BLOGIVERSARY ENTRY #2: THE HEAVY - AN AUDIO BOOK REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

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THE HEAVY

A Mother, A Daughter, A Diet—A Memoir

BY DARA-LYNN WEISS

Read by Amanda Tepe

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:

For readers of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Bringing Up Bebe, a mother’s unflinching memoir about helping her seven year-old daughter lose weight, and the challenges of modern parenting.

When a doctor pronounced Dara-Lynn Weiss’s daughter Bea obese at age seven, the mother of two knew she had to take action. But how could a woman with her own food and body issues—not to mention spotty eating habits—successfully parent a little girl around the issue of obesity?

In this much-anticipated, controversial memoir, Dara-Lynn Weiss chronicles the struggle and journey to get Bea healthy. In describing their process—complete with frustrations, self-recriminations, dark humor, and some surprising strategies—Weiss reveals the hypocrisy inherent in the debates over many cultural hot-button issues: from processed snacks, organic foods, and school lunches to dieting, eating disorders, parenting methods, discipline, and kids’ self-esteem.

Compounding the challenge were eating environments—from school to restaurants to birthday parties—that set Bea up to fail, and unwelcome judgments from fellow parents. Childhood obesity, Weiss discovered, is a crucible not just for the child but also for parents. She was criticized as readily for enabling Bea’s condition as she was for enforcing the rigid limits necessary to address it. Never before had Weiss been made to feel so wrong for trying to do the right thing.

The damned if you do/damned if you don’t predicament came into sharp relief when Weiss raised some of these issues in a Vogue article. Critics came out in full force, and Weiss unwittingly found herself at the center of an emotional and highly charged debate on childhood obesity.
 
A touching and relatable story of loving a child enough to be unpopular, The Heavy will leave readers applauding Weiss’s success, her bravery,and her unconditional love for her daughter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dara-Lynn Weiss is a freelance writer and producer of Internet, print, and television content. In April 2012, she wrote about helping her daughter lose weight in Vogue magazine’s “Up Front” column. She lives with her husband and two children in New York City.

PRAISE FOR THE HEAVY:

“Have you ever been ‘that mother’? You know, the one who others criticize or question? If so, then you know what incredible courage and daring it can take to raise a child in a way that doesn't always meet other people’s expectations. Dara-Lynn Weiss is inspirational for her sheer will, her unwavering dedication, and her willingness to take accountability for her own actions. The Heavy is a stark look at imperfect parenting—and why our mistakes make us better parents.”—Christine Carter, author of Raising Happiness

“Dara-Lynn Weiss had to defy her child’s school, the judgments of other parents, and our fast food culture to rescue her daughter from the epidemic of obesity. Parents should see this as an inspiration—and a wake-up call.”—Amy Dickinson, “Ask Amy” advice columnist and author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville

“The Heavy should be required reading for every parent because it tackles—with refreshing honesty—that universal question we’ll all face: how to do what’s best for our children, even when the kids resist our efforts and society judges our approach. Dara-Lynn Weiss has written a brave book and started a crucial and overdue national conversation.”—Abigail Pogrebin, author of One and the Same and Stars of David

"Dara-Lynn Weiss has written a brave and honest memoir about what it means to be a parent, which is to say, sometimes we simply have to be the heavy-not because it will be a popular stance with other parents, or even with ourselves-but because it's our job. The love Weiss feels for her daughter, and the hard choices she makes to help her, are at the center of this daring book."-Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion and Slow Motion

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Dara-Lynn Weiss’s memoir, THE HEAVY, is about how as a mother of a medically diagnosed obese seven-year-old child, she tries to help her daughter lose weight. In this very controversial book, Weiss describes her daughter Bea’s eating habits and all that was involved in getting her to lose weight. As a mother of two, Weiss had to work around the entire family’s eating habits and she describes a painstaking schedule she puts herself on just to try and accomplish her goal. With her own issues dealing with food and body perception, one has to question whether Weiss was the best person to tackle this problem. She did seek medical advice and went with it for a while but then took it on herself to carry through rather than continue with the therapist. The publicity that arose from this situation is one that has brought about much discussion and for the most part accusations against Dara-Lynn Weiss.

Weiss does write about her dealings with the disparity within our culture when it comes to dealing with obesity and/or healthy eating for children. From the oft criticized school lunches to individual methods parents use to get their children to be healthy eaters, Bea seems destined to struggle continually with all she has to deal with. The psychological results from all of this are discussed in covering several eating disorders. Of course, it is too early to tell how what Weiss did with Bea will play out later in her life.

Weiss writes how she did all this to help her child and I don’t think any of us can fault her for that, or rule on what her motives were. After all, she is Bea’s mother and one can only assume it was done with the child’s best interest in mind.

I personally felt that some of the methods employed were at times much too rigid for a young child. Weiss acknowledged her own problems with self-image and eating but I am not sure she realized how much of that was projected onto Bea and her situation.

THE HEAVY was interesting to listen to and my only complaint may have been in finding some parts of the story a bit redundant. I strongly suggest you listen to THE HEAVY and whether you agree with Weiss’s parenting or not, one would hope it would at least awaken an awareness in your own dealings with eating habits, especially when they concern your children. This is not a book that tries to say Weiss was right and/or the best parent, but rather it describes the journey she takes to help her child.

With childhood obesity now an epidemic in our country, solutions must be found. Through more knowledge about what constitutes proper eating habits, we can begin to battle this issue in the proper manner. With all the elements of healthy living, including exercise, parents should be able to help their children through love, education, and understanding.

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS, 
I HAVE ONE COPY OF THE HEAVY
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