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.

Loved this book. It was a real and honest look at life in a different body. The author was honest and open in her writing. Defiantly a great story.

I requested this book because I felt it was something I could relate too- and it absolutely was. I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the book.....and then it abruptly changed into a psychology and stat book which I tried to read, but couldn’t get through the entire thing. I wish the book continued along with Ian and his experiences as this is what I was expecting it all to be. I feel like his part of the story was unfinished and the remainder was not what I wanted to continue reading.

Frankly, I wasn’t a big fan of this book. Although the author clearly knows how it feels to be overweight in a thin world, the book became repetitive for me. The author was very well able to get across to his readers, how it feels, and how deeply he understands the problems associated with being overweight. This is a good read, but I felt that there were parts that were redundant, and I did not finish the book. That being said, it’s worth a start. If you have issues with your weight, you will realize that you’re not alone, when reading this authors words.

Ian and Dr. Alisa have worked together to create a really sweet book on the life and times of fat people. As another lifelong member of the tee-shirt swim club, this book isn't meant for us. It's meant for our friends and family.

It starts with Ian telling us the life story of his fat journey and this thoughts throughout. This portion of the book is actually very funny and it's nice to hear about another fat life. He then goes into his thought process of deciding to lose weight, the general idea of how he lost weight and after he lost the weight. Truly nothing fat people haven't heard before.

After we get through the memoir stage, Dr Alisa comes in with the knowledge and facts. She provides all the proof that treating fat people like actual people is good for everyone.

Again this book will be great for the countless humans that are newly fat, or those with fat friends and family but lifelong ms of the club may not enjoy this as much.

This author is so funny and relatable - a great combination. The content is something every single overweight person (whether they are currently or were previously overweight) can relate to and has first hand experienced (unfortunately). It's nice to know we're not alone in the sad, hard, demoralizing life of fat person in a world that praises thin.

What a great book. Very informative.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I was really looking forward to reading this and the first I'd say, quarter to half is really good, I really understood the author and the humor since he's a comedian really brought it all to life. I was expecting something like Fortune Feimester level of humor, especially since he mentioned he worked with Chelsea Handler, just like Fortune. But instead of feeling a little good about myself that others have gone through this, it had the opposite effect. I totally got his topics on doctors, etc. and he's right on the money but it just went on and on. Thanks for the opportunity to read the book!

The first half of the book was a great memoir of life as a fat kid with some Hollywood bits mixed in. The second half was kind of odd though and just a strange organization to the book: his sister takes over and it is more a parenting guide with research. Not applicable and didn’t really see a connection to the title with that part.

A very relatable book that was eye opening and authentic. I thought it expressed opinions with authenticity. I understood so much of what this brother - sister duo wrote. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Brave words that will resonate with many.