I know Rabia Chaudry from the true crime world and the work she did for Adnan Syed, so I was interested in her memoir. She discusses the plight of being a larger person; like me, she has never been "not fat." I was chubby as a kid, and never lost any of the "baby fat" my grandma assured me I would :) She was given processed foods and fast food and then mocked by her family.
"My entire life I have been less fat and more fat, but never not fat." According to family lore, when Rabia Chaudry’s family returned to Pakistan for their first visit since moving to the United States, two-year-old Rabia was more than just a pudgy toddler. Dada Abu, her fit and sprightly grandfather, attempted to pick her up but had to put her straight back down, demanding of Chaudry’s mother: “What have you done to her?” The answer was two full bottles of half-and-half per day, frozen butter sticks to gnaw on, and lots and lots of American processed foods. She writes about how she has struggled with food, embracing Pakistani food, and trying to love her body, while the story intertwines food with her family. It's a very good book and I enjoyed it.

Fatty Fatty Boom Boom
Memoir written by Rabia Chaudry

I really enjoyed this memoir. I loved all the ways she incorporated food especially delectable Pakistani dishes into her life story. How she overcame her obesity and being unhealthy to making better choices.

There's so many layers to her story and how she introduced all the important people in her life. How she navigated her abusive first marriage and her ex husband's abusive family and how she fell in love again. I really appreciated how much she loved her father and what a big part of her life he played.

I both read this book and listened to the audiobook narrated by the author which I absolutely loved because I can hear the intonation and pronunciation of the urdu language.

Good book that was just a consistent good through out the whole book. It had a few slow parts that drew the book down.

3.75 stars!

Rabia Chaudry a public figure, founder of the Safe Native Collaborative, attorney, and a host of the podcast ‘Serial’ that focused on the wrongful conviction of Adnan Syed for the murder of Hae Min Lee. She has also written a book about the case called ‘Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial’ that came out in 2016.

‘Fatty Fatty Boom Boom’ on the other hand, is a peek into Rabia’s life. She talks about food, her relationship with it, the fat-shaming and the body-shaming she was subjected to from everyone around her, family included, and her journey towards finding peace with her body through understanding what it needed the most.

Since this book includes so many mentions of food and since Indian and Pakistani food are divided by just a border, more than half the time, I read this book, salivating for food currently beyond my reach, even if it was something I don’t eat. Such is the power of Rabia’s words and descriptions.

We need food to survive but this world shames us for wanting more food or not wanting more food, for enjoying food and for not enjoying it - there’s no winning! And factor into it all the patriarchal nature who it sees fit to talk about food, we have a massive sexist stereotype of a problem that sees women as the ones who HAVE to make food but can’t be paid for it, as the ones who must make sure everyone is well-fed but can’t enjoy the food they’re eating, as the ones who have to maintain a strict figure while knowing how to make every type of food. The world as we know it is built on hypocrisy and Rabia narrates examples from her life in ‘Fatty Fatty Boom Boom.’

While I adore Rabia for sharing her life with us, I do think that at least 80% of the book seems like just a list of dishes and not much was said about ‘making peace with the body we have.’ I understand that everybody does this at their own pace, but what I got from the book was more like a pakora that was removed from the oil minutes before it fully cooked. It’s still tempting and probably still tasty (It’s besan, come on!), but it still leaves a bit to be desired.

I’ll still recommend this book because of the points I touched on before.

This book broke me and bent me in stitches. Chaudry has a real talent for balancing humor, hubris, and sadness.

"My entire life I have been less fat and more fat, but never not fat."

