Wendy Werris, writing for Publisher's Weekly, talks with cartoonist Carol Lay about her memoir THE BIG SKINNY: HOW I CHANGED MY FATTITUDE, due out after the New Year from Villard:
"'I've drawn from everything I know as an artist and a person and put it in this book,' says Lay. She brought elements of memoir to the story to give the book more drama, adding her family history, and she deeply probed her inner life while writing the text. 'It was painful,' says Lay, although her wicked sense of humor as a cartoonist brings an equal measure of laughs to her dieting struggles. In the book, a cartoon George Clooney occasionally shows up at Lay's door bearing bags of fast food. Time and again she slams the door in his face to forgo the fat and carbs for healthier, low-calorie choices.
"The Big Skinny is a first; a cartoon diet book with recipes, menus and a calorie counter. 'It combines memoir with solid information—in a story context—on how to lose weight and keep it off,' Lay explains. 'It's for food strugglers like me; it's experiential and it's fun.'"
"Way Lay," Carol Lay's comic at Salon
Hat tip Michael Maslin!
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2 comments:
Carol Lay is such a great cartoonist! I'm happy to see she has a new book out, but kind of sad to see the focus. I mean, hooray for eating well & moving around, but boo to fat stigma. Blood pressure, cholesterol, & blood sugar are much more reliable health indicators than weight. I'm still curious to read the book, though.
don't be sad! i received a wonderful email from an extremely overweight woman who told me that my presentation of the material clicked with her and inspired a positive change.
after doing comics for so long i am very gratified to have a meaningful impact like that. even if it's only one voice, i'm glad i made a difference.
and the hook is not exactly the focus. i have too many friends who are diabetic -- one of whom lost a foot to the disease. good health is almost anyone's benefit from learning about good nutrition and a little temperance.
that said, i hope you get something out of the book, Colin. Happy New Year!
--carol lay
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