Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
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- Create Date：2021-06-27 09:54:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Roxane Gay
- ISBN：1472153790
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist: a searingly honest memoir of food， weight， self-image， and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself。
“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big， my body would be safe。 I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble。 I tried to erase every memory of her， but she is still there， somewhere。 。 。 。 I was trapped in my body， one that I barely recognized or understood， but at least I was safe。”
In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog， Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body， using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure， consumption， appearance， and health。 As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined，” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial， between self-comfort and self-care。 In Hunger， she explores her past—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers along on her journey to understand and ultimately save herself。
With the bracing candor， vulnerability， and power that have made her one of the most admired writers of her generation， Roxane explores what it means to learn to take care of yourself: how to feed your hungers for delicious and satisfying food， a smaller and safer body， and a body that can love and be loved—in a time when the bigger you are， the smaller your world becomes。
“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big， my body would be safe。 I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble。 I tried to erase every memory of her， but she is still there， somewhere。 。 。 。 I was trapped in my body， one that I barely recognized or understood， but at least I was safe。”
In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog， Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body， using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure， consumption， appearance， and health。 As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined，” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial， between self-comfort and self-care。 In Hunger， she explores her past—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers along on her journey to understand and ultimately save herself。
With the bracing candor， vulnerability， and power that have made her one of the most admired writers of her generation， Roxane explores what it means to learn to take care of yourself: how to feed your hungers for delicious and satisfying food， a smaller and safer body， and a body that can love and be loved—in a time when the bigger you are， the smaller your world becomes。
Reviews
She-Readers Book Club
，
This book changes the way you think！ What a fantastic memoir。 See my review here https://youtu。be/z5xXqbYhSlU and visit www。shereaders。com to join in on the book club fun！ This book changes the way you think！ What a fantastic memoir。 See my review here https://youtu。be/z5xXqbYhSlU and visit www。shereaders。com to join in on the book club fun！ 。。。more
Leonie
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TW book contains details of gang rape。This one is an intense， difficult read at times。 Roxane speaks with raw vulnerability about what life has been like for her living in a fat body。 “As a woman， as a fat woman， I am not supposed to take up space。 And yet， as a feminist， I am encouraged to believe I can take up space。 I live in a contradictory space where I should try to take up space but not too much of it， and not in the wrong way， where the wrong way is any way where my body is concerned。”“I TW book contains details of gang rape。This one is an intense， difficult read at times。 Roxane speaks with raw vulnerability about what life has been like for her living in a fat body。 “As a woman， as a fat woman， I am not supposed to take up space。 And yet， as a feminist， I am encouraged to believe I can take up space。 I live in a contradictory space where I should try to take up space but not too much of it， and not in the wrong way， where the wrong way is any way where my body is concerned。”“It is a powerful lie to equate thinness with self-worth。” 。。。more
Nicole Smeltekop
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Wow。 This is such an honest memoir。 Roxane does an amazing job discussing the confusion after experiencing sexual assault as a child。 The ways our underdeveloped brains try to figure out how to keep us safe have long term repercussions and take years to unpack。 Putting words to that experience is HARD and she nailed it。 Love love love。
joyfullyfrances
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This book answered alot of questions I had about abuse and body insecurities。 It is well written， she manages to share her story without falling into the trap of saying too much。
Sylwia
，
To， co ujęło mnie najbardziej， to stan abslolutnej i całkowitej świadomości autorki， jej trzeźwy umysł i piękna diagnoza otoczenia。
Allison Hartley
，
Wow。
Grace E
，
I loved this book。 It was pretty triggering for me with the discussion of weight loss/ ED。 I got through it because I felt like Gay was sitting next to me while I read。
Jowita Mazurkiewicz
