Hunger

[TW: Brief mention of rape.] Wow, this book was painful to read. I mean that in a good way. This memoir is amazing. I've never read anything like it. I connected to it so strongly, and yet I didn't because I don't have the same experiences as Gay, but still I did connect to it because of her raw honesty. That's what this book is: raw honesty. And because of that, it's incredibly powerful. Many chapters made me have to stop and take a breather. Gay has such a strong voice. I love this book, but it was painful. I think there's the misconception out there that this book really focuses on being a fat woman in the world. Yes, that is a factor. But if there were a title and a subtitle, being a fat woman in the world would be the subtitle. The title would be her rape when she was twelve. That event changed the course of her life. In the book, she says she ate food, making herself fat, to try to protect her body. I have not had this experience. I am a fat woman, but I have been fat as long as I can remember. I am just built this way. It wasn't a conscious choice. In a way, it may not have been a conscious choice for Gay either. No matter what, we are similar in that we are fat women trying to move through the world. In the chapters that focus on her experiences as a fat woman trying to move through the world, I could really agree with what she was saying and feel a connection to her. That means something to me. It also means something to me that she is willing to be so open and honest and raw with her truth and her pain. We don't have to have shared experiences for me to sympathize and empathize and see some of myself in what she has gone through. I loved this book, but it's not enjoyable. I also fear what some critics might say. I fear they won't understand, or they will purposefully not want to understand. But I'm happy this book exists.