[TOP]∎ [PDF] Free Big Fat Disaster Beth Fehlbaum Books

Big Fat Disaster Beth Fehlbaum Books

Download As PDF : Big Fat Disaster Beth Fehlbaum Books

Big Fat Disaster Beth Fehlbaum Books

Reading this book was such an emotional journey for me. Even though this is a work of fiction, it deals with a very REAL problem, eating disorders. Colby has a binge eating disorder and uses food like a drug as a means to escape what is happening in her life. Her family in absolutely no way, whatsoever is a support system and Colby finds herself on the verge of suicide. This book was definitely not an easy read, as having an eating disorder of my own, I could really relate to the challenges that Colby was going through. Not only did she have to deal with the childish ridicule and cattiness of her classmates, her family should have been taken out and shot for how they treated her. Her own mother was a self-centered person and at times, I just wanted to slap her to give her a wake-up call. She should have never ever called her daughter fat, or considered her an embarrassment to the family. I think the part that really angered me was when the video was going around and it was suddenly Colby's fault! Had she not been overweight, then the video would have never been made. Ugh! But wait, there's more! To call your own daughter a BIG FAT DISASTER when talking on the phone to a friend was just epic. Yep....mother of the year material there, let me tell you! I am really glad that at the end, Colby found an excellent support system, and was on a road to hopefully some happiness, which she truly deserved.

Ms. Fehlbaum has written an amazing novel that has a heartbreaking message about the seriousness of eating disorders. I was instantly drawn into this emotional story from the first page. It was not an easy read, not because of the writing itself, but for the message the book was about. For all the "Colby's" out there in the world, just know that there are people who care about you, just hang on till you find the right one to listen! {{Big hugs}}


Tags : Amazon.com: Big Fat Disaster (0045079570481): Beth Fehlbaum: Books,Beth Fehlbaum,Big Fat Disaster,Simon Pulse,1440570485,Family - Parents,Social Themes - Depression,Compulsive eating,Compulsive eating;Fiction.,Families - Texas,Family crises,Family life - Texas,Family problems,Family problems;Fiction.,High schools,Moving, Household,Overweight persons,Overweight persons;Fiction.,Overweight teenagers,Schools,Texas,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Family & home stories (Children's Teenage),Family - General,Fiction,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,Social Themes - Depression & Mental Illness,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Family Parents,YOUNG ADULT FICTION General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Depression,Young Adult FictionSocial Themes - Depression

Big Fat Disaster Beth Fehlbaum Books Reviews

As anyone who has read my blog or my reviews knows, I am a big fan of what I call "tough issues" books. I love the catharsis that comes from a book that scoops out all of your emotional insides and leaves you an empty sobbing mess. I also love books with realistic themes that can help teens deal with whatever turmoil is going on in their own lives. I have yet to find a book that has disturbed me as much as Big Fat Disaster did. It was raw, real, emotional, heartbreaking, honest, and again real. So real in fact that sometimes I forgot I was reading a made up story, because there are in fact teens that go through the things discussed in this book every single day. It hurt me a lot to keep reading, and honestly there were times I didn't think I would make it. But the beautiful writing and compelling story pushed me on and I'm glad it did, because I got to see a hope I never saw until the end of the book. A light at the end of a really messed-up tunnel.

This book, from the second page, had me sick to my stomach. We have a beautiful, sweet teenager who is inundated on a daily basis by every single person in her life about her weight and her flaws. She is the black sheep of the family -- the odd man out. Her family's perfect image seems to be marred by her presence. Her two sisters are carbon copies of her Miss Texas mother and her father is a well-liked, respectable politician who used to play football at UT. They had it all -- and Colby feels like she doesn't fit into their perfectly polished photograph anywhere.

And with good reason, because every single person in her family treats her like garbage. Her older sister torments her, her mother calls her a "big fat disaster" and that she would be so pretty if she'd just stop eating so much. Campaign workers put address labels over her face on postcards to hide her from the perfect family image.

But that's all it really is -- a facade. Colby finds out her father has been cheating at the same time the FBI finds out he has been extorting money. The entire glass house that has been built is shattered in minutes. We then get to meet more insane family members and really learn the world this family lives in. Image is everything, the abused wife is blamed for leaving such a powerful and well-connected man, the cousin is blamed for ruining a boy's life -- a boy who raped a girl and videoed it. Colby's mom is blamed for not keeping her husband happy and everything in the world of the Denton's is topsy-turvy land. Honestly, I don't think I could stand for one minute to be within 10 feet of any one of them.