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W pamiętniku Roxane Gay cenię przede wszystkim szczerość， która jest niewygodna， bezkompromisowa i nieudramatyzowana， bezpośredniość， z jaką autorka studiuje własny wstyd i napiętnowanie， lekcję empatii， jakiej udziela czytelnikom， nie oferując przy tym jednak żadnych łatwych rozwiązań。 Wydaje mi się， że nie da się nie podejść do Głodu emocjonalnie， jeśli ma się jakkolwiek skomplikowaną relację ze swoim ciałem。 Gay strukturyzuje opowieść w taki sposób， że z łatwością można jednocześnie przygląda W pamiętniku Roxane Gay cenię przede wszystkim szczerość， która jest niewygodna， bezkompromisowa i nieudramatyzowana， bezpośredniość， z jaką autorka studiuje własny wstyd i napiętnowanie， lekcję empatii， jakiej udziela czytelnikom， nie oferując przy tym jednak żadnych łatwych rozwiązań。 Wydaje mi się， że nie da się nie podejść do Głodu emocjonalnie， jeśli ma się jakkolwiek skomplikowaną relację ze swoim ciałem。 Gay strukturyzuje opowieść w taki sposób， że z łatwością można jednocześnie przyglądać się swoim doświadczeniom， swoim wstydom。 To cenna lektura， chociaż nie zachwyciła mnie， a tego niestety oczekiwałam。 Być może zabrakło mi nieco głębiej sproblematyzowanego wywodu kulturoznawczego oraz narzędzi poszukiwania autonomii。 Ale to moje oczekiwania。 Roxane Gay napisała to， tak jak tego chciała i potrzebowała， i chwała jej za to。 。。。more
Eva M。
，
Książka na bardzo ważny temat， bardzo wnikliwie pokazująca wielorakie aspekty funkcjonowania kobiety w ciele totalnie nieprzystającym do ogólnie akceptowanych schematów。 Na pewno wielu osobom może otworzyć oczy， dać lekcję empatii。 Napisana bardzo prostym językim， co nie do końca mi pasowało oraz miejscami niepotrzebnie przeładowana powtórzeniami。
Magda M
，
this memoir is one of the most important i've read， on what i would argue is both a cultural and personal level。 personal--i mean for me personally to have read。 i wish this book had existed when i was younger and in the process of dealing with my own assault， because the way it speaks to shame， and 'the after' is one of the most validating of my own lived experience， and important aspects of the work （in my experiencing of it）。 i am soooo grateful that it exists for others to read， and i hope i this memoir is one of the most important i've read， on what i would argue is both a cultural and personal level。 personal--i mean for me personally to have read。 i wish this book had existed when i was younger and in the process of dealing with my own assault， because the way it speaks to shame， and 'the after' is one of the most validating of my own lived experience， and important aspects of the work （in my experiencing of it）。 i am soooo grateful that it exists for others to read， and i hope it allows others to feel some relief as well， even though this idea， or desire is fraught and flawed。 gay's vulnerability offers insight into so many aspects of existence， identity， and trauma， and i hope that people leave this book with more compassion， understanding， and anger at the way that we treat each other， and the way we allow others to treat others。 i hope it helps people to address their shame， and think about the way trauma accumulates， and i hope it aids in the larger conversation around rape culture， victims， racism， and anti-fatness。 i have so much gratitude for this writer and her work。 。。。more
Isabel
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FANTASTIC。 Everyone needs to read this。 Roxane's writing is brilliant， vulnerable， and important。 FANTASTIC。 Everyone needs to read this。 Roxane's writing is brilliant， vulnerable， and important。 。。。more
Loren
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I listened to this book and hearing Roxane read her own words made it all the more powerful。 This is a necessary read。 It was necessary for her to write it and it’s necessary for us to read it。
Cara Ducasse
，
I loved this book。 I was able to relate to Ms Gay and hearing that other people have similar struggles in empowering to me。
Nat
，
Really loved getting some perspective on the social pressure of fitting outside very rigid norms of body image。 Equally heartbreaking as it is empowering。 Recognised halfway thru that 'finding a partner' shows and 'losing weight' reality shows are based on exactly the same shaming and ridicule， that rarely has any lasting positive effects on the protagonists。 Really loved getting some perspective on the social pressure of fitting outside very rigid norms of body image。 Equally heartbreaking as it is empowering。 Recognised halfway thru that 'finding a partner' shows and 'losing weight' reality shows are based on exactly the same shaming and ridicule， that rarely has any lasting positive effects on the protagonists。 。。。more
Sarah
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I didn't enjoy this book in a way I have enjoyed other books。 There is a quality about it that made it feel important that I finish it and hear this story。 There's an urgency to the writing and a demand to be witnessed。 There were parts that deeply resonated with me and parts I felt super alienated from。 The beauty of this book is how individualistic it is - it's a very specific account of Gay's experience with her body。 It isn't meant to be universalising， and I think that's what I loved about I didn't enjoy this book in a way I have enjoyed other books。 There is a quality about it that made it feel important that I finish it and hear this story。 There's an urgency to the writing and a demand to be witnessed。 There were parts that deeply resonated with me and parts I felt super alienated from。 The beauty of this book is how individualistic it is - it's a very specific account of Gay's experience with her body。 It isn't meant to be universalising， and I think that's what I loved about it。 It feels like I bore witness to something radical in someone saying this is my story， my memoir， my unique pathway through the world so far。 At times it was repetitive and I felt the book could have been two thirds as long and twice as compelling as a result。 I'm glad I read it though。 。。。more
