The ‘Mind’ Book Club – Body Image Edit
In our new bi-weekly series for members of balanceclub, we delve into new books in the health and wellness sphere. From fiction to non-fiction, memoirs to self-help, poetry to cookbooks – we are exploring it all! This week, we are taking a look at self-help non-fiction and memoirs surrounding body image and the online world.
Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia by Kate Manne
Looking for a book that challenges everything you thought you knew about bodies and beauty standards? In Unshrinking, philosopher Kate Manne blends personal memoir with an analysis to expose the realities of fatphobia and its impact on our lives. From being bullied for her size to navigating education and motherhood, Manne weaves intimate stories with cultural critique, showing how body stigma intersects with misogyny, power, and privilege. ‘Love yourself’ just won’t cut the mustard anymore. Mann knows we need a radical shift to dismantle the systems that profit from shame and restrict our freedom. Unshrinking makes the case for body justice to be seen as a social justice issue. It affects wages, healthcare, education, and everyday dignity. Praised by feminist author Roxane Gay as “required reading for everyone who lives in an unruly human body,” this is a manifesto for change and a guide to seeing bodies with clarity and compassion.
Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
Why do some body shapes become trends while others are shamed? In Butts: A Backstory, journalist Heather Radke traces the cultural obsession with women’s behinds through history, from fitness crazes and fashion to race, beauty standards, and the rise of the wellness industry. Entertaining and thought-provoking, Radke’s book reveals how much a single body part can tell us about power, prejudice, and desire. Hailed by critics as “whip-smart,” Butts was named one of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 and landed on Publishers Weekly and Amazon’s best-of lists. Part social critique and part cultural history, it’s a smart guide to understanding why our bodies have always been about so much more than just shape.
Poor Little Sick Girls by Ione Gamble
In Poor Little Sick Girls, writer and cultural critic Ione Gamble dissects the glossy promises of modern empowerment, offering a fierce and funny manifesto for those who are online. Diagnosed with an incurable illness as she entered adulthood, Gamble watched identity politics turn into Instagram slogans from the confines of her sickbed. Drawing from her own experience with chronic illness and disability, she examines the strange contradictions of our current era, where young women are told to brand themselves, love themselves, and hustle endlessly, even as the systems around them remain deeply unequal. As founder of Polyester zine and host of The Polyester Podcast, Gamble produces a witty exploration of what it means to exist as a chronically ill, overweight, “unacceptable” woman in a culture obsessed with perfection.
Famesick by Lena Dunham (2026, announced)
What happens when fame, health, and identity collide? In Famesick, writer and filmmaker Lena Dunham turns to the pressures of growing up in the spotlight while navigating body image, chronic illness, and public scrutiny. Promising a mix of raw vulnerability and razor-sharp cultural commentary, Famesick is set to be one of 2026’s most talked-about memoirs: an intimate look at how our culture treats women’s bodies when they’re both painfully private and relentlessly public.
