Moose: a memoir of fat camp

It is purely coincidental that the two books I read about being fat are being posted next to each other. I loved the Mackler novel, but I think I like Moose better. Klein tells about her experiences dieting as a child and going to fat camp. She condenses several years of her life into one summer so that the story flows better and it's great. She is honest about everything and her story-telling is superb. I can not wait to read Straight Up and Dirty, because Klein is an amazing writer.

Even if you can't relate to being fat, this is just a great read. Klein combines parts of her real childhood diary with her story-telling and it is highly effective. At one point she asks her diary if it is a girl diary or a boy diary because that would determine whether or not it was her best friend or her boyfriend. She says that if it is a boy diary it would be really sad that her boyfriend was a diary. At other times the story is sad, like when her father puffs his cheeks at her when he thinks she is eating too much. Not only is the story tight and well told, but it is a great reflection on human nature and our society's obsession with weight.