Lex’s Library's Updates en-US Fri, 02 May 2025 00:10:05 -0700 60 Lex’s Library's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7157261380 Fri, 02 May 2025 00:10:05 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library added 'Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture']]> /review/show/7157261380 Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith Lex’s Library gave 4 stars to Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture (Audible Audio) by Virginia Sole-Smith
*Trigger/content warnings in this book for anti-fat bias, discrimination against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, eating disorders, misogyny, and racism*

Anti-fat bias is a form of discrimination I’ve not delved into as much as I have with other types, such as ableism and racism (to be clear, I’m not an expert on these things either. I’ve just simply read more books about these forms of discrimination and oppression than anti-fat bias). While I’ve been made aware of anti-fat bias for a while, I hadn’t really looked into the intersectionality of it and how it comes up in Western culture.

That’s why I picked up this book for. And while I don’t have kids, I also wanted to reflect on how anti-fat bias has been ingrained into and affected me since I was little. From my mom watching shows like The Biggest Loser and My 600 Pound Life to my own struggles with body image, I can’t remember a time in my childhood when having any body type except thin was taught as okay or neutral.

And can I just say...wow. I both learned things and confronted parts of myself and my past that I wasn’t expecting to. I have a couple of critiques, but for the most part, this is definitely a book, parent or not, could get something out of.

MY THOUGHTS:

—Virginia Sole-Smith makes it clear from the get-go that body image issues and anti-fat bias isn’t something we’re born with. So much of anti-fat bias stems from the comments, “jokes�, representation (or lack thereof), etc., that family, peers, and media have both consciously and unconsciously perpetuated throughout the years. That’s why I think it was effective for Sole-Smith to write about anti-fat bias with children, not adults, at the center. If she’d started with or only focused on the diet culture and fatphobia that adults deal with, then I don’t think her argument would’ve been as emotionally stirring. I feel like readers would be like, “Oh, well, I’ve never been on a diet, so I can’t be fatphobic�, or “I don’t hate fat bodies, so I can’t have any anti-fat bias.� But by showing how anti-fat bias starts farther back, it’s harder to deny.

—I also gained perspective on how sexism and misogyny affect how parents (especially mothers) feed their children. There’s a lot of pressures on mothers to make sure their children are healthy, since mother have been expected to be the prime caretaker for centuries. Therefore, if their children are/become fat, then the mothers are seen as neglectful for “allowing� their children to eat “whatever they want� and/or “however much they want�. Income, genetics, and just flat-out acceptance of bigger bodies are not taken into account.

—I remember Michelle Obama’s advocacy for children to eat healthy when I was a kid. I remember the diagrams of plates, showing how much protein, produce, etc., you “should� have on your plate. What I did not know was the reasons why the Let’s Move campaign kicked off. Yes, I agree that getting all your nutrition is important, especially for children who are still growing. What made me angry was that how fatphobia was the unifying “problem� she chose as her cause. Both Democrats and Republicans agreed that obesity was something that needed to be “fixed�. Out of all the problems in the country to agree on. Children’s body types, disguised as “health�. Regardless of Michelle Obama’s intentions, it angers me that actual problems like gun control, which DOES impact children, will continued to be argued about and nothing will be done about it. But being fat? Now THAT’S something we can’t let happen!

Aggravating. Just aggravating.

—Now for my one critique: I do agree that we shouldn’t stigmatize food so much, especially as a lot of the stigma is connected to classism, racism, and even straight-up lies about certain foods being “good� and “bad�. What I will push back on is the claim that what a person eat doesn’t matter. Because I think it can and does. It matters for people with allergies, digestive issues, sensory issues, etc. It matters when a person eats the same thing every day, because that can change your digestive system. It matters if the beef you’re eating comes from a cow that has only eaten corn versus grass. Everyone has the right to eat what they wish, but the claim that what you eat “doesn’t matter� isn’t one I can get behind. For a book that touches on so much intersectionality with fatness and race, gender, queer identities, etc. I’m surprised how little disability was considered (especially because medicine and dismissive doctors is a huge topic within the disabled community. I feel like the intersection between the disabled and fat community is something that could’ve been explored more).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

All in all, I found this to be eye-opening and do recommend this to everyone. Even if you’re not a parent, you will still confront fatphobia that you might’ve experienced or witnessed in childhood and learn how to unlearn. We must continue to fight for the right for all body types to exist and be loved, and that starts with our inner child. ]]> Rating853279596 Thu, 01 May 2025 23:21:48 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library liked a readstatus]]> /
Lex’s Library liked Shar’s status update
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Falling by T.J. Newman
"I don’t know what to say but I binged the first half of this book and then had to force myself to finish the second half. I think I’ve been too radicalized cause I kind of wanted the terrorists to pull out a win "
]]> Review7157261380 Thu, 01 May 2025 20:37:03 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library added 'Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture']]> /review/show/7157261380 Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith Lex’s Library gave 4 stars to Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture (Audible Audio) by Virginia Sole-Smith
*Trigger/content warnings in this book for anti-fat bias, discrimination against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, eating disorders, misogyny, and racism*

Anti-fat bias is a form of discrimination I’ve not delved into as much as I have with other types, such as ableism and racism (to be clear, I’m not an expert on these things either. I’ve just simply read more books about these forms of discrimination and oppression than anti-fat bias). While I’ve been made aware of anti-fat bias for a while, I hadn’t really looked into the intersectionality of it and how it comes up in Western culture.

