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7 days of books: Day 7 - Found on the way

Bob Toovey : 15 January 2006

Our last day of the series and we are doing nothing more complicated then listing some books that we found while searching for good titles. I hope there is something here that you find to your liking! Book info courtesy of Amazon.

Me and the Fat Man
Julie Myerson

"Myerson's third novel, her most uninhibited and powerful, is Amy's story -- a journey of sexual desire and her strange relationship with the fat man who rescues her from the past. Amy is a waitress living in Bath. She is married but she also finds men from the park, gives them sex for money and pays it straight into Nationwide. And then the mysterious Harris arrives in the restaurant one day; he knew Amy's mother, who drowned in the Aegean when Amy was just a young girl. Amy is confused but intrigued when Harris demands that she meets his friend Gary, a young fat man he shares a flat with. It is the beginning of a strange relationship that will take them back to Greece, where the past -- and all its dark secrets -- is confronted. Amy's story is so compulsive and frightening that it is impossible to put down. It is told in a spare and hypnotic prose that will leave you enchanted. Me and the Fat Man establishes this highly acclaimed writer as one of the finest novelists at work today."

Amazon UK or Amazon US

Such a Pretty Face: Tales of Power and Abundance
by Lee Martindale

"Think all heroes have washboard abs? Think all heroines wear Size 3 Junior Petite? Think again! Come join Gene Wolfe, Elizabeth Anne Scarborough, Jane Yolen, Jody Lynn Nye, and Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, who along with nineteen other authors, introduce you to some of the funniest, wildest, sexiest, most powerful, and normal (considering these are science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories) fat people on earth and a few other planets. Meet a pirate named "Valkyrie" and a cardsharp named "Fat Moriah". Meet a xeno-fitness instructor and an earth-mage who don't apologize for taking up space. Meet fat cats on a mission and a very different kind of vampire. Meet characters for whom "plus-size" is about body size and heart. Brought together in this first-of-its-kind collection are stories that raise the set point on adventure and redraw the picture of "the hero" along the way. These are tales of power and abundance that prove that heroes and heroines come in all sizes."

Amazon UK or Amazon US

A Big Fat Lie?: What If Fat Doesn't Make You Fat...
Gary Taubes

"Mainstream nutritional science has demonised dietary fat for 50 years yet hundreds of millions of dollars of research have failed to prove that eating a low-fat diet will help you live longer. Nutrition and obesity scientists have struggled to make sense of the paradox that obesity has become epidemic, that diabetes rates have soared and the incidence of heart disease has not declined over this period. Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution, The Zone and Sugar Busters are some of the books that have sold millions advocating low carbohydrate diets as the route to health, well-being and an ideal weight. A Big Fat Lie? makes sense of this paradox, and is essential reading for anyone trying to decide which diet - low fat or low carbohydrate - is truly the healthy diet, leading to optimal weight and health. The book debunks the popular misconceptions on health and takes a hard look at the corporate world of the diet industry."

Amazon UK or Amazon US

Fat Is a Feminist Issue
Susie Orbach

"The original anti-diet book is back - In one volume together with its bestselling sequel. When it was first published, "Fat Is A Feminist Issue" became an instant classic and it is as relevant today as it was then. Reflecting on our increasingly diet and body-obsessed society, Susie Orbach's new introduction explains how generations of women and girls are growing up absorbing the eating anxieties around them. In an age where women want to be sexy, nurturing, domestic goddesses, confident at work, and feminine too, the twenty-first-century woman is poorly armed for survival. Never before has the "Fat Is A Feminist Issue" revolution been more in need of revival. Exploring our love/hate relationship with food, Susie Orbach describes how fat is about so much more than food. It is a response to our social situation; the way we are seen by others and ourselves. Too often food is a source of anguish, as are our bodies. But "Fat Is A Feminist Issue" discusses how we can turn food into a friend and find ways to accept ourselves for who and how we are. Follow the step-by-step guide, and you too can put an end to food anxieties and dieting."

Amazon UK or Amazon US

Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America's Obesity Epidemic
J.Eric Oliver

"Over the past twenty years, obesity has risen in the United States to epidemic proportions. Today, over sixty percent of Americans are overweight, and over one in four is obese. This book examines the cultural contradictions that underlie this massive transformation. Oliver's highly readable yet carefully documented book addresses the meaning of obesity in American life. At one level, the book outlines very straightforward issues such as controversies over the sources of obesity, its economic and social consequences, and its prospects for resolution. At another level, the book examines fatism, the last bastion of acceptable discrimination in the United States, particularly as it applies to women. Finally, the book makes a deeper argument about how obesity reflects a serious contradiction in American life. At no other time in human history has food been so easily available and survival so physically untaxing. But rather than giving us greater freedom, our affluence has disempowered us. Most Americans continue to gain weight and fight a losing struggle to reduce our body sizes, and increasingly, the overweight are derided for their moral failure. As more people become obese, this cultural paradox will grow. In the book's conclusion, Oliver outlines how the contradiction surrounding America's obesity epidemic may be resolved and where the battle lines in the coming fat wars are likely to be drawn."

Amazon UK or Amazon US

I'm, Like, So Fat!: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices About Eating and Exercise in a Weight-obsessed World
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer

"Hit the gym for a workout - but sit for hours at your computer. Super-size your value meals - but downsize your waistline. Today's media-saturated teenagers are bombarded with mixed messages that distort their self-image and lead many to overeat and others to starve themselves. When 'I feel fat' becomes a teen's common refrain, how can worried parents respond constructively? With "I'm, Like, SO Fat!" Dr Dianne Neumark-Sztainer shows parents how to strike the difficult balance between bolstering self-esteem and offering constructive advice. Drawing on her landmark study, Project EAT (Eating Among Teenagers), and her experience as a mother of four, Neumark-Sztainer offers a wealth of science-based, practical ideas for instilling healthy eating and exercise habits, educating teens about nutrition and portion size, and talking about body image. Here is a rock-solid foundation that parents everywhere can build on to help their teens stay fit, eat well, and feel good about their looks in a world where too-perfect bodies are used to sell everything from cosmetic surgery to fast food."

Amazon UK or Amazon US

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