I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I'm Not the New Me
Book Review: Appreciated this book...
Summary: 5 Stars
So happy to read about a woman who does not believe that Weight Loss is the be-all and end-all in life. Book Review: Hilarious, Prickly, Ambivalent, and Honest
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic book about life, love, body image...and about trying not to take any of them too seriously. Wendy McClure is funny and rueful and evocative and not afraid to be a mess from time to time.
"I'm Not the New Me" is the perfect antidote to the monstrous regiments of harpies shrieking "I LOST WEIGHT AND NOW EVERYTHING IS PERFECT" from every imaginable media outlet. McClure pokes at the idea of the "fat girl story"--the inescapable reverse-Bildungsroman of our body-obsessed society--in a quirky, vulnerable way.
This book made me want to ask Wendy out for pancakes. Or to my Pilates class. Whichever she felt like. And thanks for the recipe cards; I'll never mock herring salad without thinking of you, Wendy!
Book Review: A Fun, Light Read
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a story that is familiar to many women who struggle with their weight. The title says it all. We're given conflicting messages in our culture: on one hand we are told to love ourselves and have healthy self esteem no matter who we are or what we look like and on the other hand there are standards of beauty that are very hard to reach in a culture that is rife with affordable, high-calorie foods. Really there is a constellation of issues that we all (men and women) face around the weight issue, but Wendy tells the story in a way that really hits home for women. If you've spent a lifetime working on building a persona based on your heart and brains, how do you then justify a time-consuming and sometimes expensive campaign to change your body when for so long you have claimed to yourself and others that that's not what you're about.
Since reading this memoir I've become a Wendy fan. She's smart and likeable and witty and the articles I've read by her since reading the book are some great pieces of writing. I'm Not the New Me is not for everyone. If you haven't had these types of issues you probably can't relate and won't enjoy this book so much as those of us who have. But, Wendy's writing seems to be getting even better as I follow her articles and I bet we'll see some really great stuff from her in the future that will entertain a broader audience.
Book Review: Average
Summary: 3 Stars
The best things I can say about "I'm Not The New Me" are that it is a quick read and I got it for free. Overall I found it to be a rather bland and inconclusive memoir. In spite of running a personality-driven website (and contributing to the sometimes brilliant Television Without Pity), Wendy McClure never establishes a very distinct voice. Her insights are flat. It lacks both the inspirational quality of weight loss books and the angry political quality of body image manifestos. It seems like a tepid hybrid of the two. The middle ground on these issues could stand to find a better voice, or maybe McClure will work to improve her own. She is a good writer. I just don't think, in spite of her time spent on the topic, that she really has much to say.Book Review: I laughed, I cried, I almost wet my pants...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm Not The New Me is a great read! I could barely put the book down and finished it within a couple days. Wendy McClure shares her triumphs and setbacks in a way that made me laugh out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, especially those who can relate to being overweight at one time or another.