Body of Truth: How Science, History, and Culture Drive Our Obsession with Weight—and What We Can Do about It

Our society is obsessed with weight; people are worried about their own and everyone else’s. But as Harriet Brown writes, “Each of us thinks our obsession with weight and body image is ours alone. … But the reality couldn’t possibly get any clearer: This is not a personal issue. … It’s become epidemic, endemic, and pandemic.” Brown says that she’s spent a decade digging into research on weight loss, obesity, and eating disorders and their relationship with health, interviewing hundreds of women about their feelings about their bodies and interviewing experts who focus on these topics. She relates what she has found in Body of Truth.

The truth is that Brown’s conclusions have shocked the students taking her body-diversity classes, and they will likely shock most readers and make them rethink much of what they assume, what they think they know about weight and fat. Indeed, most of what doctors and journalists relate as givens are not based on any solid research, Brown says. This book may be just what most of us need, so we can be kinder to ourselves and others and truly take care of the bodies we have. It’s a revelation.