With her signature acerbic wit and captivating insight, the author of the wildly popular Straight Up and Dirty offers a powerful and beautifully stark portrait of adolescence While she is pregnant with twins, one sentence uttered by her doctor sends Stephanie Klein reeling: "You need to gain fifty pounds." Instantly, an adolescence filled with insecurity and embarrassment comes flooding back. Though she is determined to gain the weight for the health of her babies--even if it means she'll "weigh more than a Honda"--she can only express her deep fear by telling her doctor simply, "I used to be fat." Klein was an eighth grader with a weight problem. It was a problem at school, where the boys called her "Moose," and it was a problem at home, where her father reminded her, "No one likes fat girls." After many frustrating sessions with a nutritionist known as the fat doctor of Roslyn Heights, Long Island, Klein's parents enrolled her for a summer at fat camp. Determined to return to school thin and popular, without her "lard arms" and "puckered ham," Stephanie embarked on a memorable journey that would shape more than just her body. It would shape her life. In the ever-shifting terrain between fat and thin, adulthood and childhood, cellulite and starvation, Klein shares the cutting details of what it truly feels like to be an overweight child, from the stinging taunts of classmates, to the off-color remarks of her own father, to her thin mother's compulsive dissatisfaction with her own body. Calling upon her childhood diary entries, Klein reveals her deepest thoughts and feelings from that turbulent, hopeful time, baring her soul and making her heartache palpable. Whether Klein is describing her life as a chubby adolescent camper--getting weighed on a meat scale, petting past curfew, and "chunky dunking" in the lake--or what it's like now as a fit mother, having one-sided conversations with her newborn twins about the therapy they'll one day need, this hilarious yet grippingly vulnerable book will remind you what it was like to feel like an outsider, to desperately seek the right outfit, the right slang, the best comeback, or whatever that unattainable something was that would finally make you fit in. Marie Claire, for Straight Up and Dirty
"Stephanie Klein’s raw account of divorce at age 29 is refreshingly honest and funny, without delving into cheesy chick-lit territory. You’ll easily relate to Klein--even if you don’t have a 'wasband.'" USA Today
"Klein is a talented writer who tells the story of her love life with boldness and irreverence." Publishers Weekly
"Klein’s sense of humor is downright wicked . . . a great, fun read." New York Times
"Nothing, it seems, is too private not to share with . . . Ms. Klein’s legions of followers. And that is exactly how they like it." People
"You could call her ‘a real-life Carrie Bradshaw,’ but it wouldn’t do Klein justice. With a fearless voice, the blogger weaves a memoir filled with heartbreak and humor . . . a compelling writer." Kirkus Reviews
"Candid . . . inspiring . . . With vivid characterizations, spot-on locale descriptions and sly jokes at her own expense, Klein offers an original and touching take on the all-too-common problem of childhood obesity." Elle, for Straight Up and Dirty
"Klein’s appeal comes not just from her nocturnal wonderings, but from her relentless plumbing of what went wrong in her twenties and how those mistakes inform her present." Daily News, for Straight Up and Dirty
"[Stephanie Klein’s] confessional, intimate writing style has a magnetic and often voyeuristic appeal that transcends the gloss of her Sex and the City-style escapades." Susan Shapiro, author of Lighting Up, for Straight Up and Dirty
"A kooky, heartfelt, and ultimately triumphant chronicle of young divorce and the importance of family, friends, and a good shrink." Marie Claire (UK), for Straight Up and Dirty
"Beneath the wisecracking tales of solo supermarket shopping, phone therapy and Hamptons houseshares, the raw emotion about her divorce and nightmare mother-in-law rings true." |
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 How evil is something called "fat camp"? Read this to find out. |
| Review Date: May 14, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Molly McCaffrey, |
If you feel like ANY of the things you have ever done to lose weight--or to feel better about your body--are at all messed up, then you have simply got to read Stephanie Klein's Moose. I just finished it a few weeks ago, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it it might be one of the best books I've ever read.
