Hey all! Glad you liked the pesto recipe so much! I am quite crazy about it myself too. And we had a clear winner for todays post: the Skinny Bitch book reviewed. Poor Romaine lettuce!
When I first read this book in the summer of 2009, I was’t all that crazy about it. In all fairness: I had thought it was a diet book. Another nice scam people induldge in from time to time thinking that THIS is the book, or THE diet, that will solve everything. Or in my case, another way of losing weight (if you’re new and don’t know what I’m talking about, please read this post 
).
The great thing about Skinny Bitch, actually, is that it is NOT a diet book. But alas, if you don’t know that and jump into reading it and somehow end up reading about sleazy government food policies and the meat industry, and get called ‘fat’ to boot, you can imagine thinking ‘to hell with it’. I did read it for the most part (skipped over the part about the meat industry- how ironic!) and thought not too much of it.
Fast forward to last week. I needed to reference something and ended up reading it front to cover and devouring it. If you’re looking for a diet or a way to lose weight fast, you’ll hate this book. If you’re interested in healthy eating, clean eating, veganism, and can take some cursing, you’ll love it. What Rory & Kim, a formal model and former modelling agent are trying to get across with this book is that looking good (which, yes, includes being a healthy weight!) is not just about clothes, make-up, starving yourself & spending hours in the gym. No, instead they’ll make you realize it’s a harmony of the things you eat and do. They, as do all vegans, know that ‘giving up meat & dairy’ is so much more than just a dietary choice. It changes your life. It changes the way you think and feel about animals, but also about yourself and the people and world around you. I know I sound like a big talking cliché but I don’t care, because I have experienced this firsthand. This is why I can really relate to these two women writing this book, almost desperately trying to make more people realize what a great positive effect this can have on not only animals, but also yourself.
Rory and Kim (mostly Rory though, who wrote the book) have a style of writing you’ve never seen before. And yes, this might offence some. Even I, who curses like my life depends on it, sometimes thought it was a bit too much. You see, I am OK with cursing in general, but cursing someone is a different story. For example, the ladies will refer to your fat ass quite some time or call you a stupid cunt. For people who are not seeking to lose weight but merely want to gain more knowledge and insight into a no-nonsense type of clean & healthy living, this can come across as somewhat weird. As a sidenote: I chose to read this book in Dutch because there’s a whole section devoted to brands, products and stores that sell vegan & organic products and I didn’t want to end up with the American list of course. But, translations are never too good and so, probably, some of their inherent funniness got lost in translation, who knows. Cursing aside, I do like their tone. They really come off as no-nonsense and plead for people to think for themselves. And sometimes it takes some harsh language for people to listen up and realize they are responsible for their own health and well-being. Hallelujah!
Like I said, the last part of the book contains very valuable information to get started with a more vegan and/or organic lifestyle. Brands, products, list of harmful ingredients and a four week sample menu, which in all honesty looks scrumptious.
What I also like about the book is that Rory and Kim don’t just make strong claims, they make strong claims built on TONS of research. They have about 10 pages filled with books & research articles they’ve referenced. Pretty awesome
In conclusion: a must read in my opinion, of you’re interested in healthy eating, maybe veganism, and overall health in general. They have tips from toothpaste to Yoga so there’s a lot to take away from this book .
Love,
Sabine
Thank you so much for this review!
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I partly agree with you, though I really really do not like the ‘move-your-fat-ass’-parts of the Skinny Bitch book. I prefer to be inspired by people who learn me how to love myself, even if I had a fat ass. Because that’s really not what life is about. Yes, there are parts in Skinny Bitch which I love and where I do get lots of inspiration from, but in the end I don’t like the writers’ attitude. I think ‘being skinny’ shouldn’t be a reason to eat or not eat things. I think when you take care of yourself the right way (and yes, in my opinion that does mean eating organic and vegetarian mostly, but it also means ‘letting go’ in a certain way and not feeling responsible for all bad industries) , you’ll get the body that (literally) fits you.
OK, now I seem like a preaching bitch, hehe.. I do like this review, though. Thank you.
Thanks for writing such an elaborate review! I still don’t think I’d like their ‘move-your-fat-a$$, b|tch’ approach. Though the research and info parts might be valuable, I’d rather read a more positive book, that tells me how great a vegan diet could make me feel.
Maybe something like ‘The China Study’ or ‘The Engine 2 Diet’, have you read those?
I’ve read it twice also and LOVED it. It really made me think twice about the foods I put into my body from day to day. Shortly after reading it the first time I stopped eating meat & dairy (I still eat eggs etc). After the second time I read it I nixed coffee and switched to fruit juices & herbal teas. I also stopped using white sugar and bought Sucanat. I do still consume white sugar if it’s in the things I buy but I am conscious about it. I felt an amazing increase in energy after I stopped drinking coffee and consuming white sugar. My skin also got so much better but I am not sure if it was the meat, dairy or something else. Well long story short I love the book!
Thanks for the book review! Have you ever read or heard of The End of Overeating by David Kessler? I thought it was a good read, very informative. It is kind of a lot of the same stuff though, restaurants and food companies are putting too much fat, sugar and salt in everything, yadda yadda yadda but it does go more in depth so if your looking for another one to check out, you might want to try it
Hey Jessica, yes I’ve hear of the end of over eating but have not read it. Sounds like it could be a hybrid between junk food nation & intuitive eating
? two books I really love.
this actually sounds quite perfect for me! i mean im already on the vegan path but it could just reassure my beliefs.. i definitely agree that veganism is not just a dietary choice.. it has changed my perspective on a lot of things
Great review! Now I really want to get my hands on it.
Sounds like a good read. And I love to have handy facts to spout off when my deer-hunting, whole-cow buying, goose-stew loving family gives me greif about being a vegetarian with vegan intentions. Thanks.