As someone who's been chunky all of their life, i could totally relate to this quote as well as the contents of this book and saw myself in this book. The author put every bit of her soul and vulnerability in this book. And still fat to this day, this book took me on such an emotional ride. And every bit of it was so relatable. I devoured this book in one sitting, and the contents will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC. This memoir is one of culture, body image and food. The author comes from a Pakistani family and when she returns to Pakistan as a two year old, he family is astounded at how big she is. She always loved food (eating straight butter!). She grows up eating all the wrong foods in the US and is always on the "plus" size which family and friends body shame her. Through her lovely storytelling, you learn of her Pakistani culture and food, and the struggle of being in a body that everyone tells you is not acceptable. How do you come to terms with that? The author tells her story with love and humor and is one that I'm sure everyone can relate to.

So descriptive and interesting. I loved the balance between the author's struggle and her life. I loved reading this book.

Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is a behind-the-scenes look into the life of the woman many of us feel a parasocial relationship with. Beyond her velvet voice, steely determination and dogged persistence, she is a family-oriented woman who straddles two cultures – those of her heritage and the country she now calls home.

In this memoir, Rabia Chaudry talks about her relationship with food and all it represents. She lives in a contradictory world so many do, where food is presented as love. You’re expected to eat heartily while remaining slim. Failing to ask for seconds is an insult, but gaining weight is asking for insults.

Rabia is an incredibly accomplished attorney, author, podcaster, and advocate, but she still seems like someone I could chat comfortably with over a cup of tea. The book flows nicely, talking about her childhood, family, education, and travels to Pakistan, weaving vignettes of her life together into a seamless tapestry. It’s a pleasant, relatable read. Pleasant sounds like faint praise, but it’s not intended that way.

It’s a well-seasoned comfort meal of a book – both bitter and sweet.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Fatty Fatty Boom Boom from NetGalley and Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review.

In Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family we meet Rabia Chaudry who tells us her story about life and how food and body talk have always been there. We hear stories about how her family would make comments about chaudry's weight, like when they returned to Pakistan when she was two years old and they would call her a pudgy toddler. There's also a talk about how different food is from Pakistan to the United States, all the American processed foods, fast food, and so on. There's also the discussion of how she won't be able to find a husband because of her body size. But in the end, this is a story of a journey of a woman and food. She goes from a rocky road relationship with food to learning to love and enjoy food, and food from her heritage learning to cook and how wholesome food can be.
Once I started this I couldn't stop, I read this book in one and a half days because I enjoyed Chaudry's writing style the way she was able to grab my heart in just a few pages is talent. One of my favorite reads so far this year.
If you are looking for a true story following a Muslim immigrant family, food, heritage, and culture, wrapped around the important topic that is body and weight then you should try this one.

Amazing memoir. Rabia has a way of making you feel like you experienced everything with her. These sensitive topics are the best learning through the experiences of others.

Gotta love this eye catching title. I was intrigued from the get go and the fact it was a memoir win win. As someone who battled weight issues for half my life of course my curiosity won. Rabia perfectly captures and describes what it’s like to be enamored with food, the number on the scale and how our families are intertwined in it as well. A talented writer that describes in detail a life centered around all the delicious food native to her country but also exploring a plethora of new foods in America. One thing is certain her family was always there for her. I loved learning about customs and traditions native to her Pakistani heritage. It was a bit difficult learning family names but did not take away from the core story. Her ups and downs and everything in between are on the written pages she has artfully crafted. RC shows her determination on multiple levels not only personally but professionally as well. A new and noteworthy story celebrating self and acceptance. Ty #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I'm not quite sure how to categorize FFBB - it's part family/immigrant story, part food memoir, part about weight gain and loss, body acceptance and sometimes not. If you know Rabia Chaudry from her advocacy for Adnan Syed, this book is her personal story, and only briefly touches on what made her famous. Yet she has a comforting familiar writing style that made her personal family story come alive. There were food descriptions that made my month water, especially when she was eating her way through Pakistan, and others that made me sick to read. The book also comes with a bunch of recipes at the end, which I haven't tried yet but look forward to doing!

I have already put this book into other people's hands as a result of reading this ARC. She writes beautifully about universal topics like fat shaming and specifically about her own Pakistani culture in a well balanced and engaging memoir.