It's definitely one of the most important.
Moose is a memoir about Klein's experience growing up "fat" and being shipped off to fat camp by her somewhat unsympathetic parents.
I put the word "fat" in quotation marks because, as I mentioned in my "Fat is off the list" blog post, I don't think that word is productive, but also because Klein was never really fat.
Chubby, yes. But not fat.
If you don't believe me, see the pictures on my blog that prove it. . . [...]
Though the book doesn't exactly chronicle how Klein finally kicks the fat habit, it does beautifully narrate her horrific experiences trying to lose weight any way she could while growing up in a world that does not accept people who struggle with weight. Ironically, when Klein goes to fat camp, she is one of the thinnest people there, and as a result, becomes popular and sought-after. As it turns out, even at fat camp, skinny wins.
But what's so moving about this book is that Klein goes through what we all--fat or not--went through when we were young: feeling unattractive, struggling to fit in, and just wanting to be normal.
Sadly, Klein's parents offer little understanding of her situation. At one point, the whole family goes to a "pay what you weigh" dinner, and when Klein refuses to get on the scale, rather than empathize, they tell her that the whole world is prejudiced against fat people and that she'll be much happier if she loses weight.
Ouch.
It's to Klein's credit that she doesn't shy away from painting her mother and father as imperfect--if ultimately loving--parents.
As a result, it's hard not to be completely moved by how challenging it is for Klein to experience adolescence with an extra thirty pounds to lug around and parents who are pushing her to eat lighter fare while scooping out the scalloped potatoes for themselves. And this is why you can't help but walk away from the book with a better understanding of the fact that your own adolescence--no matter how awkward--wasn't that bad by comparison. This is because when young Stephanie suffers from the taunts of her peers or--worse yet--her parents and teachers (one of whom insists she admit she's "gorda"--or fat--in Spanish class), so do you, and the book is obviously better for it.
This is a must-read for any woman who has ever struggled with weight or body issues.
In other words, it's a must-read for all of us. |
boring and whiny
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| Review Date: April 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: sphery, Columbus, oh United States |
| I felt Klein's book could have been about a hundred pages shorter and had a similar effect. I understand that the novel was a "memoir of fat camp" but there were so many excruciatingly boring details about camp life (even to me, as a person who has never been to a summer camp). I also felt that Klein was not a likable narrator. She is simultaneously looking for sympathy for being the fat kid, while reminding the reader she wasn't even really the fat kid. I wish I had spent my time reading something more interesting. By the time I realized how little I was enjoying it, I felt I had to finish. I would never recommend this. |
A battle with weight that never really ends
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| Review Date: January 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: PT Cruiser, CA USA |
Reading this book made me feel sad for Stephanie Klein, growing up as an overweight child, being teased by not only other children but by her parents, resulting in a poor body image that never really went away, even when she became an adult. Worrying about gaining weight when she became pregnant and dreading each extra pound, at a time she should have been overjoyed at having a child showed just how deeply it affected her.
Most of the book dealt with her experiences as a child/teenager at summer camp. From what she tells us she was one of the "less overweight" children at the camp and had an attitude that sometimes came across as being aloof or stuck up which didn't help her in making friends. She decides to "reinvent" herself at camp with only marginal success. Still, she makes some lifelong friends comes away with many good memories along with the bad ones.
She's obsessed with boys, even in her first year at camp and some of her relationships that last only two or three days had me laughing on one hand, but feeling sorry for her desperate attempts at gaining approval from other people which she obviously needed. As her memoir continued, you could begin to see the causes in her often dysfunctional family life that led to her poor self image and her sometimes fanatical attempts to make things better. Some of the experiences at "fat camp" seemed to drag on a little too long and because she skips around in time in some chapters it was occasionally hard to follow. But for the most part it was an interesting read and almost anyone who has had to lose weight over the years could probably find something to identify with in her struggles.
