Author: Kent Clarkisha
Package Dimensions: 0x0x505
Number Of Pages: 264
Release Date: 07-03-2023
Details: Review
“In her inspiring, no-holds-barred memoir, Clarkisha Kent puts her story out there for all to witness. Her writing is hilarious and intimate, like you’re talking to your best friend over drinks at the bar. Kent’s debut is a celebration of intersectional identity, heralding a bright, essential new voice.” —Gabrielle Union, actress and author of You Got Anything Stronger?
“Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto is funny and smart as hell. Kent’s personal story is steeped in an incisive analysis of fatphobia, misogynoir, colorism, racism, sexism, and ableism. As always, listen to Black women, especially Clarkisha Kent.” —Alice Wong, author of Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life
“Heartbreaking, honest, and still somehow wryly hilarious, Clarkisha Kent challenges readers in Fat Off, Fat On to not only read about her life but to think about their own. Whether you relate to the pop culture, the family dynamics, or the awkwardness of sex and dating, Kent reaches deep into herself to show her audience a mirror, and in many ways a lifeline, to find the words for their own stories. This is a book you will read and reread as you come to terms with your history and your future.” —Mikki Kendall, author of Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
“Fat Off, Fat On feels like a revelation in honesty, humor, heart, and craft. I have long been a fan of Clarkisha, and this book solidifies that I will continue to be for many years to come. This book is a must read!” —Keah Brown, creator of #DisabledAndCute and author of The Pretty One
“Screaming, crying, and cackling are just a few of the words I can use to describe what reading Fat Off, Fat On was like. Clarkisha Kent artfully weaves together years of love, loss, joy, and sorrow into a tear-jerking, smile-inducing memoir that perfectly chronicles all the things that make life worth living and leaves you wanting more even as you reach the last page.” —Keshav Kant, executive director of Off Colour
“Filled with pain and humor—sadly, that is many of our outlets—Fat Off, Fat On is an explosive read. By read, I mean drag. Clarkisha Kent reflects on her past and, in turn, delivers a story that holds a mirror to many parts of our own lives existing at intersections of oppression. From the long-reaching mental harm of family to poor cosmic timing to the point of feeling like a Sims character—interspersed with pop, literary references, and astrology told with Kent’s sharp wit—this is a book you need two copies of: one to share with friends and another to keep in reserve when your friend ‘loses it.’” —DarkSkyLady, writer and Rotten Tomatoes’ approved film critic
Product Description
In this disarming and candid memoir, cultural critic Clarkisha Kent unpacks the kind of compounded problems you face when you’re a fat, Black, queer woman in a society obsessed with heteronormativity.
There was no easy way for Kent to navigate personal discovery and self-love. As a dark-skinned, first-generation American facing a myriad of mental health issues and intergenerational trauma, at times Kent’s body felt like a cosmic punishment. In the face of body dysmorphia, homophobia, anti-Blackness, and respectability politics, the pursuit of “high self-esteem” seemed oxymoronic.
Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto is a humorous, at times tragic, memoir that follows Kent on her journey to realizing that her body is a gift to be grown into, that sometimes family doesn’t always mean home, and how even ill-fated bisexual romances could free her from gender essentialism. Perfect for readers of Keah Brown’s The Pretty One, Alida Nugent’s You Don’t Have to Like Me, and Stephanie Yeboah’s Fattily Ever After, Kent’s debut explores her own lived experiences to illuminate how fatphobia intertwines with other oppressions. It stresses the importance of addressing the violence scored upon our minds and our bodies, and how we might begin the difficult—but joyful—work of setting ourselves free.
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