I unfortunately did not get to finish this book before it was archived, but I really enjoyed what I had read so far. As a fellow fat person, I found this book both accurate but funny. I found that it both showed the ways people treat us, but also how difficult it can be to break out of it because it is both part of who you are and a health challenge. It is something that both causes you emotional and physical concern, but also something people use to judge you. I appreciated the author's view on the subject, and will be getting this book to finish reading. :-)

I'm a listener of Ian's podcast and have always found him smart, funny, and likable. I was so looking forward to this book. The writing is accessible and it was a pleasure to read his stories of growing up and his perspectives on living in a fat body for all of his life. He also did a great job assuring his audience (multiple times) that his weight loss journey was his own and might look different for other bodies. And still, I'm not sure that he added anything new to the well worn genre. I've read Roxane Gay, and Lindy West, and countless others: they are all starting to sound the same. Honestly, I think a more straightforward memoir that didn't include weight loss advice would have been more enjoyable. More funny stories, less analysis. While this one was a bit of a miss for me, I enjoyed his voice enough that I would read his next book as well.

This was a difficult read. While it is insightful and humorous at times, it is also full of raw emotion and anger about how overweight people are treated in society. Ian’s portion where he talks about his childhood is interesting but then becomes a how-to diet and what everyone already knows – more out than in. Alisa’s portion is informative but dry. There’s a lot of good information in there but it’s all thrown at you. It’s difficult to enjoy this but I did learn a lot.

I loved this memoir/book of essays! I appreciated the scientific part by Dr. Karmel at the end. The transition from memoir to scientific part was good too. I preferred Ian's part as it was relatable and funny as well. He did encourage the humanization of fat people, whereas the science part was quite dry.

A thoughtful, funny read. The first half of the memoir is written from Ian's perspective growing up as a fat kid and later as a fat adult. The second half of the book is written by Alisa, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology. Alisa's section uses her expertise to analyze Ian's relationship to his weight and weight loss in his adult life, while offering helpful insights for people struggling with the same issues. This book was an easy read but I don't think I got anything out of it that I haven't read or heard elsewhere. But still, it's accessible and funny so if the topic interests you, give it a read. Thanks to NetGalley and Rodale Books for the arc.

Intensely relatable, in places humorous and heartbreaking. Anyone who has been overweight has dealt with the shame and humiliation that comes with the territory. Treated like a burden and dismissed by peers and doctors as less than worthy as their thin counterparts. "T-Shirt Swim Club" is a reflection on life from fat to thin and in between and how you are worthy of love, happiness and respect at any size.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

(Note: this review is based on the first half of the book. The second half is too textbook and completely skippable.)

I was disappointed with this book.

The subject matter is particularly close to me, but I felt as though the writing was all over the place - disjointed with the end result that the feelings and emotions associated with this subject matter was somehow lost.

Fat siblings to fat adults.

Split into two parts, T-Shirt Swim Club is a sibling memoir that is unlike any that I've read. Ian first keeps things light, touching on growing up heavy. There is a more comedic air about this section. Alisa then looks at weight from a medical point of view.

Both siblings are funny and insightful. There is a clear love between the two and I'm sure they enjoyed writing this together.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Although humorous and insightful, after a while I found that this book is not for me; I thought I would enjoy it more because the description drew me in, but I couldn't get down with it.

I loved this title! I ended up listening to the audiobook and it felt so much like listening to Ian's podcast (shoutout AFE!); I highly recommend this to anyone who was a fat kid (or knows a fat kid)!

This is a book of stories written by the author, a comedian about his experiences growing up fat. The latter third of the book is by Alisa, his sister who is a psychologist. She speaks about Ian’s experiences and how to make changes to your eating habits in order to lose weight.
I am not sure what the marketing strategy is for this book. It is not really a memoir or a self-help book. While I have read some reviews by people who share Ian’s experiences of being fat and found it cathartic, personally I found it rather triggering. I ended up not finishing this book as I saw no point as to its purpose to the reader. Quite disappointed in this one.

The title of the book is what first drew me in, and I'm happy that the rest of the book didn't disappoint.

It's an unfortunate truth that every "chubby" kids understand: you should be ashamed of your body and must cover it at all costs. Except... that isn't the truth. Karmel argues that children should be children, free of the emotional weight placed on them by society.

This book is a shame-free love letter to all the kids who felt the need to wear t-shirts in the public swimming pool.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved reading this book. Ian made me feel seen, while Alisa taught me so much about how my brain has been affected by being fat. This book is the perfect combination of humanity, humor and information. I highly recommend it to everyone with a body -- fat or not -- because it teaches an appreciation for all bodies and the human inside of them.

Comedian Ian Karmel and his sister, psychologist Alisa Karmel explore Ian’s life as a fat person (and then, oddly, Alisa focuses on children.). Both grew up fat. Although Ian has now lost a lot of weight, he says this is not a weight loss book but a support book for people who struggle with weight loss issues. I beg to differ, but whatever.

In fact, this is an angry, depressing story of a self-loathing man who has always be obsessed with food and weight, and still is, even though he’s at a reasonable weight now. It reads like he’s trying to work through some personal problems here when it sounds as if that might be better done with intensive therapy. He places a lot of blame on his parents (which his sister tries to deflect) and he feels strongly that fat is an enemy that is trying to kill him and that must be battled at all times. Two-thirds of the book was all about that. One-third of the book was left to the sister, who mostly seemed to restate what Isn’t had already said, soften it a little and throw in some common sense statistical information that most people would already know. It didn’t really add anything. Reading this book was a bit of a chore and I’m not sure how it could be seen as support for anyone.

