Publisher Description

A brave and witty examination of how and why we try to control our bodies with food. Like most people, Kimberly Rae Miller does not have the perfect body, but that hasn't stopped her from trying. And trying. And trying some more. Her first attempt to use food to change her body came at age four, when she learned that the Inuit ate fat to stay warm in the winter. If this diet worked in the Arctic, she reasoned, why not in Long Island? Postcollege, after a brief stint as a diet-pill model, she became a health-and-fitness writer and editor working on celebrities' bestselling bios-sugarcoating the trials and tribulations celebs endure to stay thin. But what is the ideal body? Knowing she's far from alone in this struggle, Kim sets out to find the objective definition of this seemingly unattainable level of perfection. While on a fascinating and hilarious journey through time that takes her from obese Paleolithic cavewomen, to the bland menus that Drs.Graham and Kellogg prescribed to promote good morals in addition to good health, to the binge-drinking-prone regimen that caused William the Conqueror's body to explode at his own funeral, Kim ends up discovering a lot about her relationship with her own body. Warm, funny, and brutally honest, Beautiful Bodies is a blend of memoir and social history that will speak to anyone who's ever been caught in a power struggle with his or her own body...in other words, just about everyone.

Author Biography

Kimberly Rae Miller is a bestselling author, editor, and blogger. Her 2013 memoir, Coming Clean, was picked by both Amazon and Elle magazine as one of the best books of the year, and it was a nominee for the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards. She has written on healthy living for numerous magazines and websites, including her personal blog, Kim lives in New York City.

Review

A People Magazine Best New Books selectionA New York Post Must-Read Books selectionAn Elle Magazine Best Books of the Summer selectionA PureWow Best Beach Reads of Summer selection An InStyle, W Magazine, and NY Daily News Summer Reads selection"Keenly perceptive, unflinchingly honest, and ultimately inspiring…Miller shares her dieting travails with humor and honesty while tracing the roots of our society's obsession with body image." —Booklist, Starred Review "Who doesn't want the perfect body? We all do. Kimberly Rae Miller does…[In] Beautiful Bodies, Miller examines a life of dieting and seeks to find where this unattainable image of the 'ideal body' came from." —PopSugar "If you find the subject of food to be both vexing and transfixing, you'll love Beautiful Bodies, Kimberly Rae Miller's witty and wise memoir, social history, and, yes, love story about dieting, fitness, and body image." —Elle Magazine"What makes this memoir different from other accounts by women struggling with their weight is that the author knows the science behind it…" —Kirkus Reviews "Miller's story is one that any woman can slip into with great ease." —New York Daily News "In Beautiful Bodies, Kimberly Rae Miller writes intimately of the damage done when women's bodies and appearance are discussed in degrading terms…This account offers telling insight on the immense negativity surrounding body image, as well as acknowledging that love and acceptance of oneself is a constant exercise in reinforcement." —Library Journal"Kimberly Rae Miller's magnification of modern diet culture, historic and current beauty standards, and the media's influence over it all creates a really beautiful base for a conversation we should all be having." —a Better Happier St. Sebastian "Kimberly Rae Miller's candid body image memoir…digs deep into the social history of weight loss and finding self-love after a lifetime of dieting." —InStyle "There's no such thing as an ideal or perfect body, but the elusive quest to create one has guided Kimberly Rae Miller since childhood…In Beautiful Bodies, she combines her personal experience with social history to explore how the idea of perfect bodies was formed and has shifted time and time again, becoming a little less attainable each generation…Beautiful Bodies is full of history about body image that will entertain and sadden you." —BitchMedia "Miller, author of the excellent 2013 memoir Coming Clean (about growing up with parents who were hoarders), is back with another powerful book that's part memoir, part social history. Here, [Miller] explores her complex and at times difficult relationship with food, eating, and exercise and examines how and why we try to control our bodies." —PureWow "Many women can identify with the thoughts and feeling of Kimberly Rae Miller, who struggles over figuring out just what the ideal body looks like. [In Beautiful Bodies,] follow Kimberly's journey as she embarks on a fascinating, if not hilarious, voyage to uncover this mystery, which has plagued women (and men) throughout history." —FamilyEducation"There was not one slow moment in Beautiful Bodies. Despite [there being] many books on personal addictions including eating disorders, this book is head and shoulders above the others. Her story is one that many readers can relate to and her writing is accessible, her vulnerability incomparable." —New York Journal of Books"Just as she did in Coming Clean, [Miller] writes about pain and struggle with utter honesty, humor, and grace. If you have ever felt at odds with your body—as if no matter what you do, it simply isn't good enough—you will see yourself in this wonderful book. If you have a partner or daughter who struggles with her body, this book is required reading." —Gabi Moskowitz, producer of Freeform's Young & Hungry and coauthor of Hot Mess Kitchen"Weaving diet history with all-insecurities-bared personal narrative, Kimberly Rae Miller charts the cuckoo, dangerous, and heartbreaking efforts we endure to suppress our bodies into an imagined ideal. Funny, honest, and deeply empathic, this memoir of the public and private body chronicles the ultimate struggle—not to lose weight but to love the shape of our lives." —Sarah McColl, founder of Yahoo Food"Kimberly Rae Miller's Beautiful Bodies will make you laugh and cry with her story of a life spent chasing a beautiful body. Truthful, heartfelt, and delightfully funny, Miller walks her path toward redemption with admirable grace—and reminds us it's truly okay to be exactly as we are." —Katie Sise, author of Creative Girl, The Boyfriend App, and The Pretty App

