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This month’s selection for RWR Book Club What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon — a powerful, unflinching look at anti-fat bias in culture, medicine, and daily life. Gordon, known to many as “Your Fat Friend,” lays bare the systemic and interpersonal discrimination fat people face and asks us all to reconsider what we think we know about fatness, health, and justice.
This isn’t a book about weight loss or body positivity. It’s about visibility, equity, and the moral urgency of treating fat people with dignity — in healthcare, media, and relationships.
The Book Club What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat Reading Guide:
Book Summary
Aubrey Gordon’s writing is sharp, vulnerable, and deeply informed by lived experience. In this book, she breaks down how fat people are mistreated — not just through rude comments, but through systemic barriers to healthcare, employment, and safety.
She explains how well-meaning people (including friends and doctors) perpetuate harm, and how even conversations that seem “neutral” — like concern trolling or unsolicited advice — can be deeply dehumanizing.
Gordon invites readers to become better allies and to reframe the way we think about fatness — not as a health crisis, but as a civil rights issue.
This Book Is Great If You…
- Are tired of apologizing for your size, opinions, or presence
- Want to laugh, cry, and nod along with stories that feel way too familiar
- Need validation that taking up space is powerful
- Appreciate sharp feminist analysis wrapped in real-life humor
Need a Copy?
Click here to grab your copy on Amazon
Why I Chose This Book
At Results Without Restriction, we talk a lot about how diet culture harms us but What We Don’t Talk About goes beyond personal harm to expose the structural violence fat people endure daily. It’s an essential read for anyone committed to building a more just and inclusive wellness culture and world.
This book will challenge you and that’s exactly why it belongs here.
Suggested 4-Week Reading Plan for Book Club What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat
Week 1: Chapters 1–2 (The Roots of Bias)
Week 2: Chapters 3–5 (Everyday Harm + Medical Discrimination)
Week 3: Chapters 6–8 (Fat People in Public and Policy)
Week 4: Chapters 9–End (Allyship, Visibility, and Liberation)
Journal Prompts
- What assumptions have you internalized about fatness and health?
- How has anti-fat bias shaped the spaces you’re part of — and how could that change?
- What’s one way you can show up differently for fat folks in your life (or online)?
- What does justice look like when it comes to body size?
FAQ
Q: Is this book only for fat readers?
A: Absolutely not. This book is for everyone. If you live in a fat body, you’ll feel seen and validated. If you don’t, you’ll gain critical insights about how to be a better friend, ally, professional, and community member.
Q: Is this a personal memoir or more research-based?
A: It’s both. Gordon blends personal stories with data, research, and social commentary. It’s readable, eye-opening, and grounded in facts.
Q: Does this book offer solutions or just highlight problems?
A: While it centers truth-telling, it also outlines clear steps for allyship, institutional change, and personal reflection. It ends on a powerful note of possibility.
Q: I’m in healthcare or wellness — should I read this?
A: 100%. If you work with people’s bodies in any capacity, this is essential reading. It will help you unlearn bias and offer more ethical, supportive care.
Keywords
- fat bias, anti-fat discrimination, fat acceptance movement, Aubrey Gordon book, fat activism
Check out the other book selections in the RWR Book Club
