Fat Off, Fat On

In this disarming and candid memoir, cultural critic Clarkisha Kent unpacks the kind of compounded problems you face when youre 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 Kents 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 Manifestois 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 doesnt always mean home, and how even ill-fated bisexual romances could free her from gender essentialism. Perfect for readers of Keah BrownsThe Pretty One, Alida NugentsYou Dont Have to Like Me, and Stephanie YeboahsFattily Ever After, Kents 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 difficultbut joyfulwork of setting ourselves free.