A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner

 

A Work in Progress   by Jarrett Lerner  361 pages

Will is the only round kid in a school full of string beans. So he hides in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn't the only feeling that dominates Will's life. He's also got a crush on a girl named Jules who knows he doesn't have a chance with -- string beans only date string beans -- but he can't help wondering what if? Will's best shot at attracting Jules's attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will's shame begins to morph into self-loathing. As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress. 

Very fast read.  Addresses a topic that I know is important to teens, but very hard to read.  It shows how an overweight teen feels on the inside and how words DO hurt! 

It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell

It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell, 291 pages

It Was Me All Along was by far one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Andie Mitchell is a food blogger, who did not always have a healthy relationship with food.  In this painfully honest book, Andie chronicles her battle with food addiction from her very sad childhood to adulthood.  As a child, Andie finds comfort in food. She battles obesity through countless diets.  Weight Watchers, studying abroad, and becoming a production assistant in the film industry all help her lose 138 pounds.  Through all her weight woes, her college boyfriend, Daniel, is there.  Andie's story made me cry.  In the end, she ends her romantic relationship with Daniel and her emotional relationship with food.   Andie has a wonderful attitude and realizes the journey is one of self acceptance.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Michael Moss

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Michael Moss, 446 pages

This work of non-fiction won the Pulitzer Prize, and it raised alot of important questions about the processed food industry among the general population (ie, "pink slime," for one).  I found it fascinating- the levels of salt, sugar, and fat that are incorporated into processed food are astounding, and the machinations of corporations to use these known triggers of diabetes and obesity in order to make profits was appalling. Unlike a persuasive Michael Pollan book, where he clearly tells you a better way to eat, Michael Moss informs- by providing a thorough, well-rounded account of the processed food industry and letting the reader decide where to go from there.