I have not read a book in a very long time. As a working mom with a toddler I never have time to read for myself. This year I am commuting on the bus to and from work and I finally have time to read. The first book I checked out at the PBC library was Hunger by Roxane Gay. I follow her on Twitter and know some of her work, but never had the opportunity to read an entire book from her. I am one who enjoys biographies and non-fiction. This book was incredible! I finished it in a week commuting.
It is not an easy book to read, but it helped me see the world of someone who had experienced childhood trauma (rape) at a young age and the fear and pain that follows them into adulthood. Her secret before becoming a writer and professor was hers alone and no one in her family knew that she was raped at 12 years old. She tells her story of eating and eating to hide the truth. She dropped out of college at an Ivy League school and ran away to Arizona during her 20s. Roxane shares her story of being fat and what it is to experience life as an obese woman. What is it like to have family, the public, and doctors treat you badly because of your size? How do doctors and nurses treat patients that are overweight? How do bodies cope with the pain, loneliness, and stigma of being fat? How do we accommodate those that are different and have different abilities than us? All these questions came to mind as I read this book. I enjoyed the painful truths shared in this book. I highly recommend this book for students and faculty.
Reviewer: Naomi Bishop, MLIS, Associate LIbrarian UAHS Phoenix