What is Fat Activism and why is it important? Charlotte Cooper, a fat activist with around 30 years experience, answers this question by lifting the lid on a previously unexplored social movement and offering a fresh perspective on one of the major problems of our times.
"Gerry Mouse is symbolic of all that is despised in the normal world. A mouse, like an indigent person, is unwanted in our day-to-day life. He is feared and believed to carry disease or harbor bugs. He chews away on our hard-earned, cherished valuables. Gerry Mouse is, thankfully, ignorant of the tainted beliefs that surround him as he views the world through woefully innocent eyes. Still, unlike Big Man, who has learned to numb himself against the slurs thrown by society, Gerry Mouse is confused and hurt by the feelings of sadness, loneliness, and emptiness that haunt him whenever he sees families who are fulfilled. But it is Gerry Mouse who is able to awaken the long-buried heart in Big Man. Through his efforts to help Gerry Mouse find happiness, Big Man mobilizes others like him and is left with a sense of gratitude and peace that only come from giving"--Back cover
SWEPT AWAY
Gerry Mouse Swept Away is the third and final book in the Gerry Mouse series. In this book Gerry Mouse learns patience and understanding as he meets others from different backgrounds. He learns that he has valued skills that he can use to teach others. Gerry Mouse discovers that his new family cares about him and stays by his side even when he is too ill to squeak. And that is a good feeling, for everyone.
Focusing on the healing power of storytelling, Charlotte Cooper shares her experiences with individuals at the end of life. Through compassionate listening, she captures the wisdom and insights of those nearing the end of their journeys. This book serves as a heartfelt tribute to the lessons learned from their stories, emphasizing the importance of connection and understanding in the face of mortality.
Offering an insider's perspective, this book features fat individuals sharing their personal experiences and political views, emphasizing the importance of self-representation. It contributes to a growing movement focused on Research Justice and the Para-Academy, showcasing accessible and accountable scholarship. Through these narratives, it challenges societal norms and advocates for fat activism as a radical social movement.
What is fat activism and why is it important? To answer this question, Charlotte Cooper presents an expansive grassroots study that traces the forty-year history of international fat activism and grounds its actions in their proper historical and geographical contexts. She details fat activist methods, analyzes existing literature in the field, challenges long-held assumptions that uphold systemic fatphobia, and makes clear how crucial feminism and queer theory are to the lifeblood of the movement. She also considers fat activism's proxy concerns, including body image, body positivity, the obesity epidemic, and fat stigma. Combining rigorous scholarship with personal, accessible writing, Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement is not only an invaluable contribution to the burgeoning field of fat studies, but also a vehicle for much-needed social change.