Even though you likely won't be able to relate to most of the specifics of her story in one way or another, she writes in a sense that invites the reader to connect with the essential truths beyond the details and reflect on the gross, unfortunate, humiliating, and demoralizing ways that we frame bodies and the people who inhabit those bodies in our society.Īnother huge part of the book revolves around responding to the trauma of being sexually assaulted in her childhood and how that became the impetus for seeing food as safety and food as refuge.
There are few people for which food isn't at least a somewhat fraught topic, but it's so rarely honestly and boldly discussed, and that's likely why this book became so popular. Hunger is comprised of a multitude of short essays that follow a narrative arc generally starting in her childhood and ending in her present thoughts, feelings, and realities around her size and relationship with food. Still, that's the only approach that would allow any substance in a book like this.
This book is quite heavy and does not hold back when it comes to a multitude of potentially harmful or triggering topics, so proceed with caution. Over the years, I've seen Tweets or heard random podcast episodes with Gay, so I was curious to finally read her writing. I was re-reminded of it as Roxane Gay announced she was pulling her podcast from Spotify as not to share airspace with Joe Rogan. It was a book I needed to read for a project, and all I really knew was that this book had been a big deal when it had first come out. When I was looking through my TBR trying to figure out what to read next, I discovered that Hunger was available on audiobook from my library and immediately dove in without reading any kind of summary. TWs: discussion of eating disorders, sexual assault