Christina Myers

Pop culture stereotypes, shopping frustrations, fat jokes, and misconceptions about health are all ways society systemically rejects large bodies. Big is a collection of personal and intimate experiences of plus size women, non-binary, and trans people in a society obsessed with thinness. Revealing insights that are both funny and traumatic, surprising and challenging, familiar and unexpected, 26 writers explore themes as diverse as self-perception, body image, fashion, fat activism, food, sexuality, diet culture, and motherhood. These stories offer a closer look at what it means to navigate a world designed to fit bodies of a certain size (sometimes literally) and, in turn, invites readers to ask questions about--and ultimately reconsider--our collective and individual obsession with women's bodies. Contributors include Simone Blais, Dr. Rohini Bannerjee, Sonja Boon, Layla Cameron, Jo Jefferson, Tracy Manrell, Rabbit Richards, Amanda Scriver, Cassie Stocks, and more.

Award-winning author Christina Myers navigates the uncharted territory of midlife in a time of rapid social, cultural, and environmental change. Modern midlife is finding oneself halfway home but without any reliable maps for the route ahead. With wit and warmth, these personal essays move from a first bra to first hot flashes to consider the lessons we learn through media and culture––and from each other––about bodies, sexuality, fatphobia, gender roles, and what we should want in life. Christina Myers explores the ways that beauty standards and cultural expectations around femininity have shaped our identities and how we might shed those going forward; the power of friendships and the value of having other women to learn from; the anxiety of moving through motherhood into menopause in a time of global environmental crisis and political upheaval; and the uncertainty of how this stage of life should unfold, as old systems shift and crumble. Though our maps for midlife are never identical, we discover familiar paths and common landmarks in each other’s stories; these essays remind us there are others on this trail with us, just behind or just ahead, out of sight. We are not alone.

While World War II is changing the world in major ways, a young boy named Roger finds himself in a different kind of fight-a battle within himself-as he tries to muster up the courage to sample a bite of cheesecake. Yes, that's right, cheesecake. You see, Roger can't understand how cheese, regularly eaten in his favorite grilled sandwiches, could possibly taste good in cake. He is quite disturbed that others not only find this oddity acceptable but also say it's delicious. The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Eat Cheesecake inspires picky eaters and young readers, ages 4-9, to try new things and encourages conversation with older family members and friends about foods they didn't like in childhood (or, at least, thought they didn't like) and what happened when they actually tried the foods for themselves. A timely book about a preconceived notion being challenged andovercome before it's too late.