Thin Is the New Happy

By: Valerie Frankel

Narrated by: Marie Caliendo

Like so many women in today's society, Valerie Frankel's world was dictated by her weight, from starvation and binge eating to her self-loathing and total preoccupation with her weight. Not wanting to pass this legacy on to her own daughters, Valerie set out to cleanse herself of these painful and damaging cycles.

Yes, she lost 20 pounds and two dress sizes along the way - without dieting a single day. But more than that, she's come out on the other side, loving her body, herself, and finally being free.

Thin Is the New Happy is a hilarious, unflinching, self-deprecating, and joy-filled memoir for every woman who has ever felt good or bad about herself based on how she looks.

©2008 Valerie Frankel (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Riotously funny...always thought-provoking...down-right inspiring." (Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries)
"[A] poignant...hilarious memoir - as Frankel diets through good times and bad, she skewers her own weight-loss foibles and a society that teaches women that thin is all that matters." (Lucy S. Danziger, Editor-in-Chief, Self magazine)

I liked this book

At first I thought this was a diet book, but it is not. It is a memoir of a woman's struggle with dieting and her coming to peace with herself and losing the weight. I did enjoy it and will probably listen to it again.

Mixed Feelings

I heard about this book on a feminist website I frequent and I was interested in listening to it, especially since I heard that the author worked at a few fashion magazines. She paints a sad portrait of those who work in that environment - many women seeming to posses little to none self-esteem and an unhealthy obsession with dieting. Frankel herself was addicted to dieting, and she attributes it to both her overachieving personality, and her experiences with her mother. I found it interesting to listen to her experiences, but I was disappointed in the way she reconciled them. It seems that a comfort to her is to not focus on needing to be thin, but to point out that she's successful and leads a better life then some people who used to pick on her. It didn't turn out to be the positive message that I was hoping it would be, and I found myself disappointed with it by the books end. However, it is refreshing to see a perspective of leaving behind thin obsessions for a more sensible, whole life.

Was hoping for more motivation

If you want a bio of Valerie Frankel, this is for you. If you are looking for some motivation, keep looking. I also thought it was going to be funny... not so much...