Title: Dumplin'
Author: Julie Murphy
Pub Date: September 15th, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 384
Petition to make this part of the school curriculum? I can name a bunch of people who would benefit from this being taught in school [one person being me.] - Nova @ Out of Time
You should know that this entire review is a gush. There is nothing about this book I can pick on. I loved it with my soul and even though I didn't cry, I still felt all of the feelings.
First up, the body positivity. I want to address this head on because it is so perfect. From the lady who gives unsolicited advice, to the girl who feels awful about herself, to the main character who's struggling to feel alright, this book covers it all. First up, a mini rant from moi: I absolutely HATE unsolicited advice. When you see someone with for example, acne, do not and I mean do not recommend them a skin care product in the middle of a conversation. And to all of Willowdean's haters? Do not tell her to "go to a gym" or "go on a diet" because same reason. It's hurtful and you're an ass. I feel like some people confuse body positivity with advocating for unhealthy lifestyles and that is simply not true. If having a healthy lifestyle is your priority, do it. If you want to encourage others to join you, don't limit that encouragement to only "fat" people. Newflash: skinny people can be unhealthy. I'm sick of people hiding their fatphobia behind the excuse of trying to promote "health." This book showed examples of both unsolicited advice and the healthy lifestyle and it did it wonderfully. It's always a little different to see things from an outside point of view. I've probably given people unsolicited advice and I never knew it was so hurtful so I'm so glad I learned from reading this.
Also, I can't believe I have to say this but fatshaming does not equal skinny shaming. I saw some things about how calling people "twiggy" [which this book does] is as bad as calling people "fat." My only point is that if you get shamed for being skinny, the media is still reassuring you that you're perfect. If you get fat-shamed, it's practically a pile on. Obviously you shouldn't be "shaming" anyone but I just want to put that out.
Willowdean is like me. I totally understood everything she went through and then some. I'm so glad to be able to read about a girl as strong as her. She constantly goes between her confidence and self doubt. Okay, it is not easy to be confident when you've constantly got people trying to tear you down so I found Will's moments of weakness to be so human and so relatable.
I was able to connect with different parts of different characters. For example, one character has this urge to make everyone like her and at points of the day, I get this. I'm always like, "Why doesn't she like me?" when the truth is that it does not matter at all. In the end, the answer to almost every problem was that it doesn't matter. The things we're stressing so hard to get right does not matter. Sometimes, we look towards others and wonder how they're holding everything together and there's a part in the novel where the audience only sees the front of the dress and how it's all perfect while the back is being held by pins because the stupid dress won't zip up. This was my fave part in the entire book because a) the imagery is stunning and b) it's holds so much truth. We show everyone a finalized view of things and they judge without knowing all the behind-the-scenes work that was put into it. Basically the: "you know my name, not my story" quote but with less melodrama.
And I know this was not the nicest written review. In fact, I feel like this was more of a discussion than a review. Writing wise, this book was well paced and flowed without bumps. Most of my reviews focus on the book but this book was so personal; it hit SO CLOSE to home. You know when you either read something or see something and go, "OH MY GOD YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" and you think it's so cool? [Even cooler when you realize that you/the author have never met?!] I don't feel the need to talk about the writing and the character-driven plot. I just want to talk about how this book made me feel. It made me feel empowered and loved and like I'm not the only person who struggles with having confidence despite telling everyone that I do not give a walking, running, swimming, jumping, flying ____.
Side note: for a book on the topic of reading something that gives you this "OH MY GOD YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" feeling, check out this book.
This book is not just for fat people. This book is for everyone because despite size, all of us feel inadequate at some point in time. Whether it be greasy hair, yellow teeth or the fact that our face is not symmetrical, who cares? Some of these characters got made fun of people of other imperfections like messed up teeth or uneven feet. Dumplin' is about loving the skin we are in and if you've ever felt not good enough on any front, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to connect with this novel.
Author: Julie Murphy
Pub Date: September 15th, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 384
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Chapters Indigo
Petition to make this part of the school curriculum? I can name a bunch of people who would benefit from this being taught in school [one person being me.] - Nova @ Out of Time
You should know that this entire review is a gush. There is nothing about this book I can pick on. I loved it with my soul and even though I didn't cry, I still felt all of the feelings.
First up, the body positivity. I want to address this head on because it is so perfect. From the lady who gives unsolicited advice, to the girl who feels awful about herself, to the main character who's struggling to feel alright, this book covers it all. First up, a mini rant from moi: I absolutely HATE unsolicited advice. When you see someone with for example, acne, do not and I mean do not recommend them a skin care product in the middle of a conversation. And to all of Willowdean's haters? Do not tell her to "go to a gym" or "go on a diet" because same reason. It's hurtful and you're an ass. I feel like some people confuse body positivity with advocating for unhealthy lifestyles and that is simply not true. If having a healthy lifestyle is your priority, do it. If you want to encourage others to join you, don't limit that encouragement to only "fat" people. Newflash: skinny people can be unhealthy. I'm sick of people hiding their fatphobia behind the excuse of trying to promote "health." This book showed examples of both unsolicited advice and the healthy lifestyle and it did it wonderfully. It's always a little different to see things from an outside point of view. I've probably given people unsolicited advice and I never knew it was so hurtful so I'm so glad I learned from reading this.
