Earth, My Butt And Other Round Things

by Carolyn Mackler

[Angie]

I am Virginia Shreves. She's smart, has braces, a secret hook-up buddy, and a body that's considered too large by society standards. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things is her journey from hiding herself to becoming the young woman she wants to be whether that's fat or thin, as long as she's doing what she loves. Virginia's family is perfect, so she feels like she doesn't fit. It doesn't help that her mother is constantly making snide comments about her body and weight, and her father is always pointing out the skinny women on TV as attractive. It isn't really until her older brother makes a seemingly harmless comment about her clothes, that Virginia decides to take matters into her own hands. Then her perfect brother does something despicable, and Virginia begins to question everything.

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things was adorable and real and sometimes sad, but overall very hopeful and honest. I could total relate to Virginia as she struggles with her weight and body image. Like her, I feel okay about my body and want to be accepted for how I am, but we're both constantly told our bodies are not acceptable because they're too big. Unlike Virginia, I never resulted to crash dieting and self harm. Both of these are brief periods in her life, but they're handled very respectfully. Virginia ultimately realizes that these things aren't helpful, sustainable, and leave her feeling empty. She needs new ways of coping with her situation and becoming a healthier (and maybe thinner) version of herself.

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things is quite short, so if I say much more, you won't even need to read the book! But you totally should! I loved how the author handled the issues of body image and weight. She made it very clear through the use of a physician that health is more important than weight, but also didn't demonize dieting and exercise. I also like how she handled the crime that Virginia's brother committed. It would have been easy to make it completely blow up, but it doesn't always go that way in real life, so I liked that. Overall, I just really enjoyed this portrayal of a teen girl dealing with life's problems and figuring out who she wants to be.

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