I loved that this touched on a lot of topics and the politics behind it, but I think it glossed over a big topic: consent. The author mentioned sexual experiences being a fat woman in society, but never touch on how consent still plays an important role. Yes, this was not a big topic, but its one that stuck out to me of how the experiences was shared.

this book needs to be in the hands of young Black girls everywhere! This is such an important piece of work! It is a work that has been needed for a very long time.

*ARC was provided by Ecco through Netgalley.

I love Dionne's openness about her experiences with fatphobia - the nuances of being a fat Black woman, how strange it is to recoil seeing fat people when you are also fat, the slight difference between making changes to your weight because you are concerned about your health v. you are concerned about how you're perceived. She's honest in a way that this topic deserves, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her writing.

A well written and important memoir that runs the gamut of topics but focuses most intensely on life in a larger body and handling anti-fatness but internally and externally.

Special thanks to the author, Ecco books, & netgalley for my advanced readers copy!!!!

This memoir was such a thought-provoking experience. The author covered a multitude of situations and topics that overweight individuals including herself have faced. If you’ve ever struggled with your weight or felt insecure about it this book has an optimistic view on fat phobia and the culture surrounding it.

The author gives us her own personal experiences intertwined with statistical research making the book both relatable and informative. Her journey like many others was rough from dealing with chronic illness, depression, humiliation, sexual encounters, even childhood bullying.

The emotional vulnerability shown while letting us in on her personal life was so compelling. I know it probably took a lot for her to discuss her childhood and her dating experiences. We don’t realize the degree of pain fat shaming can cause a person.

Her touching on childhood obesity and the way medical professionals treat individuals who are overweight was an eye opener. I agree with her and think it’s sad that health professionals equate the cause of a person’s illness to their weight rather than focusing on the symptoms they’re experiencing. So, many obese individuals have been misdiagnosed simply because the physician failed to listen.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I just wish the author had explored certain topics more in depth. I commend her for bringing more awareness to such a touchy subject. But I would’ve loved this book even more had she given us the steps that could be taken now to create a change.

Dionne's story is raw and vulnerable. The easy writing style pulls the reader in, and many will be able identify with at least parts of her experience with fat shaming. Parts of this are a bit uncomfortable, and heartbreaking, to read, but the information is important nonetheless. She shines a light on the sad reality with the healthcare system and how they view people that aren't the "ideal" definition of "healthy." There was quite a bit of repetition, and the book could've benefitted from a tighter edit. This book could be an important read for those who do and don't face weight-based discrimination, as it's eye-opening.

I've long been a fan of Dionne's, since she was the Editor in Chief at BITCH and I have followed her on Twitter for years. I have appreciated her thoughtful approach to media, and the things I heard about her management of the magazine.

For fans of Maintenance Phase and Roxane Gay, this timely and personal book is part memoir, part pop culture commentary. Through the lens of her own experiences as a fat Black woman with a chronic illness, Dionne looks at the politics of desirability, the influence of media on public perception of fat people, the medical fatphobia of "obesity," and more. It is an incredibly candid and incisive look at the way that fat people are treated in America, how our bodies are often treated as public property to be commented upon by anyone. The addition of research and studies to underpin the treatment Dionne has received was especially poignant for anyone who isn't fat, and is still dealing with the decades of misinformation and misdirection about "obesity" to the public. People who are planning to read this should definitely be prepared for the tough, visceral subject matters.

Bonus: I always love a Khadijah James reference.

cw: fatphobia, racism, sexual harassment, depression, agoraphobia, chronic illness, infertility, diet culture, eating disorders, bullying

Thank you Netgalley and Ecco Books for my gifted e-book copy!

Weightless by Evette Dionne was a very insightful and informative look at the ways in which society judges, ostracizes, and isolates fat people and others who don't confirm to society's traditional beauty and size standards. I liked how the author alternated between academic information and personal narratives to connect the points. I think this book will be very meaningful to many people; I know it was for me!

A stark look at obesity and bullying of children starts off this essay collection. Technical with studies and sources, the narrative shamed and depressed me, much like the author's as she expressed her first hand experience. I could relate as a parent and someone who became obese due to medical issues. But its a bit too close to home and I don't like the feelings it brings to the surface. I may pick it up later.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Emotional moving an intimate revealing look at life as an overweight person in today’s society .An important look at the world through the authors life through her health issues her emotions and mental issues.#netgalley #eccobooks.