Tresha Green
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This book hit too close to home。
Rae （Serial Twinz）
，
Review of this amazing memoirs coming soon。。。
Ryan
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I listened to the audio narrated by the author herself。 Going into this， I knew absolutely nothing about Roxane Gay except that she was "that feminist lady"。 This book was an eye-opening look at her past and how her past brought her where she is today， how her past impacted her body。 At times I felt she was a bit repetitive but I overall was very engaged in what she had to say。 Her struggles with her body， her image， and what it was that got her her are so incredibly sad， but relatable。 You coul I listened to the audio narrated by the author herself。 Going into this， I knew absolutely nothing about Roxane Gay except that she was "that feminist lady"。 This book was an eye-opening look at her past and how her past brought her where she is today， how her past impacted her body。 At times I felt she was a bit repetitive but I overall was very engaged in what she had to say。 Her struggles with her body， her image， and what it was that got her her are so incredibly sad， but relatable。 You could tell that she didn't write this book easily， how hard it was for her to tell her story。I appreciate what she's done here and I appreciate she took the time to wear her past and her struggles on her sleeve。 Thank you， Roxane！ 。。。more
Laura Nunez
，
Hunger is gut-wrenching， incredibly vulnerable， and brave。 In Hunger， Roxanne Gay tells the story of her body and how being raped as a child caused her to eat and eat until her body became a fortress against male violence。 Gay is honest about the ways her body limits her mobility and limits the ways she relates with others while simultaneously calling out the violence of fatphobia present in the medical field， diet culture， and our collective understanding of femininity。 Gay eventually finds her Hunger is gut-wrenching， incredibly vulnerable， and brave。 In Hunger， Roxanne Gay tells the story of her body and how being raped as a child caused her to eat and eat until her body became a fortress against male violence。 Gay is honest about the ways her body limits her mobility and limits the ways she relates with others while simultaneously calling out the violence of fatphobia present in the medical field， diet culture， and our collective understanding of femininity。 Gay eventually finds herself on a path towards healing and realizes that her body is no longer a fortress but a cage that is no longer keeping her safe。 She allows us to witness her journey of self-forgiveness and self-compassion as she develops a love for cooking and baking and allows love into her life。 I found Gay’s reflections about fat bodies and boundaries/standards in relationships especially powerful。 Read hunger if you are interested in the intersection of race， sexuality， and fatphobia。 。。。more
Peacejanz
，
This is an excellent book - just not the book for me。 Roxanne Gay is a feminist， a fantastic writer and a large woman。 The book is a history/autobiography of her life as a big person。 She was sexually abused as a child and had always used food to ease fears， avoid truth， compensate for her looks （to herself）。 It is personal， painful and an ideal book for someone who has identity problems with her self-image。 Thankfully， that is not my area of problems - it was interesting to read the various pro This is an excellent book - just not the book for me。 Roxanne Gay is a feminist， a fantastic writer and a large woman。 The book is a history/autobiography of her life as a big person。 She was sexually abused as a child and had always used food to ease fears， avoid truth， compensate for her looks （to herself）。 It is personal， painful and an ideal book for someone who has identity problems with her self-image。 Thankfully， that is not my area of problems - it was interesting to read the various problems that she had with body and body image but I did not really learn anything about myself。 Nevertheless， a good book。 。。。more
Kay
，
In one of their more recent videos， someone I watch somewhat regularly said， “reading books builds empathy”。 I love that about books， and this book in particular is extremely effective in that regard。
Michele
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I felt humbled to read such a courageous memoir。 Gay writes with open vulnerability of her life and body。 I really feel like it was a life changing look into her life as an “overweight” person。 I thank her so much for sharing her story。 As always she is also a phenomenal writer。
Sandrine
，
I was a bit confused by the absence of structure in the memoir。 Many repetitions。 I felt touched by the story of her body， her courage and vulnerability。 I hope this book will help to change how people perceive their bodies and other people's body。 I was a bit confused by the absence of structure in the memoir。 Many repetitions。 I felt touched by the story of her body， her courage and vulnerability。 I hope this book will help to change how people perceive their bodies and other people's body。 。。。more
Millie Stephen
，