That’s why I picked up this book for. And while I don’t have kids, I also wanted to reflect on how anti-fat bias has been ingrained into and affected me since I was little. From my mom watching shows like The Biggest Loser and My 600 Pound Life to my own struggles with body image, I can’t remember a time in my childhood when having any body type except thin was taught as okay or neutral.

And can I just say...wow. I both learned things and confronted parts of myself and my past that I wasn’t expecting to. I have a couple of critiques, but for the most part, this is definitely a book, parent or not, could get something out of.

MY THOUGHTS:

—Virginia Sole-Smith makes it clear from the get-go that body image issues and anti-fat bias isn’t something we’re born with. So much of anti-fat bias stems from the comments, “jokes�, representation (or lack thereof), etc., that family, peers, and media have both consciously and unconsciously perpetuated throughout the years. That’s why I think it was effective for Sole-Smith to write about anti-fat bias with children, not adults, at the center. If she’d started with or only focused on the diet culture and fatphobia that adults deal with, then I don’t think her argument would’ve been as emotionally stirring. I feel like readers would be like, “Oh, well, I’ve never been on a diet, so I can’t be fatphobic�, or “I don’t hate fat bodies, so I can’t have any anti-fat bias.� But by showing how anti-fat bias starts farther back, it’s harder to deny.

—I also gained perspective on how sexism and misogyny affect how parents (especially mothers) feed their children. There’s a lot of pressures on mothers to make sure their children are healthy, since mother have been expected to be the prime caretaker for centuries. Therefore, if their children are/become fat, then the mothers are seen as neglectful for “allowing� their children to eat “whatever they want� and/or “however much they want�. Income, genetics, and just flat-out acceptance of bigger bodies are not taken into account.

—I remember Michelle Obama’s advocacy for children to eat healthy when I was a kid. I remember the diagrams of plates, showing how much protein, produce, etc., you “should� have on your plate. What I did not know was the reasons why the Let’s Move campaign kicked off. Yes, I agree that getting all your nutrition is important, especially for children who are still growing. What made me angry was that how fatphobia was the unifying “problem� she chose as her cause. Both Democrats and Republicans agreed that obesity was something that needed to be “fixed�. Out of all the problems in the country to agree on. Children’s body types, disguised as “health�. Regardless of Michelle Obama’s intentions, it angers me that actual problems like gun control, which DOES impact children, will continued to be argued about and nothing will be done about it. But being fat? Now THAT’S something we can’t let happen!

Aggravating. Just aggravating.

—Now for my one critique: I do agree that we shouldn’t stigmatize food so much, especially as a lot of the stigma is connected to classism, racism, and even straight-up lies about certain foods being “good� and “bad�. What I will push back on is the claim that what a person eat doesn’t matter. Because I think it can and does. It matters for people with allergies, digestive issues, sensory issues, etc. It matters when a person eats the same thing every day, because that can change your digestive system. It matters if the beef you’re eating comes from a cow that has only eaten corn versus grass. Everyone has the right to eat what they wish, but the claim that what you eat “doesn’t matter� isn’t one I can get behind. For a book that touches on so much intersectionality with fatness and race, gender, queer identities, etc. I’m surprised how little disability was considered (especially because medicine and dismissive doctors is a huge topic within the disabled community. I feel like the intersection between the disabled and fat community is something that could’ve been explored more).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

All in all, I found this to be eye-opening and do recommend this to everyone. Even if you’re not a parent, you will still confront fatphobia that you might’ve experienced or witnessed in childhood and learn how to unlearn. We must continue to fight for the right for all body types to exist and be loved, and that starts with our inner child. ]]> ReadStatus9376691395 Thu, 01 May 2025 20:17:47 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library started reading 'Of Curses and Kisses']]> /review/show/7530479854 Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon Lex’s Library started reading Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
]]> Review7157261380 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:11:09 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library added 'Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture']]> /review/show/7157261380 Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith Lex’s Library gave 4 stars to Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture (Audible Audio) by Virginia Sole-Smith
*Trigger/content warnings in this book for anti-fat bias, discrimination against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, eating disorders, misogyny, and racism*

Anti-fat bias is a form of discrimination I’ve not delved into as much as I have with other types, such as ableism and racism (to be clear, I’m not an expert on these things either. I’ve just simply read more books about these forms of discrimination and oppression than anti-fat bias). While I’ve been made aware of anti-fat bias for a while, I hadn’t really looked into the intersectionality of it and how it comes up in Western culture.