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Not what I wanted
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| Review Date: December 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Leonard, Big Rapids, MI |
I waited a long time with this one on my wishlist at Paperbackswap. I finally got a copy, and tried to let it sit on my shelf for awhile (since I had other books that should have had their turn next), but I ended up reading it almost right away.
I was most excited about the camp aspect, because I was a big camp person in my youth. I spent many, many years at a youth camp, and really wanted to hear a story from a camp aspect. What I found instead was a camp story with mostly narratives and monologues from Stephanie (the author) about why the certain event happened that way or how it had made her feel later. Which, normally I wouldn't mind, except I really wanted that camp aspect.
That being said, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping. I wanted a lot more dialogue and camp events and stories, and it was mostly focused on her weight and the issues surrounding that. I guess I'll be on the look-out for another camp story to quench my summer camp thirst!
Book Cover: 8/10
Book Title: 9/10
Plot: 6/10
Characters: 6/10
Ending: 7/10
Overall: 7/10 |
Good if you relate to the subject
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| Review Date: November 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dr Cathy Goodwin, Seattle, WA USA |
This book was sent to me for review. I rated it four stars because the writing is good and the author is honest. Apparently there's a sub-genre of memoir relating to weight issues and that's where this book fits. If you relate to the topic, you'll like this book.
A major part of the book is devoted to Stephanie's first summer at "fat camp." This camp seemed fairly benign, as camps go. She made friends and even developed a love interest, which was actually reciprocated. She had some moments of humiliation. But mostly, the story seemed like just another camp story, with counselors, chores and color war. I was impressed that Stephanie liked the structure and responded to the reward system. I was also impressed with her ability to swim and to have fun in that environment. Unfortunately, I got bogged down in the details of camp minutiae and started skipping pages.
What fascinated me was the contrast between the crazy people trying to help Stephanie deal with her weight problem and her own serene, sensible parents. Her parents didn't overreact when Stephanie reported just one episode of what could be bulimia. They seemed sensible, although their efforts to help Stephanie seemed somewhat misguided.
Contrasting with Stephanie and her parents were the "experts." The therapist she calls "Fran" dispensed advice and concern, but also seemed a little strange. The camp featured a resident psychiatrist who clearly was out of touch. I kept wishing someone would just get Stephanie involved in some activities where she would excel so she could go beyond herself. She was a really good swimmer, which means she could excel there or even branch out to other sports. I also wondered why her parents (who seemed quite comfortably off) didn't consider a private school where Stephanie could bolster her self-esteem, instead of spending all that money on "fat camp" and weight loss programs.
When Stephanie herself becomes a counselor at the same fat camp she attended, she says she wishes she could give the campers a message of self-acceptance, although she doesn't use those words. She seems to have found an amazing husband who refuses to answer the killer question, "Do I look fat?" Instead he loves Stephanie, not her weight.
When Stephanie can love herself the same way, she'll have achieved victory.
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The tyranny of self-image
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| Review Date: November 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Joseph Haschka, Glendale, CA USA |
"A tall senior named Otis tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, he megaphoned, `Mooooooooose,' in a voice so deep and loud that the clump of students around us parted ... His friends laughed and boomed it along with him. They continued to repeat it, even after I'd slammed my locker closed and ripped down the halls. I heard the low even tone, Moooooose, now accompanied by a rhythmic stomping of feet, even after I turned down a new corridor. A deep foreign sound came from my mouth, almost the sob of a man. I pressed my hands to my mouth and tried to contain it. I coughed and breathed through my nose, pushing harder against my mouth as the tears slipped out. I didn't know where to go." - Author Stephanie Klein in MOOSE
"I became convinced that if there were less of me, there'd somehow be more to love ... If I took care of my appearance, looking just so, if I lost weight and became the envy of others, Poppa would love me more. I thought this for a very long time. And I felt it with every boy I've ever dated, certain each suitor would want me more, want me longer, want me back if I lost a few pounds ... My father said I could be prettier and happier. I wanted so much to be someone other than me, to give him an angelic, beautiful, trim daughter, instead of what I was: Moose." - Author Stephanie Klein in MOOSE
Unlike memoirs of a happy childhood, e.g. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson, Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin, or Our Hearts Were Young And Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920s by Cornelia Otis Skinner, MOOSE by Stephanie Klein is the mostly sad and painful story of an adolescent girl coping with obesity. Now, as an adult, the author is able to inject into the narrative some elements of self-deprecatory humor, which keeps the story from being totally depressing. The bulk of the text ostensibly deals with her experiences at a summer-long "fat camp" attended between her eighth and ninth grades, though she states up front that the events she chronicles were condensed from five such camps she attended both as a camper and a counselor.
