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Fatty Fatty Boom Boom
Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family | Rabia Chaudry
A delicious and mouthwatering book about food and family, the complicated love for both, and how that shapes us into who we are . . . I absolutely loved it! Valerie Bertinelli From the bestselling author and host of the wildly popular Undisclosed podcast, a warm, intimate memoir about food, body image, and growing up in a loving but sometimes oppressively concerned Pakistani immigrant family. "My entire life I have been less fat and more fat, but never not fat." According to family lore, when Rabia Chaudrys family returned to Pakistan for their first visit since moving to the United States, two-year-old Rabia was more than just a pudgy toddler. Dada Abu, her fit and sprightly grandfather, attempted to pick her up but had to put her straight back down, demanding of Chaudrys mother: What have you done to her? The answer was two full bottles of half-and-half per day, frozen butter sticks to gnaw on, and lots and lots of American processed foods. And yet, despite her parents plying her with all the wrong foods as they discovered Burger King and Dairy Queen, they were highly concerned for the future for their large-sized daughter. How would she ever find a suitable husband? There was merciless teasing by uncles, cousins, and kids at school, but Chaudry always loved food too much to hold a grudge against it. Soon she would leave behind fast food and come to love the Pakistani foods of her heritage, learning to cook them with wholesome ingredients and eat them in moderation. At once a love letter (with recipes) to fresh roti, chaat, chicken biryani, ghee, pakoras, shorba, parathay and an often hilarious dissection of life in a Muslim immigrant family, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is also a searingly honest portrait of a woman grappling with a body that gets the job done but that refuses to meet the expectations of others. Chaudry's memoir offers readers a relatable and powerful voice on the controversial topic of body image, one that dispenses with the politics and gets to what every woman who has ever struggled with weight will relate to.
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Sarahreadstoomuch
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed the first half of this book…. I liked her stories of growing up, her family, and all the amazing Pakastani foods. It wasn‘t all nice happy stories, but I was right there with her. The end part, maybe the last 1/3, had a different feel to it and I‘m not sure why. But I have to acknowledge it. Great audio, narrated by the author.

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andioop
Pickpick

Pick, pick, pick, pick, loved this so much. Couldn‘t put it down.

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JenReadsAlot
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed learning about the Pakistani food and culture. So much body shaming too unfortunately.

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Coueriamb
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Mehso-so

I always feel funny reviewing memoirs I didn‘t super like- I did like most of it! Just not the more present parts of her life. It felt like it diverged in tone - which makes sense? Like you can‘t look back on life that is happening at that moment with the same amount of life you‘ve lived looking further back.

Overall- don‘t let the title deter you but be prepared for the shift as it gets closer to current times.

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booklover3258
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Pickpick

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/E29pplU0RCM

Enjoy!

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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

I found Rabia Chaudry extremely likeable and listening to her narrate her story was a real treat. She humorously & honestly shares her immigrant story, growing up surrounded by a loud and loving Pakistani family where food played a huge role. The food descriptions sounded incredible but I did not feel that Rabia displayed a true message of body positivity. She seemed OBSESSED with her weight and never truly accepting of her figure. 👇🏽

Cinfhen She spends thousands of $ attempting to fix her weight by joining gyms, diet programs, hiring personal trainers and even undergoing surgery and yet never seems satisfied with her physical appearance. I felt like this book contained a lot of fat phobia and shaming and while I honestly don‘t believe that was the intention I don‘t think people struggling with their weight will feel any comfort or empowerment. 1y
Cinfhen She does display a ton of female empowerment and she‘s such a gem of a human being!!! 1y
peaKnit I really enjoyed her book about Adnan Syed, the woman is a gem. 1y
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Cinfhen Yes, I loved that book about Adnan and she does go into some of the details about her advocacy work @peaknit she‘s definitely a FORCE!! If this was just marketed as a memoir it would have been perfect but it felt wrong to call this a body positive manifesto. 1y
peaKnit The title alone does not feel body positive. 1y
Cinfhen Right @peaknit ??? It was her childhood nickname 😬lots of fat shaming 1y
peaKnit Starting this one today at last! 13mo
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amma-keep-reading
Pickpick

I really really enjoyed this. I appreciate the author's honesty and vulnerability.

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ReadingisMyPassion
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Pickpick

Her humorous tales of growing up in an immigrant Pakistani family had me chuckling. I especially loved reading about the political history of Pakistan and its culture.

I am sure many people can relate to her family plying her with unhealthful foods (after all, love is food, right?) while, at the same time, being concerned about her being overweight. It was interesting to read of reactions to her weight when she would visit Pakistan as a child.

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Christine
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Overall I quite enjoyed this. Well-written and beautifully narrated (no surprise to those of us who've listened to Rabia on Serial, Undisclosed, and elsewhere), and I especially loved the window into Pakistani/Pakistani American culture and the coming-of-age elements (lots I found relatable in the latter!). Some of her perspectives on food/body/weight don't resonate with me - but they are hers to have, and she shares about them thoughtfully.

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

I hadn‘t heard of Rabia Chaudry before the #TexasBookFest this year. Some of you likely know her for her true crime podcasting and social justice work.

This is a memoir of growing up in a Pakistani family that moved to the US when she was very young, and her relationships to food, food culture, and her own body image. I thought the audio was excellent and that Rabia very thoroughly explains her personal experience and outlook.

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