That’s why I picked up this book for. And while I don’t have kids, I also wanted to reflect on how anti-fat bias has been ingrained into and affected me since I was little. From my mom watching shows like The Biggest Loser and My 600 Pound Life to my own struggles with body image, I can’t remember a time in my childhood when having any body type except thin was taught as okay or neutral.

And can I just say...wow. I both learned things and confronted parts of myself and my past that I wasn’t expecting to. I have a couple of critiques, but for the most part, this is definitely a book, parent or not, could get something out of.

MY THOUGHTS:

—Virginia Sole-Smith makes it clear from the get-go that body image issues and anti-fat bias isn’t something we’re born with. So much of anti-fat bias stems from the comments, “jokes�, representation (or lack thereof), etc., that family, peers, and media have both consciously and unconsciously perpetuated throughout the years. That’s why I think it was effective for Sole-Smith to write about anti-fat bias with children, not adults, at the center. If she’d started with or only focused on the diet culture and fatphobia that adults deal with, then I don’t think her argument would’ve been as emotionally stirring. I feel like readers would be like, “Oh, well, I’ve never been on a diet, so I can’t be fatphobic�, or “I don’t hate fat bodies, so I can’t have any anti-fat bias.� But by showing how anti-fat bias starts farther back, it’s harder to deny.

—I also gained perspective on how sexism and misogyny affect how parents (especially mothers) feed their children. There’s a lot of pressures on mothers to make sure their children are healthy, since mother have been expected to be the prime caretaker for centuries. Therefore, if their children are/become fat, then the mothers are seen as neglectful for “allowing� their children to eat “whatever they want� and/or “however much they want�. Income, genetics, and just flat-out acceptance of bigger bodies are not taken into account.

—I remember Michelle Obama’s advocacy for children to eat healthy when I was a kid. I remember the diagrams of plates, showing how much protein, produce, etc., you “should� have on your plate. What I did not know was the reasons why the Let’s Move campaign kicked off. Yes, I agree that getting all your nutrition is important, especially for children who are still growing. What made me angry was that how fatphobia was the unifying “problem� she chose as her cause. Both Democrats and Republicans agreed that obesity was something that needed to be “fixed�. Out of all the problems in the country to agree on. Children’s body types, disguised as “health�. Regardless of Michelle Obama’s intentions, it angers me that actual problems like gun control, which DOES impact children, will continued to be argued about and nothing will be done about it. But being fat? Now THAT’S something we can’t let happen!

Aggravating. Just aggravating.

—Now for my one critique: I do agree that we shouldn’t stigmatize food so much, especially as a lot of the stigma is connected to classism, racism, and even straight-up lies about certain foods being “good� and “bad�. What I will push back on is the claim that what a person eat doesn’t matter. Because I think it can and does. It matters for people with allergies, digestive issues, sensory issues, etc. It matters when a person eats the same thing every day, because that can change your digestive system. It matters if the beef you’re eating comes from a cow that has only eaten corn versus grass. Everyone has the right to eat what they wish, but the claim that what you eat “doesn’t matter� isn’t one I can get behind. For a book that touches on so much intersectionality with fatness and race, gender, queer identities, etc. I’m surprised how little disability was considered (especially because medicine and dismissive doctors is a huge topic within the disabled community. I feel like the intersection between the disabled and fat community is something that could’ve been explored more).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

All in all, I found this to be eye-opening and do recommend this to everyone. Even if you’re not a parent, you will still confront fatphobia that you might’ve experienced or witnessed in childhood and learn how to unlearn. We must continue to fight for the right for all body types to exist and be loved, and that starts with our inner child. ]]> UserStatus1055065371 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:33:53 -0700 <![CDATA[ Lex’s Library is 66% done with Dear Medusa ]]> Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole Lex’s Library is 66% done with <a href="/book/show/61389548-dear-medusa">Dear Medusa</a>. ]]> Review7530416888 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:03:36 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library added 'Nour's Secret Library']]> /review/show/7530416888 Nour's Secret Library by Wafa' Tarnowska Lex’s Library gave 4 stars to Nour's Secret Library (ebook) by Wafa' Tarnowska
bookshelves: authors-of-color, childrens-books, picture-books, books-about-books
]]> ReadStatus9369264278 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:32:52 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library wants to read 'Every Last Word']]> /review/show/7530486862 Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone Lex’s Library wants to read Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
]]> ReadStatus9369254311 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:24:51 -0700 <![CDATA[Lex’s Library wants to read 'Of Curses and Kisses']]> /review/show/7530479854 Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon Lex’s Library wants to read Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
]]>