The T=Shirt Swim Club is a book jointly written by Ian Karmel and his sister Alisa Karmel. Ian is a comedian. Alisa is a psychotherapist. The first section of the book is written in the style of a memoir by Ian. I absolutely loved this section of the book. It was hilarious. I cannot remember the last time that I read a book and laughed out loud as much as I did reading Ian's section of the book. If I was rating Ian's section of the book only it would easily be 5 stars. Not only was the humor great, but I also enjoyed reading about his own self-acceptance. The book should have stopped there.

Dr. Karmel, Ian's sister wrote the second half of the book, which is partially an analysis of Ian's life, partially a how to manual on how to support those living in larger bodies, and unfortunately guidance on how to lose weight. I was really disappointed that the book concluded with advice on how to lose weight. I was really expecting this to be a book on body acceptance and the last few chapters by Dr. Karmel ruined that.

I highly recommend buying this book, reading the first half and then stopping there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rodale Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Man this had me busting out laughing right from the dedication.

Yes this is a book about what it’s like to be overweight, but even more so it’s a book about self acceptance and healthy identity formation. Ian Karmel’s clearly done the work of processing his shame and brokenness, and that brought a beautiful self-reflective depth to an also hilarious narrative. The second half of the book is written by his psychologist sister, and dives into the ways our culture stigmatizes fatness and what research says about how we can help children, particularly fat children, form healthy identities. Really good stuff that I hadn’t considered.

4.5 stars because I found myself dragging through the second half—mostly because I think the memoir piece felt crushable, but the research packed, informational tone of the second half was more dense. Felt very much like two separate books, and I think the concept ultimately works, but it caught me a little off guard

Side note for the publisher, the font for Alisa’s section was pretty tiny and felt hard to read on my kindle. I understand the use of different fonts to distinguish each author’s voice, I’d consider a more readable font for Alisa’s section.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book, by siblings Ian and Alisa Karmel, PsyD, is divided into two parts; the first, by Ian, is a comedic memoir about growing up in a fat body. The second, by Alisa, includes elements of the first while approaching the subject from a clinical point of view as well (she is a doctor of psychology with a specialization in making behavioral changes to improve your health). Both siblings are funny and speak from their own lives as well as scientific knowledge of the subject.

The first half of the book relies heavily on Ian's experience as a standup comedian and writer to keep the subject light and funny even when the subject matter is difficult (he admits to using humor to mask his insecurities) It's entertaining and relatable, though it can be triggering for those who have dealt with weight issues. The second half is understandably drier, as it relies on Alisa's clinical training and offers a medical perspective on how best to help fat patients.

I don't think the book necessarily breaks the mold on the information it's conveying, and as a reading experience, momentum definitely slows down in the second half, but it's well done.

I had really mixed feelings about this book. A lot of the first half was very funny, and there was a lot of good information in the second half. However, there were also times when I felt like I'd been tricked into reading a weight loss book. Although they do talk about things like fat stigma, there was also a lot of talk about weight loss methods and how to lose weight. So just be forewarned before reading that there is a lot of discussion of those things.

This was a funny, relatable book about being overweight and all the awkwardness that goes along with it. Ian Karmel explores how his weight impacted everything from his fashion sense, to his successful career as a comedian, and everything in between. There are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments and absolutely nothing is off limits in his commentary.
The one thing that I didn’t like, however, was that some of the writing tended to be repetitive and drawn out, which works great when you are performing a humorous piece, but doesn’t work as well in long form writing, like a novel. There were times I skimmed the longer, repetitive paragraphs.

T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People by Ian Karmel and Alisa Karmel (PsyD) takes an unusual approach to exploring fatness and the effects of fatphobia in American society, as it’s kind of two books in one. The first section is a memoir written by stand-up comedian Ian Karmel about his experiences growing up fat, living as a fat person, and adopting healthier habits in the face of health concerns. The second section is a crash course in the current social science of fatness and fatphobia written by his sister Alisa Karmel, a Doctor of Psychology.

Ian’s section reads like a one-man podcast; he adopts a breathless, casual tone and peppers his remarks with a plethora of pop-culture references and jokes (some of which land, some of which don’t). Reading it feels like listening to a friend talk without a filter about his experiences, and the effect is an entertaining and refreshingly honest reflection on fatness, health, and fatphobia. In between the quips and anecdotes, Karmel makes powerful and emotionally impactful observations about his life and the perniciousness of fatphobia in American society. He brings a balanced and personal perspective to the polemic topic of fatness and health—something that is sorely lacking in many social media discourses. That said, he admits that decades of internalized fatphobia and a dysfunctional relationship with food still color his thoughts, and this much is clear within his writing. He expresses his fraught opinions on body positivity, frequently places value judgments on foods, and discusses his regimen for weight loss and maintenance. For this reason, I would strongly suggest that anyone struggling with an eating disorder approach this work with great caution.

Alisa’s section reiterates many of the sentiments Ian expresses but in a much more academic tone. On the one hand, the book benefits from her perspective because she balances out some of Ian’s emotionally raw and personal sentiments with scientific expertise that might be of more benefit to fat people struggling with their self-esteem and mental health. On the other hand, the two sections of the book do not mesh well. Alisa’s contribution sometimes comes across as a dryer reiteration of Ian’s portion, and it is difficult to imagine an audience for the book that would enjoy each part in equal measure. The book would work better as a cohesive whole if Alisa’s points were abbreviated and placed as footnotes to Ian’s memoir, with further resources for research listed toward the end.

One small additional quibble: The University of Wisconsin mascot is a Badger, not a Husky!

TL;DR: Ian’s section of the book provides an honest, insightful, and accessible—yet occasionally messy—discussion of his experiences and thoughts on fatness, fatphobia, and health. Alisa’s section can be treated as optional reading for those looking for a social science perspective on the topics Ian addresses.