POETRY & LITERATURE
Bountiful Women: Large Women's Secrets for Living the Life They Desire
by Bonnie Bernell, Carmen Renee Berry
Many web sites are devoted to "bountiful women" (size 14 plus), who, according to the foreword, comprise half of America's female population. The popular press, however, does not often address this audience, so this work is a welcome addition to the self-help shelf. Bernell, a practicing psychologist in California, encourages readers to accept their bodies and relates how to deal with parental and employer disapproval, assumptions by society (especially by airlines, theaters, and restaurants) that everyone fits into a size 12 seat, and the "If I'm large, I'm unlovable" attitude. Comparable to Marilyn Wann's Fat! So? (LJ 12/98) and Camryn Manheim's Wake Up, I'm Fat! (LJ 5/1/99), this work offers clear and practical suggestions for building self-esteem and coping with everyday problems like asking for a seatbelt extender without embarrassment. Bernell would have better served her audience, however, with a brief discussion of the health risks bountifulness poses. That qualm aside, this is recommended for public libraries. Margaret Cardwell, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Self-Esteem Comes in All Sizes:
How to Be Happy and Healthy At Your Natural Weight
by Carol A. Johnson
Be happy and healthy at your natural weight with a title which promotes loving oneself at any weight. Johnson struggled with failed diet plans since childhood: she’s discovered weight is not a measure of self-worth, and her book recounts her experiences and tells how to develop new assessments for self-esteem.
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Working With Groups to Explore Food & Body Connections:
Eating Issues, Body Image, Size Acceptance, Self-Care (Structured Exercises in Healing)
by Sandy Stewart Christian This innovative collection of 36 group processes gathered from experts around the country tackles complex and painful issues nearly everyone is concerned about- dieting, weight, healthy eating, fitness, body image, and self esteem-using a whole person approach that advocates health and fitness for people of all sizes.
About the Author : An empathic therapist and creative workshop leader, Sandy Stewart Christian has devoted two decades to helping people heal from life traumas, including the pain of being overweight. Sandy also is editor of Working with Groups on Family Issues and the fifth volumes of Structured Exercises in Stress Management and Wellness Promotion.
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