I really loved this book. Rabia is a fabulously funny, and unique voice, and her story is wonderful. I will whole-heartedly recommend this book.

Rabia is best known for her work with Adnan Syad and those who have been wrongly convicted of crimes, but in this memoir, she relates her life with food. Chaudry and her family moved to the US when she was two and from there she discovered what the US had to offer in terms of food. She also gained weight, making her Pakistani family scared she would never find a husband. Throughout the book, Chaudry talks about her relationship with her family, food, and her family's relationship with food.
I loved this book. As someone who has had a bad relationship with food myself, had family members who have wanted me to be a diet my whole life, and been fat most of my life, I related to almost ever part of it.

I won’t even get into how much I admire Rabia Chaudry, other than to say I listen to her podcasts, have read her book Adnan’s Story, and generally enjoy hearing her comment on family, food, and life as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants living near Baltimore.

An attorney who has a razor-sharp mind, a wicked sense of humor, and an amazing amount of inner strength (how many years did she work to correct the wrong done when her brother’s best friend Adnan was wrongly convicted for the murder of his former girlfriend? Yikes).

FFBB is filled with Rabia’s thoughts about family, culture, and food. There are even recipes! Fans of Rabia will enjoy, as will anyone interested in our culture’s obsession with weight and the damage we do to ourselves with fat-shaming, whether it is directed at ourselves or someone else. Four stars. Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for providing a copy in return for this honest review. And seriously? Feeding frozen sticks of butter to a young child as a treat/pacifier? Yikes.Five stars...rounded up because...well, Rabia!

Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is Rabia Chaudry's memoir of food, fat and family.
Rabia tells her story through the stories of the foods she ate, cooked and shared with family. The book checked all of the boxes for me. I learned a lot about Pakistani food, culture and family life. Rabia makes herself vulnerable in this book while revealing her feelings of body weight, family and how her upbringing and culture influenced her life.

On paper Rabia and I are nothing alike and yet everything she had to say was so relatable to me. I loved her voice; it was like a good friend sharing her life's story.

I was already familiar with Rabia after listening to her podcasts and reading her first book, Adnan’s Story, so I was eagerly anticipating this book! It did not disappoint! The history, love of family, and food that runs through this book was appetizing and satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed the set up of the book and Rabia’s openness as she shared her amazing family and recipes!

The popular co-host of Undisclosed podcast and executive producer of The Case Against Adnan Syed documentary has taken her voice to the pages in a new memoir titled Fatty Fatty Boom Boom. She shares stories of her Pakistani immigrant family, growing up in the United States, her intimate relationship with food and the controversial topic of body image.

By the time I received the galley from the publisher, I had already reserved and checked out the new hardcover edition from my local library. It was a treat to read Fatty Fatty Boom Boom while on the go and at home relaxing thanks to two editions. Yet it still took a couple weeks for me to finish reading. It was good, but not ooh-I-cannot-wait-to-keep-reading good. I am so used to hanging on to every word Rabia speaks on the podcasts that I expected her memoir to draw me in too.

"The reality of what my pictures showed me was too embarrassing." ~ pg. 250

While the subject matter of food, fat, weight struggles and family were relatable, I still did not feel a connection to Rabia. Memoirs are my favorite genre to read but only when I feel that connection to the author through their words. I felt a sense of Rabia holding back at times and glossing over parts of her life that could possibly inspire other women.

Nevertheless, the most enjoyable parts were her universal truths that I found myself nodding my head in agreement to, and the recipes at the end of book. I am so looking forward to trying the chai recipe as it's my favorite tea, and cooking with the divine ghee. Readers will find Fatty Fatty Boom Boom to be worth the slow read. It will resonate with women of all ages and sizes. And hopefully bring awareness to self-love, acceptance and healthy eating.

Happy Belated Pub Day, Rabia! Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie