Review: They don't make plus size spacesuits

They don't make plus size spacesuits
By Ali Thompson
Genre: Sci-fi short stories

Synopsis

“They don’t make plus size spacesuits” is a sci-fi short story collection, featuring an introductory essay. It is written by long-time fat activist, Ali Thompson of Ok2BeFat.

This book is a incandescent cry from the heart, a radical turn away from utopian daydreaming of future body perfection to center a fat perspective instead. 

Ali invites people to experience a fictional version of a few of the many ways that fatphobia can manifest in a life. The ways that the people closest to fat people can subject them to tiny betrayals on a near constant basis. The disdain that piles up over the years, until it all becomes too large to bear.

And while some of the fatphobic tech in these stories may seem outrageous and downright unbelievable, it is all based on extrapolations of so-called “advances” by the diet industry, as they search for ever more efficient ways to starve people. 

The modern day worship of Health promises a future peopled only by the thin, a world where the War on Fatness is won and only visually acceptable bodies remain.
What will that future mean for the fat people who will inevitably still continue to exist?​

Nothing good.

---

Review

Every once in awhile, a book comes along that hits you right in the gut. Most of the time, this hit in the gut happens when we've been shown some sort of truth that we can relate to or adopt. That is what this book is about. It contains four short stories with characters who all revolve around being fat, obese, and who have experienced instances of fat phobia. 

I experienced so many moments of conflicting emotions in reading this work. On one hand, I felt the mirror of my own experiences and emotions in being a fat woman. On the other hand, I felt the isolation and sadness in recognizing those emotions. The characters in these stories each were so well rounded that it was impossible not to find parts of myself in every one of them. I find that the best writing is the kind where you can find something of yourself in the work. That feeling like...someone has actually seen you. And I think that is so important in a work that talks about how it feels to be fat. 

Everyone should read this book - but if you are also a plus size woman (in particular), know that this book will hit you in a very certain way that is very necessary. Bravo to Ali Thompson for her work. 

About the Author

Ali Thompson is the Bill Nye of fat girls. 

She is the creator of Ok2BeFat, which by an amazing coincidence, is the name of her YouTube channel. 

She's a fat activist, writer, YouTuber, and collage artist. She is a bisexual queer who lives in Philadelphia with her husband Josh and their many cats. 

You can find her on Twitter at @Artists_Ali, where she probably just said something weird.
​
Find out more at alithompson.net


Twitter-
​https://twitter.com/Artists_Ali
Facebook author page- 
https://www.facebook.com/Ali-Thompson-2335079236733387/
Amazon- 
https://www.amazon.com/They-dont-make-plus-spacesuits-ebook/dp/B07QWN8TLB/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Barnes and Noble-
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-dont-make-plus-size-spacesuits-ali-thompson/1131312392?ean=9780578501383
Goodreads-
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17566926.Ali_Thompson

---