Product Description

In spite of the prevalence of large women in our culture, they are not as visible as the statistics suggest. Where are they? Are they "weighting" until they reach some imaginary right size? Can they live a fulfilling life regardless of their size? In Bountiful Women, psychologist Bonnie Bernell, herself a bountiful woman, answers these questions with a resounding "yes"! This book is both a celebration and a how-to: affirming size while offering strategies for handling challenging situations such as negotiating a tight squeeze on an airplane or fielding judgmental comments about size. Filled with practical ideas, Bountiful Women is about the many choices available to large women today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #794631 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Library Journal
Many web sites are devoted to "bountiful women" (size 14 plus), who, according to the foreword, comprise half of America's female population. The popular press, however, does not often address this audience, so this work is a welcome addition to the self-help shelf. Bernell, a practicing psychologist in California, encourages readers to accept their bodies and relates how to deal with parental and employer disapproval, assumptions by society (especially by airlines, theaters, and restaurants) that everyone fits into a size 12 seat, and the "If I'm large, I'm unlovable" attitude. Comparable to Marilyn Wann's Fat! So? (LJ 12/98) and Camryn Manheim's Wake Up, I'm Fat! (LJ 5/1/99), this work offers clear and practical suggestions for building self-esteem and coping with everyday problems like asking for a seatbelt extender without embarrassment. Bernell would have better served her audience, however, with a brief discussion of the health risks bountifulness poses. That qualm aside, this is recommended for public libraries.DMargaret Cardwell, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

This book is for everyone!
I am a thin man, not a bountiful woman. Not only did I think this was an excellent read, it has changed the way I think about bountiful people. I admit, I have been susceptible to prejudice in this arena. No longer. Dr. Bernell has written a book that speaks so clearly, so eloquently, that I am now unable NOT to smile when around bountiful people. It's as if I'm now part of the inner sanctum of understanding.

If enough people read this book, life will be a bit easier on everybody. We'll be able to focus on the things that truly matter and go about our lives living to the fullest. Well done.

What about young Bountiful Women????
I just loved this book BUT where were the voices of young Bountiful women? As a 24 year old pround full figured woman I felt left out. There was no one interviewed in this book under 40.

Nourishment for the Heart
Bonnie Bernell's Bountiful Women is a delicious and nourishing volume. Organized into bite-sized chapters, the book presents stories and illustrations on a myriad of topics - from core issues, such as health care and personal relationships, to life enhancement arenas, such as travel and personal pampering. As the bountiful women tell their stories, they reveal their wisdom, courage, humor, compassion, and tenacity. Celebrating each women's individuality, Bernell does not advocate "one size fits all" in her commentary and advice. Rather she writes about choices, the choices that should be available to all women, as she advocates against self-imposed limitations that narrow our lives, demean us, or wither our spirits. Fundamentally this book is about the quality of our lives, about "deservingness." While the focus is on bountiful women, Bountiful Women speaks to all women. It provides food for thought; more importantly, it offers a deep well of sustenance for the heart.