I found that the premise of this book was better than the execution. While the topics explored were interesting I felt they were approached too academically, and Dionne's personal experiences didn't always mesh well with the subject matter. However, I do feel this is an important topic and I'm sure there is an audience who will find this book useful!

To the author, thank you. Thank you for writing this book. Maybe it will give readers a different outlook on overweight people. Well written and written with honesty. Outstanding read. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

*Thank you to HarperCollins publishers for this ARC!!*

Evette Dionne's Weightless is a collection of experiences she's had as a (self-described) "fat" Black woman with health issues. That might be the oversimplification of the century, but I'm trying to keep this concise!

The 3 stars: This story is raw, compelling, vulnerable, and illuminating. Her writing style is poetic but not flowery. People who identify with Dionne's story will find camaraderie, and those who do not will be educated. Dionne's experiences were painful to read, especially those from her childhood that left life-long scars. This was not a happy or hopeful read from the first sentence to the last. That being said, her remarks felt important. Her chapters on fat women/Black women/Black, fat women were heartbreaking, but in line with stories I've heard for years. The reality of our healthcare system is that most doctors are unapologetically fatphobic in the name of "health." Regardless of where you stand on the definition of a "healthy" body, symptoms must be taken seriously and viewed/treated independently from BMI.

I appreciated her honesty throughout her chapters on the television exploitation of fat people. "...In private, I am just as complicit in fatphobia as the very people and institutions I criticize. Unlearning is a difficult process. It first requires you to look in the mirror, admit that you've benefited from a system at the expense of other more marginalized groups, and then actively work to create new commitments and behaviors that dismantle that system." I consider myself a member of the unlearning community, and Dionne's life stories have been a resource in that journey.

The -2 Stars: This book felt longer than it needed to be; in other words, it became pretty repetitive. While there were some excellent references to reputable studies, this book made some rather grandiose claims with insufficient citations to defend them (IMO). I get that this is her personal story, which is valid in and of itself. However, sweeping claims need more evidence in my mind. Also, I'm an editor at heart, so I tend to immediately deduct stars from books that aren't super well edited. Does it affect the way I feel about the book content? No, but it does detract from my reading experience. This book had several editing errors, which I bookmarked as I read. These mainly included sentence fragments, misspellings, and spacing errors. The chapter structure also felt a bit erratic and jumpy.

Overall impressions: I would recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to celebrating its publication day on December 6!!

This book was an unexpectedly timely read for me. If you are ready to ditch diet culture and work through cultural conditioning of body size, this book is for you. I appreciated the balance of factual information and personal story. Not the easiest read, but impactful and important.

Absolutely a must read for everyone. Evette's is such an important voice to have calling out society and working to dismantle not just fatphobia, but racism, too.

WEIGHTLESS by Evette Dionne is a memoir of Blackness, fatness, and womanhood. the intersectionality is the point. she explores childhood, chronic illness, dating, and society, among other topics. author bolsters her points with research, yet her personal stories and telling of them are what make the book great. engaging and insightful, WEIGHTLESS is the kind of memoir that feels educational.

I was able to review Weightless by Evette Dionne and ECCO publishing for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Weightless is a memoir that is such an honest and personal account of the author’s experiences with growing up always being in battle with the relationship with how the world viewed her vs how she viewed herself.
She tells about her relationship with her mother, relationships with partners, and how she relates to the constant reminders of body image in her everyday life.

This book was informative, honest and thoughtful. There are so many references to studies and examples in pop culture that back up the many claims about fatphobia presents itself in every day life. I have two critiques with this book. 1, I think the author tries to hard to connect some of the topics to her life. There were 2 or 3 chapters where I asked myself “why did they write this”. My second critique is in the introduction. She makes the claim that “self love is a greater force than fatphobia” but never speaks to how this can be true given everything else she’s written in the essay. I didn’t agree with the claim so I was really looking forward to how she came to this conclusion. Even with those critiques, I enjoyed the book and actually hope to a get a physical copy. I think this should be a book everyone reads as it lays out clearly how fatphobia is rampant and detrimental to the lives of fat people.

This book is a good read and would be especially helpful for folks who aren't in the body positivity/body neutrality world and may not realize the scope of what fat people deal with regularly, such as treatment from doctors and general cruelness, especially towards fat Black women. The author mixed in personal stories, so it's part memoir and part explainer on society's treatment of fatness. Dionne provides good ideas of how we can treat fat folks in kinder, more helpful ways, particularly with regards to "childhood obesity".