Review Quote

A People Magazine Best New Books selection A New York Post Must-Read Books selection An Elle Magazine Best Books of the Summer selection A PureWow Best Beach Reads of Summer selection An InStyle , W Magazine , and NY Daily News Summer Reads selection "Keenly perceptive, unflinchingly honest, and ultimately inspiring...Miller shares her dieting travails with humor and honesty while tracing the roots of our society''s obsession with body image." -- Booklist , Starred Review "Who doesn''t want the perfect body? We all do. Kimberly Rae Miller does...[In] Beautiful Bodies , Miller examines a life of dieting and seeks to find where this unattainable image of the ''ideal body'' came from." --PopSugar "If you find the subject of food to be both vexing and transfixing, you''ll love Beautiful Bodies , Kimberly Rae Miller''s witty and wise memoir, social history, and, yes, love story about dieting, fitness, and body image." -- Elle Magazine "What makes this memoir different from other accounts by women struggling with their weight is that the author knows the science behind it..." -- Kirkus Reviews "Miller''s story is one that any woman can slip into with great ease." -- New York Daily News "In Beautiful Bodies , Kimberly Rae Miller writes intimately of the damage done when women''s bodies and appearance are discussed in degrading terms...This account offers telling insight on the immense negativity surrounding body image, as well as acknowledging that love and acceptance of oneself is a constant exercise in reinforcement." -- Library Journal "Kimberly Rae Miller''s magnification of modern diet culture, historic and current beauty standards, and the media''s influence over it all creates a really beautiful base for a conversation we should all be having." --a Better Happier St. Sebastian "Kimberly Rae Miller''s candid body image memoir...digs deep into the social history of weight loss and finding self-love after a lifetime of dieting." -- InStyle "There''s no such thing as an ideal or perfect body, but the elusive quest to create one has guided Kimberly Rae Miller since childhood...In Beautiful Bodies , she combines her personal experience with social history to explore how the idea of perfect bodies was formed and has shifted time and time again, becoming a little less attainable each generation... Beautiful Bodies is full of history about body image that will entertain and sadden you." --BitchMedia "Miller, author of the excellent 2013 memoir Coming Clean (about growing up with parents who were hoarders), is back with another powerful book that''s part memoir, part social history. Here, [Miller] explores her complex and at times difficult relationship with food, eating, and exercise and examines how and why we try to control our bodies." --PureWow "Many women can identify with the thoughts and feeling of Kimberly Rae Miller, who struggles over figuring out just what the ideal body looks like. [In Beautiful Bodies ,] follow Kimberly''s journey as she embarks on a fascinating, if not hilarious, voyage to uncover this mystery, which has plagued women (and men) throughout history." --FamilyEducation "There was not one slow moment in Beautiful Bodies . Despite [there being] many books on personal addictions including eating disorders, this book is head and shoulders above the others. Her story is one that many readers can relate to and her writing is accessible, her vulnerability incomparable." --New York Journal of Books "Just as she did in Coming Clean , [Miller] writes about pain and struggle with utter honesty, humor, and grace. If you have ever felt at odds with your body--as if no matter what you do, it simply isn''t good enough--you will see yourself in this wonderful book. If you have a partner or daughter who struggles with her body, this book is required reading." --Gabi Moskowitz, producer of Freeform''s Young & Hungry and coauthor of Hot Mess Kitchen "Weaving diet history with all-insecurities-bared personal narrative, Kimberly Rae Miller charts the cuckoo, dangerous, and heartbreaking efforts we endure to suppress our bodies into an imagined ideal. Funny, honest, and deeply empathic, this memoir of the public and private body chronicles the ultimate struggle--not to lose weight but to love the shape of our lives." --Sarah McColl, founder of Yahoo Food "Kimberly Rae Miller''s Beautiful Bodies will make you laugh and cry with her story of a life spent chasing a beautiful body. Truthful, heartfelt, and delightfully funny, Miller walks her path toward redemption with admirable grace--and reminds us it''s truly okay to be exactly as we are." --Katie Sise, author of Creative Girl , The Boyfriend App , and The Pretty App

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