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Title details for T-Shirt Swim Club by Ian Karmel - Wait list

T-Shirt Swim Club

Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People

by Ian Karmel
Alisa Karmel, PsyD
Audiobook
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Comedian Ian Karmel, with help from his sister, Dr. Alisa Karmel, opens up about the daily humiliations of being fat and why it’s so hard to talk about something so visible.
“As charming and funny as it is poignant and thoughtful.”—Roxane Gay, author of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
Ian Karmel has weighed eight pounds and he has weighed 420 pounds and right now he’s almost exactly in between the two, but this book is not a weight-loss book. It’s about being a fat person in a skinny world. It’s about gym class and football practice, about chicken wings and juice cleanses, about airplane seats and roller coasters, about fat jokes and Jabba the Hutt, about crying in the Big and Tall section and the joys of being a sneakerhead, about prediabetes and gout, and about realizing that you actually don’t want to eat yourself to death and hoping it’s not too late.
This book also includes a “What Now?” section from Ian’s sister, Alisa, who herself cycled through so many fad diets that she eventually pursued a master’s in nutrition and a doctorate in psychology with the goal of changing the contemporary narrative around fatness.
Ian and Alisa Karmel grew up fat. As kids, they never talked about it. They were too busy fighting over the last SnackWell’s Devil’s Food cookie. Now, decades later, having both turned into fat adults who eventually figured out how to get their health under control, they are finally ready to unpack the impact that their weight has had on them.
For them, the T-Shirt Swim Club is meant to be a place of support for anyone who struggles with weight issues. A place of care and candor, free of shame. A place to not deny or avoid the emotions you feel, the experiences you go through, the embarrassment, the anger, the resentment. T-Shirt Swim Club is about being a fat person and how the world treats fat people—but also an acknowledgment that maybe it doesn’t always have to feel quite so lonely.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 11, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593860595
      • File size: 251969 KB
      • Duration: 08:44:56

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      September 13, 2024

      Comedian Ian Karmel and his sister, psychologist Alisa Karmel, craft a unique, co-narrated debut memoir, combining personal experience with in-depth research and practical tips on having difficult conversations about weight. Ian and Alisa were both members of the "t-shirt swim club," struggling with their weight from an early age before coming to a healthier relationship with food as adults. Ian narrates his memoir with heart, vulnerability, and humor (including some cringeworthy jokes about terminology for larger bodies). He weaves in his weight struggles with the growth of his comedy career, but along the way he grapples with the fact that no one close to him suggested he change his eating habits. If they loved him, shouldn't they have told him they thought he was killing himself? Alisa responds to this sensitive question, gently coaching listeners to engage in challenging conversations with loved ones. She acknowledges that the medical field continues to stigmatize bigger bodies and discusses how to support people of all ages experiencing weight-related challenges. VERDICT This book sits uneasily in the body positivity movement, with Ian's focus on how weight loss changed his life. His humor might not be for everyone, but Alisa's final chapters are definitely worth a listen.--Katy Hite

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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