Synopses & Reviews
A deeply affecting memoir about the bond between two sisters—and the 150 pounds that nearly separated themAs young girls, a year apart in age, Alison and Amy Wilensky were almost indistinguishable. And they were inseparable: growing up in a comfortable Boston suburb, they were never far from each others side, wearing matching dresses, playing the same games, eating the same food. But Alison began gaining weight in elementary school and by the time she was sixteen was morbidly obese. The sisters remained close, but over the years the daily indignities and affronts endured by Alison took their toll, reshaping her identity indelibly and affecting the sisters relationship in unanticipated ways.
In her late twenties, Alison underwent gastric bypass surgery, in the wake of which she lost more than 150 pounds and achieved the shape shed dreamed of for so much of her life. It wasnt just her body that was transformed: every significant relationship in her life was profoundly altered.
The Weight of It is a universal story of how we discover what makes us who we are, and how we become the people we want to be. Amy Wilensky is uniquely equipped to write this book, and she does so with fine perception, insight, and compassion.
Review
"The Weight of It is more than the story of two sisters, it's a story of how and why we become the people we are." —
Portland Oregonian "Trivialized in movies, ignored in homes, glorified on the Internet, eating disorders often get the best treatment on the page. For proof and inspiration take . . . Wilensky's The Weight of It." —Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
A deeply affecting memoir about the bond between two sisters--and the 150 pounds that nearly separated them. In her late twenties, Alison underwent gastric bypass surgery, she lost more than 150 pounds and achieved the shape she'd dreamed of. But it wasn't just her body that was transformed: every relationship in her life was profoundly altered.
Synopsis
A "candid, funny, and altogether un-putdownable" (Glamour) memoir about the bond between two sisters—
and the 150 pounds that nearly separated themAs young girls, a year apart in age, Alison and Amy Wilensky were almost indistinguishable, and they were inseparable. But during elementary school, Alison began gaining weight, and by the time she was sixteen was morbidly obese. The sisters remained close, but over the years the daily indignities and affronts that Alison endured took their toll, reshaping her identity indelibly and affecting the sisters' relationship in unanticipated ways.
Then, in her late twenties, Alison underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost 150 pounds. Everyone who knew her-and particularly Amy-would have to confront the many dimensions of this transformation and acknowledge that the person who emerged was, to some degree, a stranger. The Weight of It is a universal story of how we discover who we are and who we want to be.
About the Author
Amy Wilensky is a graduate of Vassar College and of Columbia University's M.F.A. writing program. Her first book,
Passing for Normal, was received with critical acclaim and nominated for a National Book Award. A native of suburban Boston, she lives in New York City.