After their world shatters, the abused aunt who has moved to East Texas takes Colby, her mom, and younger sister in. She is kind of a guiding force or normality within the book. She, the one person who doesn't go to church, is the only one in the family who ever seems to do the right thing. And yet, she still has her flaws and demons.

I have to say, this book took some awful twists. It just kept going from bad to worse. It felt like there were so many major issues to deal with, that my heart might explode. Besides the ones I mentioned, there is rape, suicide, bullying, cyber bullying, and the politics of well-connected people getting away with anything. Really, there is a tough issue for everyone. My only real critique is how things were handled in the end - before things started looking up. Not that it wouldn't happen that way, but that no adult was making the right decisions. However, the therapist had some great advice I think teens will be able to take away and use within their own lives.

The book is well written, the plot is so crazy it feels almost like it could have really happened, and the emotions are the most raw I have ever encountered in a book. I had to read the author's bio, because I just felt some of this couldn't be made up. She was just so good at getting you in the head of someone experiencing something like depression (and suicide) or binge eating. If you don't understand what it is like to suffer with either one of these, this book will definitely put you in their shoes so to speak. So, with all the emotional heartbreak, I can't say this book was enjoyable. It physically made me ache. However, it is an amazing, and impactful book. It is one that some people may not be able to handle - there are lots of trigger warnings involved. But, for those who can, they are going to experience something so worthwhile it will change their life. I will never be the same after reading this book, and in the end, isn't that what we want?
I felt the sensitive issues in this book were not treated as well as they could have been if the writer had limited her target to one or two big fat disasters instead of 5+.

These issues are important, and need to be written about. I'm glad that Mrs. Fehlbaum made the attempt, but I think she fell short of a well crafted treatment of any of them. Teen rape by football players and their subsequent cover ups, school administration's corruption, cyber-bullying, political corruption, obesity, rejection from family, suicide, bulimia, accidental death, and homosexuality are all included in this book. However, it's not that long of a book. There is not much time to recover from one disaster to the next, or even feel a semblance of reflection on any of the events. I felt it was a pretty big shame, to say the least. It could have been so good!
Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum gets in your head and stays there. I've read plenty of other books where the protagonist is overweight and by the end of the book, their lives have gotten better.

Without saying whether or not Colby's life gets better, let me say this It gets a helluva lot worse, poor girl. Colby's issues of self-worth are heart-breaking and the villains who cross paths with her are disturbingly real. And yet, with all that Colby goes through, the book has a beautiful message. By the time I got to the last few chapters, I found myself getting choked up on every other page.

Big Fat Disaster reminds us that--yes, there are lots of cruel people out there. But there are lots of good ones, too. It's the good ones who make me cry.
Reading this book was such an emotional journey for me. Even though this is a work of fiction, it deals with a very REAL problem, eating disorders. Colby has a binge eating disorder and uses food like a drug as a means to escape what is happening in her life. Her family in absolutely no way, whatsoever is a support system and Colby finds herself on the verge of suicide. This book was definitely not an easy read, as having an eating disorder of my own, I could really relate to the challenges that Colby was going through. Not only did she have to deal with the childish ridicule and cattiness of her classmates, her family should have been taken out and shot for how they treated her. Her own mother was a self-centered person and at times, I just wanted to slap her to give her a wake-up call. She should have never ever called her daughter fat, or considered her an embarrassment to the family. I think the part that really angered me was when the video was going around and it was suddenly Colby's fault! Had she not been overweight, then the video would have never been made. Ugh! But wait, there's more! To call your own daughter a BIG FAT DISASTER when talking on the phone to a friend was just epic. Yep....mother of the year material there, let me tell you! I am really glad that at the end, Colby found an excellent support system, and was on a road to hopefully some happiness, which she truly deserved.

Ms. Fehlbaum has written an amazing novel that has a heartbreaking message about the seriousness of eating disorders. I was instantly drawn into this emotional story from the first page. It was not an easy read, not because of the writing itself, but for the message the book was about. For all the "Colby's" out there in the world, just know that there are people who care about you, just hang on till you find the right one to listen! {{Big hugs}}