An extremely heartfelt， and heartbreaking memoir that is so intimate and sensitive - not one that I could give a star rating to as I feel it’s unfair。 This isn’t my memoir， it’s incredibly vulnerable， honest and poignant。 Roxane Gay’s memoir of her body， and her relationship with eating gave me a lot of food for thought。 I feel this is a rather necessary read for us white women who have a ‘thin’ or body that is deemed acceptable by society。 An incredibly powerful and raw piece of writing that I An extremely heartfelt， and heartbreaking memoir that is so intimate and sensitive - not one that I could give a star rating to as I feel it’s unfair。 This isn’t my memoir， it’s incredibly vulnerable， honest and poignant。 Roxane Gay’s memoir of her body， and her relationship with eating gave me a lot of food for thought。 I feel this is a rather necessary read for us white women who have a ‘thin’ or body that is deemed acceptable by society。 An incredibly powerful and raw piece of writing that I don’t want to give too much away on - but I really enjoyed and definitely made me acknowledge my privilege further。 In some places I did feel that it was repetitive but after reading feel that this could have been really emphasises what Gay was writing。 Overwhelming at times， but so worth a read。TW for rape/sexual abuse/fatphobia and eating disorders。 。。。more
Alina Murcar
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Raw， beautiful， difficult， rewarding， and awakening。 This book was a page-turner to say the least。 I was captivated by Roxanne’s writing and story。 She is truly changing the world。
Bridget
，
Heavy， heavy topic that must’ve taken an immense amount of courage to write about， but a truly fantastic read。 I love Gay’s writing style。
Tzurky
，
First， trigger warnings for sexual assault and eating disorders。 And this whole book is one long drawn-out trigger for fat-shaming （which is one of my deeply rooted formative experiences）。 I would also like to take this opportunity to thank every dude I ever met （even the one that ghosted me after I flew out to him） for basically being a （halfway） decent human being。 Jesus Christ， I never knew I was so lucky to be an awkward nerdy wallflower in MY school （as opposed to hers）。 Anyway， this book w First， trigger warnings for sexual assault and eating disorders。 And this whole book is one long drawn-out trigger for fat-shaming （which is one of my deeply rooted formative experiences）。 I would also like to take this opportunity to thank every dude I ever met （even the one that ghosted me after I flew out to him） for basically being a （halfway） decent human being。 Jesus Christ， I never knew I was so lucky to be an awkward nerdy wallflower in MY school （as opposed to hers）。 Anyway， this book was a very strong systemic shock。 As stupid as it sounds （because the book outright states it’s a memoir）， I had really expected an essay or opinion piece disguised as a memoir。 That is not at all what I got。 This is also the most brutally honest memoir I have read。 I’m not a big fan of the genre and I did read mostly the glossy， “produced” versions of the genre where you get a very carefully posed image of a particular side of the person and not at all anything approaching “the real thing”， but I really did not expect this to be such a soul-baring endeavour。 It was。 Whatever you may think of the author （and I had started out very disappointed in her Twitter-like apodeictic statements）， you absolutely cannot fault her for her commitment to comprehensive honesty and vulnerability。 She really tells it all and most of it is not only intimate but so very unpleasant， ugly and shocking that there is just no doubt that this is the full unmitigated truth。 That takes a level of courage I do not and will probably never possess。 In fact leaving a too large and prominent footprint of my thoughts online is one of my biggest fears （and yes， I’m aware of the irony）。 Not only is it truthful and hurtful though， it is also incredibly compelling。 I read the whole thing in one sitting because I just immediately connected with and understood her as a person。 And I so desperately wanted her to succeed in overcoming her self-image and finally allowing herself to live her best life。 She may make a big show of how she spent so much time incapable of self-reflection， but this is an excellent showing of that particular skill and I really grew to respect her as an intellectual person and as a writer。 She has a simple and straightforward prose with short， clear unadorned sentences which is perfect for delivering the utter gut punches she has in store for you。 In my view， the sparseness of the language brought forth the passion behind the writing more clearly。 And she writes very very passionately， whether she’s describing anger， sadness or love。 It honestly really got to me because she expresses her feelings and thoughts so well。 Thankfully， the book ends on a more positive note and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief。 So kudos to her， she sounds like she has finally dragged herself out of the whole she was pushed into and that makes me very happy。 There is very little worse than seeing people you care about be self-destructive and take bad care of themselves because they think they don’t deserve better。 I confess to wanting to slap her out of that bullshit through most of the narrative。 So I’m really relieved that she found the light at the end of the tunnel and all the other people got through her thick skull with their love。 More power to them all。I’d recommend this to people that have been affected by body image issues and those that hold them dear。 I think it can be cathartic and I even enjoyed it。 。。。more
Cara Hedgepeth
，
I was enthralled by Roxane’s storytelling from the beginning。 Her memoir is honest and funny and heartbreaking all at the same time。 I was drawn to her honesty about how she feels in and about her body and how she lets the reader in on her family life， love life and professional writing career。
Elizabeth
，
A starkly honest look into a life I have not experienced， but I very much appreciate the openness to help me understand and relate to those unlike me。
Cordelia
，