Thursday, January 10, 2013

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

FOUR PRIZES FOR ONE GRAND
 PRIZE BLOGIVERSARY WINNER!
BOOKIN' WITH BINGO  IS CELEBRATING FOUR YEARS
(REALLY?) OF BLOGGING!
ONLY 
THOSE PEOPLE 
WHO ENTER EACH 
OF THE FOUR
GIVEAWAYS OVER THE 4 DAYS
WILL BE ELIGIBLE
FOR THE GRAND PRIZE TO BE
ANNOUNCED NEXT SUNDAY,
 JANUARY 13, 2013!
TODAY'S ENTRY IS.....
 
 GIVEAWAY ENDED
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
 TO GIVE AWAY TO THE BLOGIVERSARY
GRAND PRIZE WINNER!
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
 

COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!


HOW TO ENTER:


+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE HEAVY THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ONE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TOPIC OF CHILDREN AND DIETS

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON THIS BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE GIVEAWAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

GRAND PRIZE BLOGIVERSARY 
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
NOON, EST, JANUARY 13
GOOD LUCK!

119 comments:

Joan said...

This book sounds different.

debbie said...

To be honest, I have major issues with putting a seven year old on a diet. I have no problem with teaching them to eat healthy and make healthy choices. But, putting them on a diet, and making food have emotional issues around it, is setting them up for issues in adulthood. It would be hard for me to listen to this book, but I would like to do it.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

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Karen B said...

This is a tough subject to read, talk about or listen to but it must be done.
kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

Steve Capell said...

I also agree with Debbie, but I grew up in family where my mother cooked what I would call healthy meals. I think today because of everything being so busy families (Mothers, Fathers, Children) get caught up in what is quick. This type of living leads to high calorie, high sodium, preservatives, and processed foods. I too would like to give this one a listen so thanks for the opportunity.

steven.capell@gmail.com

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Suburban prep said...

I think that there is a part of every mother daughter relationship that has to do with weight or looks.

Suburban prep said...

I don't think it should come into a relationship between a parent and a child unless it is harming a child's health.

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cheryl c said...

I am intrigued by the fact that she defied her child's school and the judgment of other parents.
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Carol N Wong said...
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Tina said...

Children and diets....it's so important to safeguard our children's health, but there's such a fine line balancing diet with self-esteem issues. Hard to do.

tbranco24 AT gmail DOT com

Tina said...

Because this is such a potentially explosive and emotional issue, and because I haven't been tuned into this particular author and her theories, I'm really excited to listen (my favorite format) to the audio of this one.

tbranco24 AT gmail DOT com

Pamela Keener said...

I sympathize with the authors damned if you do and damned if you don't approach. I was never a fat child but my sister had issues as well as my mother. It will be interesting to hear her ways and reasons for doing it that way.
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Carol N Wong said...

I was twenty pounds overweight when I was twelve and was put on a 1,000 calorie diet. It didn't work, I have been up and down with my weight from then on. I really think that would have been better is more exercise rather than strict restriction. I am very curious about the diet that the mother put her child on. I don't think a seven year old child would understand the reason for the diet and might think of it as punishment.

Carol Wong

Carol N Wong said...

I think that if a child needs to lose weight, the parent needs to try to their best to provide low calorie but great tasting snacks and figure an activity to do with child that would be fun to do. Diets need to be flexible and not restrictive. If they are, the child may feel rejected.

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ann said...

This is a subject that needs to be addressed with so many obese people now a days. It would interesting to find out how the story plays out and what it done to help her child loose weight.

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ann said...

I think we need to feed our kids with healthy foods and less junk food. If they start out eating good from the beginning of their lives it helps keep them on that path. But the parents need to eat healthy to like their children do
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Sue Farrell said...

I think this book would be interesting to listen to in order to see what methods this mother used especially since she had issues of her own.
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Sue Farrell said...

As a person who has been on and off diets of all kinds for years and years--since my teen years---I think good eating habits should be practiced in the home and wish my mother would have done so instead of just making excuses for her weight and mine.
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Margie said...

I would be interested in learning how this mother deals with all the issues.
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Margie said...

I didn' t find any mention above about exercise and play, which should have a prominent place. I too have problems with putting a 7 year old on a strict diet. But healthy eating habits should be taught way before this.
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Katie said...

I have a young daughter, and have been trying to make a conscience effort for her to see me making wise food choices. Kids follow by example. I'd love to listen to this book just for ideas.
kmitch98 (at) gmail (dot) com

Unknown said...

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Pat L. said...

This is a big issue unfortunately of our times and would love to see how the story turns out.

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rubynreba said...

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Linda Kish said...

It's so hard in this day when kids are bombarded with commercials all the time for fast foods or junk foods so they don't want to eat healthy. When kids are obese it becomes the parent's job to get them back on track probably with the help of doctors and nutritionists so they can lose weight. It's certainly not easy. The audiobook sounds interesting ...listening to her troubles with working with her daughter.

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Linda Kish said...

I don't feel children, or adults should diet. I feel we should eat healthy foods in moderate amounts (with the occasional splurge).

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