A final section of five chapters chronicles her adult life dealing with weight fluctuations. Inasmuch as they affected her love relationships, the story at this point potentially becomes much more insightful to the mature reader. ("I spent my whole single life trying to be thin just to find someone who'd love me once I got fat.") Indeed, the up and down cycles of relationships in the context of particular foods and the circumstances under which they were eaten are brilliantly told.
"I'd drink too much, and we'd argue over plans and friends and parents. He'd fall asleep angry. I'd eat quiet foods straight from the fridge. Custard. Whipped potatoes. Lemon curd. In the morning there'd be soft-boiled eggs, strips of fried bacon, and apologies."
I believe that most, if not all, adolescents and teenagers, even the "popular" ones, are tormented by flawed self-images: too fat, too short, too many zits, too undeveloped or over-developed breasts, too large a nose, crooked teeth and braces, glasses, whatever. In my own fourth grade, there was an obese girl who, if that wasn't enough to invite mockery, had an in-class episode of fecal incontinence. One who was not there can only imagine the reaction of her classmates. She left soon thereafter and we never saw her again. MOOSE reminds us of the unbridled cruelty of children, not unique among youth but rather because children are not yet adults who've learned that such meanness invites social repercussions back onto themselves. For the grown-up to get ahead in social milleux, one's innate human capacity for viciousness needs to be curtailed; but it always remains under the surface.
MOOSE is a must-read coming of age story in the midst of which the reader is likely to forget that, in some of the world's societies, it's the Rubenesque female that sets the standard for physical beauty.
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Klein channels that little voice in many women's heads
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| Review Date: October 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Erin K. Simons, Central Indiana |
Less than a page into "Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp," I knew I had discovered a new favorite writer "voice." Author Stephanie Klein is hysterical - she writes with a self-depricating, slightly baudy humor that really reeled me in. The story -- a composite of Klein's own teen experiences at five years worth of fat camps -- may not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. I wasn't an overweight kid, but I was a camper, and Klein's recounting of "chunky dunking", sneaking out after lights out to visit the boys camp, prank raids and other summer camp milestones are pretty universal.
However, readers should know that there are some meaty issues tackled here, too. Klein dabbles in bulemia to control her weight, and is taught by another teen exactly how to make herself throw up. (I found that part especially cringe-worthy.) She encounters a lot of cruelty from her peers and even from her parents. And as a grown-up, now-thin pregnant mom, Klein still struggles with her weight -- although now, she struggles to allow herself to gain the weight she needs to for her babies without guilt about getting fat.
Many of us have weight issues -- whether they're in our heads, or on our bodies. I think "Moose" is a great read, but it's not exactly a triumphant story of a fat girl that got thin and lived Happily Ever After. Of course, if you're looking for a story like that, there's lots of great chick lit out there that should fit the bill |
Well written, brutally honest
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| Review Date: September 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: BookLover from PA, East Coast |
This was a well written and interesting memoir by an established author.
More than anything, I was impressed by Klein's candor. I know few people who would be so open about not only their eating/weight disorder, budding sexuality (including masturbation) but also their family dysfunction involving ugly episodes with family members still very much alive.
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A little hard to get though
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| Review Date: August 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Watkinson, Studio City |
I'm a pretty easy audience, but I found this book hard to get through. I found myself guiltily skimming through lengthy passages.
