Book Review: The Fat Girl

I read another realistic fiction...I didn't quite expect this, but I liked it!

The Fat Girl

Marilyn Sachs

Jeff is fit. He's hot. He's got a new girlfriend, and now he's trying out ceramics at school.  Only one problem--the fat girl.  Her name is Ellen. She's clumsy, overweight, loud, and terrible at ceramics.  When Ellen overhears horrible words about her said by Jeff, she contemplates suicide.  Jeff knows he screwed up and heads to Ellen's house to make sure she's okay.  What follows that conversation is a friendship, but is it one with the right motivations and emotions?  Jeff gives Ellen tips on what to wear, how to do her hair and makeup, eat right, and exercise.  Jeff even starts dating Ellen.  But does Jeff truly love Ellen? Or does he love his "project"?  When Ellen starts to gain her independence and confidence, the two must decide what love is and what is important in life.

In general, this book is a typical, boy bullies fat kid, feels bad, make the fat kid hot and popular.  HowEVER, there are a lot of emotional themes and issues throughout this story.  I found myself yelling at Jeff to grow the freak up and leave Ellen alone, or at least confess that he's only in the relationship to lord over her and her weight loss.  

Ellen, like most of these stories, finds out she's a way cooler person than she's given herself credit for.  And the best part--she tells Jeff that.  She tells him to get lost, that she is better than she was and she doesn't need a man in her life to make her feel wanted.

There are a lot of general, recycled themes in this book, but it's really okay.  You know why? Because these themes have continued to fall on deaf ears for decades.   There are STILL the fat kids getting bullied and popular people trying to project their idea of popularity on their new guinea pig.  Had this issue already been solved in society, this book would be redundant and obsolete.  But it's not.  And we need more of these voices until people grow up and figure out that it only matters what YOU think of yourself, not what you think of others or what others think of you.  Thank you, Marilyn Sachs!