Also, I can't believe I have to say this but fatshaming does not equal skinny shaming. I saw some things about how calling people "twiggy" [which this book does] is as bad as calling people "fat." My only point is that if you get shamed for being skinny, the media is still reassuring you that you're perfect. If you get fat-shamed, it's practically a pile on. Obviously you shouldn't be "shaming" anyone but I just want to put that out.
Willowdean is like me. I totally understood everything she went through and then some. I'm so glad to be able to read about a girl as strong as her. She constantly goes between her confidence and self doubt. Okay, it is not easy to be confident when you've constantly got people trying to tear you down so I found Will's moments of weakness to be so human and so relatable.
I was able to connect with different parts of different characters. For example, one character has this urge to make everyone like her and at points of the day, I get this. I'm always like, "Why doesn't she like me?" when the truth is that it does not matter at all. In the end, the answer to almost every problem was that it doesn't matter. The things we're stressing so hard to get right does not matter. Sometimes, we look towards others and wonder how they're holding everything together and there's a part in the novel where the audience only sees the front of the dress and how it's all perfect while the back is being held by pins because the stupid dress won't zip up. This was my fave part in the entire book because a) the imagery is stunning and b) it's holds so much truth. We show everyone a finalized view of things and they judge without knowing all the behind-the-scenes work that was put into it. Basically the: "you know my name, not my story" quote but with less melodrama.
And I know this was not the nicest written review. In fact, I feel like this was more of a discussion than a review. Writing wise, this book was well paced and flowed without bumps. Most of my reviews focus on the book but this book was so personal; it hit SO CLOSE to home. You know when you either read something or see something and go, "OH MY GOD YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" and you think it's so cool? [Even cooler when you realize that you/the author have never met?!] I don't feel the need to talk about the writing and the character-driven plot. I just want to talk about how this book made me feel. It made me feel empowered and loved and like I'm not the only person who struggles with having confidence despite telling everyone that I do not give a walking, running, swimming, jumping, flying ____.
Side note: for a book on the topic of reading something that gives you this "OH MY GOD YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" feeling, check out this book.
This book is not just for fat people. This book is for everyone because despite size, all of us feel inadequate at some point in time. Whether it be greasy hair, yellow teeth or the fact that our face is not symmetrical, who cares? Some of these characters got made fun of people of other imperfections like messed up teeth or uneven feet. Dumplin' is about loving the skin we are in and if you've ever felt not good enough on any front, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to connect with this novel.
Julie Murphy lives in North Texas with her husband who loves her, her dog who adores her, and her cats who tolerate her. When she's not writing or trying to catch stray cats, she can be found reading, traveling, or watching movies so bad they're good. Her debut contemporary young adult novel, Side Effects May Vary, is out from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins and has been well-received by Kirkus, School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist, Seventeen Magazine, and Teen Vogue. Dumplin', Julie’s sophomore novel has received glowing reviews including two stars from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Film rights have been optioned by Disney.
Dumplin' seems like such a fantastic read -- body positivity is something we still don't see enough in fiction (although I think I shall include elements in my NaNo project). Will sounds like she's a very authentic teen girl, with her vulnerabilities but also her strong moments.
ReplyDeleteOh I LOVE the feeling of really connecting with a book - it just makes it that much more special. And yes, body positivity is so important, and I don't think we see enough of it in YA.
ReplyDeleteOh Ive heard so much about this book and I'm not sure, I sort of imagine I'll like it, I'm just holding back tad. Oh well. This was a fabulous review, gushing, fangirling, frank and funky, you should be pleased Nova! :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot about this book and can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeletehttps://whimsywriter3.wordpress.com/
Heard so much about this book! I can't wait to read it! I totally want to petition this to be part of all school curriculums too!
ReplyDeleteThis is the second completely rave review for this book that I have read today. And it makes me kind of wary and excited at the same time? Wary because I have also read not-so-great reviews, and because when people love books I am always terrified that I'll hate them. Excited because I wasn't really interested in reading this book but it means a lot to so many people, and I'm thinking there has to be something in there for me?
ReplyDeleteI certainly understand what it feels like to not love parts of yourself, and I think we need books that address this in a positive way. Because of that, I might give this one a go. I mean, it can be really HARD to love the skin you're in, but if we can see characters in books making a difference to that kind of thinking, maybe it'll have a positive ripple effect. I can only hope.
Lovely review, dearie, and I'm glad you liked this one so much <3
I SO WANNA READ THIS BOOK! Like, right now. Ugh pity I have a spooky pile that needs tackling, but I'm so reading this soon! Lovely review, Noelia!
ReplyDelete