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This month’s selection for the RWR Book Club Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay — a powerful memoir that dives deep into the complexities of body image, trauma, and self-acceptance.
Table of Contents
Summary
In this selection for the RWR Book Club Hunger, Roxane Gay shares an unflinching and deeply personal narrative about her relationship with her body, food, trauma, and identity. Through brutal honesty and sharp reflection, she explores how her experiences shaped her physical and emotional self. It’s not a book about “overcoming” — it’s a book about living and navigating a world that wasn’t built to accept bodies like hers.
This Book Is Great If You…
- Want a raw, emotional memoir from a queer woman of color
- Are interested in the intersection of trauma and body image
- Are seeking truth-telling around the lived reality of being in a fat body
Need a Copy?
Click here to grab your copy on Amazon
Why I Chose This Book
Roxane Gay’s words are unforgettable. This book doesn’t offer easy answers or tidy resolutions. Instead, it offers something more powerful — honesty. Hunger helps us reflect on our own body stories, trauma, and the pressure to shrink ourselves emotionally and physically. It felt important to include it in this club because it opens up space for conversations we often keep buried.
Suggested 4-Week Reading Plan
Week 1: Chapters 1–15
Week 2: Chapters 16–30
Week 3: Chapters 31–45
Week 4: Chapters 46–End
Journal Prompts
- What parts of Roxane’s story felt familiar to you?
- How has your body image been shaped by your experiences with trauma or rejection?
- Where do you feel pressure to make yourself smaller?
- What does self-care look like in the absence of diet culture?
FAQ
Q: Is this book only for people who identify as fat?
A: No. While Roxane’s experiences are deeply rooted in her identity, this book offers insight, empathy, and connection for anyone who’s struggled with their body.
Q: Is this a hard read emotionally?
A: Yes — and it’s worth it. Go at your own pace and take breaks when you need to.
Q: How does this book connect to the RWR philosophy?
A: At Results Without Restriction, we value nuance, body trust, and honoring lived experience. Hunger embodies all of that — it’s not a “how-to” book, but a reminder that your body tells a story worth listening to, no matter what it looks like.
Q: What makes this book different from other memoirs about weight?
A: Gay’s work centers emotional complexity, not oversimplified solutions. It’s literary, vulnerable, and unwilling to reduce the fat experience to cliché. She explores hunger as a metaphor — for safety, love, autonomy, and control — not just appetite.
Q: Is this a weight loss or transformation story?
A: No. In fact, Hunger challenges those tropes. Roxane Gay does not offer a resolution or redemption arc based on body change. Instead, she offers truth — about living in her body, experiencing trauma, and navigating a world that polices size and survival.
Keywords: body acceptance memoir, trauma and body image, fat representation in literature
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