I also thought the book jumped around too much. She will be telling you an engaging story when bam! she's off on a tangent, telling you about how this moment reminds her of another time or person in her life. I kept thinking, "Wait a minute! I want to hear more about that first story. Where are you going?"
I also found her hard to like. I think she should be given credit for being blunt and honest, but sometimes that honesty led me to not root for her in the way I think she wanted me to.
Like a lot of the other readers, I think she could have cut the book down to just fat camp. She does a good job of taking you into that world, but then pushes you out. For the rest of the book you find yourself floating around, reading bits and pieces of her life until present.
I think that this book might have a stronger impact for someone who was a heavy kid or an outcast in general. I think she does a great job of describing that type of isolation and self-hatred, and for that, I give the book a solid 3 stars. |
Relate-able
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| Review Date: August 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Robin, |
| A good summer read, being about camp and all. If you went to camp, have ever struggled with weight or body image, or are interested in an articulate memoir about someone like all of us, I definitely recommend this book. |
yawn
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| Review Date: April 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Adams, |
| I recently checked this out of the library. Read half. Boring and repetitive. Yawn. Read it for free if you must read it at all. |
It just wouldn't end
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| Review Date: January 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: BJ Knapp, |
The book is well written, but after awhile I started to count the pages until the end. I was ready to move on to another book. But I wanted to finish this one first. I felt, after awhile, that it just wouldn't end.
I was also a bit disappointed in the ending. I mean, I know it's a memoir and not fiction. In a memoir there isn't a wrap-up-all-the-loose-ends kind of ending. In a memoir the author's story is still going on after the end. I understand this. But I think I was looking for something more at the end. |
Great Read
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| Review Date: November 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: KCox, Austin, TX |
| This was a fantastic read. After reading and relating to "Straight up and Dirty" I loved finding out how this insecure yet self absorbed character came to be. I think every woman can relate to "Moose" whether they spent summers at fat camp or not. This book spells out most female fear, whether young or old... not knowing who you are and people not accepting you for what you might be. Like "Straight Up and Dirty", "Moose" is smart, funny, and real. Stephanie Klein is a great talent. |
Ouch!!!
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| Review Date: November 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mary G. Longorio, Eagle Mountain, UT |
Standing at her locker at school Stephanie Klein first ears the taunting calls of "Moose, Moose" from boys in the halls at school. Living with a mother who is continually accessing her own body and making comments about Stephanie's body, a father who often reminds her that "boys don't like fat girls" (sometimes other comments inappropriate from a father) and the taunts and whispers of classmates, Stephanie knows she is fat.
Stephanie Klein is the latest author to enter the ring of weight memoirs. Focusing on her summers spent at "fat camp' Klein ruefully recalls the social minefields of growing up as a fat girl. Ironically, when she first comes to fat camp she finds herself in an envious position, she is one of the smallest campers. Within the safety of camp she begins to develop socially and also develops some dangerous ways to try to control her weight. She also has to navigate the confusing world of camp, where others girls her size and larger struggle as she does Told with a great deal of wry asides (which seems to be a defensive method to keep others at arms' length) and almost manic in her determination to make the joke at her own expense before someone else does, Moose is a bittersweet coming of age story. Klein intertwines present day with past memories and the reader realizes the burden the author still struggles under, whether fat or thin, healthy or fit, that "big girl" still has a home inside Klein, and wants to be heard. |
I love camp!
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| Review Date: October 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: ultrarunnermeri, SE PA |
| This book was great. I loved every page of it. I went to overnight camp when i was growing up from the time i was very young, until i was too old, and then i was a counselor. Stephanie Klein goes through her life journey and her time at fat camp, and even though i did not go to fat camp, camp is camp. It was a very funny, relatable book. Some people have commented here that it was a bit vulgar, but i found it to be honest and true, and not vulgar. I read this book prior to reading "Straight up and dirty" and glad i read them in that order, cause from Moose, i got to know the girl who was a woman in Straight Up. :) |
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