and she hosts “Last Call Brittany,” a weekly Google talk show. She lives in Toledo, Ohio with her husband and three small children.

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