Midterm Special Topics Paper

I wrote my special topics paper on the concept of body positivity in women's fiction. I tried to write it considering the quote in the Saricks text regarding fiction in certain categories such as African-American fiction or Inspirational fiction. To paraphrase, Saricks argues that those categories are best described in terms of their actual genres, that the mystery part of Inspirational Mystery is more significant, or that the Romance in the African-American Romance is the true nature of the novel. I tried to approach body positive fiction in the same way, that the body positive aspect of a story was a contributor to the book as a whole, not the focus of a novel. 

I acknowledged that body positivity can encompass a variety of attributes, including but not limited to transgender issues, eating disorders, disabilities, and racial concerns. For the purpose of my paper I focused on body positivity as related to the "size positive" or "fat positive" movement in which people of a larger size strive to practice an appreciation of their bodies instead of self loathing. I found some research to support the idea that body positivity is a strong contributor to mental well being in young women, which I included in my paper.

In women's fiction, those who are interested in reading books with plus-size heroines can find them between the pages of mysteries, romances, chick-lit, and erotica. The focus should be on filling the tastes of the reader, not pushing a body positive agenda, but it is important for librarians to be aware of the size positive movement and books which reflect those ideals.

Some suggestions:
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (YA but enjoyable for adults as well)
Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner 
The Savannah Reid Mysteries by G.A. McKevett
The Ellie Haskell Series by Dorothy Cannell
Blame the Wine by Imogene Nix

Do you have any suggestions in this category? I'd love to hear them!