A Fat Girl’s Manifesto: A Thin Book on Living FAT in America, by Cyr V. Daniel

BOOK REVIEW. A Fat Girl’s Manifesto, A thin book on living FAT in America, by Cyr V. Daniel. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Peter E. Randall, 2015. Reviewed by Julie Parsons On the cover of Cyr Daniel’s book is a white woman’s arm raised with fist clenched, reminiscent of the “Rosie the Riveter’ /’We can Do It,” Second World War poster, widely assumed to be a call to women to join the labor market as part of the war effort (1943) and later appropriated by (some) feminists as a symbol of sisterhood. Here the image is posed alongside the book’s title, A Fat Girl’s Manifesto, and the caption “Every Revolution Needs One!” The purpose of the book is therefore clear; it is positioned as a consciousness-raising rallying cry to engage in ending the “war on obesity.” Indeed, despite the subtitle A thin book on living FAT in America, Daniel has a big bold voice and provides a veritable romp through some of the key discourses that proclaim the myth that “fat is bad,” which she abbreviates as FIB. This is not an academic text, although there are some interesting and useful sources drawn upon throughout the book. Nor is it, as Daniel claims, a pity memoir, excuse for fatness, or a search for sympathy. Far from it, indeed. Daniel argues that she has from childhood always been “fighting back,” through the use of clever witticisms. This book is further evidence of her vivacity and verve, a celebration of life as a “self-loving fatty”.