In her opening letter, Jennifer shares her wish that this book will help her become more relatable to readers. She immediately accomplishes that goal on the first page of the first story when she describes her outfit that includes UGG boots. Jennifer Weiner is anything but basic though. She’s a talented, opinionated and friendly author who has overcome personal issues and handled negative reviews.
Jennifer was a gifted student and skipped a grade. It was upsetting to read about how when her dad got mad, he sometimes tore up her books. Of course, she has always been an avid reader. Her mother and Nanna love telling a story about how Jennifer lost her shoes at camp, but never lost a book.
I found it interesting how when she worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she rented a 2-bedroom apartment so she’d have room for an office to write in. At that time, the Princeton grad didn’t know she’d become a bestselling writer, but she made a worthwhile investment in her career.
Reading Jennifer’s thoughts about bodies, fashion and social media not only inspired me to get rid of the holey leggings I wear around the apartment, but to search for other bloggers and models who have a similar body type. Jennifer believes that if you surround yourself with images of beautiful people who look like you, you can establish a new definition of what’s normal. If you only look at skinny women on Instagram, then it’s no wonder you feel embarrassed when you look in the mirror.
Jennifer concludes her thoughts about women’s bodies by adding, “none of us are guaranteed a future. Even a supermodel who’s finally hit her goal weight could step outside and be hit by a bus. Putting off joy until you’re the right size could mean you’ll never experience it at all.”
I don’t judge a book by its cover; I evaluate it by how many times I insert a sticky note. In this case, I added some beige sticky notes that said “yes please” a la Amy Poehler and some navy sticky notes with compasses. I added a beige sticky note when something was funny and it made me crave more! I added a navy sticky note to mark milestones in Jennifer’s career because the compasses clearly represent how she’s going places and influencing a global audience.
Jennifer’s experience in dealing with social pressure due to her size is indeed relatable and I enjoyed it for the same reasons I liked Kelsey Miller’s Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life. All of the stories in Hungry Heart are real and will provide context when you engage with anything else Jennifer produces, whether it be a tweet or a book. Pick up the book if you want to know what it’s like to be in her shoes.