Book Review: "T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People" by Ian Karmel and Alisa Karmel

“To be fat in America is to be subject to a ceaseless and powerful campaign to make you feel ashamed of yourself. It happens directly, it happens indirectly, on purpose and by happenstance, but no matter how it happens, it’s cruel and constant and consistent.”

Ian Karmel is a comedian and comedy writer who was the co-head writer for The Late Late Show with James Corden. He’s also struggled with his weight for the majority of his life—he’s weighed as much as 420 pounds and now is comfortable with where he is. (Mostly.)

In this deeply personal, funny, and thought-provoking memoir, Karmel recounts his experiences growing up fat, from his early childhood to the days where he was at his heaviest, as well as his reflections on his journey to a place where he feels more in control of his weight. He touches on everything from dealing with the ridicule of his classmates (not to mention teachers and other adults), the myriad diets he tried, his success as a football player in high school, and what it was like trying to find someone to date.

“Now that I’m an adult, I can see all the terrible places I went, physically and mentally, because I was a fat kid.”

The last section of the book, “What Now?”, is written by Karmel’s sister Alisa, a psychologist who provides counseling for weight-centric concerns. She also struggled with being fat, so her section deals with more of the facts than the feelings.

As someone who has dealt with weight issues for most of my life, this book definitely hit close to home for me. The emotions, the shame, the diet attempts, the reaction of others—my experiences were similar but different. I found this very meaningful and cathartic in a way.