Review: Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedom and Kim Barnouin


About: Freedman and Bamouin speak to the reader like a friend who isn't afraid to tell you what's on her mind. They back up their arguments by citing study after study and take the technical talk out of the discussion so as to make a more easily digested point. Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin started a movement when they wrote their bestselling manifesto, Skinny Bitch. Both a wake-up call and a kick in the ass, Skinny Bitch exposed the horrors of the food industry while inspiring people to eat well and enjoy food. They both live and pig out in Los Angeles. (from amazon.com)


Review: I've heard a lot about this book since it was released back in 2005. Six years later I manage to read it. Surprisingly a majority of the information in the book I already knew. Basically the book is about two vegan women who help you understand and realize what, or who, you are eating. They put it in perspective and really, they've made me, a five year vegetarian, go vegan and I've never felt better. It's important to know what we are putting in our bodies and where our food comes from. I found this book to be insightful and helpful for anyone looking for a healthier lifestyle! Best part? They give you a month long menu to help you become vegan! How cool is that.

Fun Reviews from Amazon.com
Hartford Courant
“…incredibly informative and entertaining… Co-authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin provide tough-love talk mixed with facts and common sense...This is the first "diet" book I've ever read that has made me laugh out loud numerous times. That being said, since no one warned me, I'll let you in on a secret - the book will gross you out. In the same vein as Fast Food Nation, there are graphic descriptions of factory farming and unsanitary dairy farm practices. It was easy for me to put down Fast Food Nation but this book is so funny, I had to keep going.

Almost immediately, I was one of the transformed. In fact, as soon as I got halfway through Chapter 4, "The Dead, Rotting Decomposing Flesh Diet", I had to call and change my dinner plans because I decided to go vegan on the spot.

West VA University's The Daily Athenaeum, 6/8/10
“a cynical, foul-mouthed read with only good intentions that could get you into your best bikini shape for this pool season…The book’s conversational tone makes for an interesting and entertaining read – not simply just dos and don’ts of dieting and exercise like most weight-loss plan guides.”

Review: Marabou Stork Nightmares

Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irving Welsh

About: In a hospital room in Edinburgh Roy Strang lies in a coma - which doesn't save him from reliving the sordid developments that brought him to this state. He seems at times to be engaged in a strange quest in a surrealistic Africa to eradicate the evil predator-scavenger bird the marabou stork before it drives away the peace-loving flamingos from Lake Torto. But Roy's hallucinatory adventures keep being interrupted by troubling memories of his bizarre family, the housing project in which he grew up, a disastrous emigration to South Africa and his youthful life of casual brutality as a club-hopping soccer thug. (from goodreads)

Review: I must say first off, I've never read or seen anything written by Irving Welsh. Conclusion, real, raw, intimate, amazing and fantastic piece of work. On the other note, it's not for the light of heart. A bit of a different swing from Peter Pan but Marabou was a good change up. I began the story with a basic idea on the back of the book. Man in coma finds himself in deep Africa hunting a Marabou Stork with his good friend Sandy Jamison, but all the while is so close to the surface. I enjoyed the way the book was written, Irving took the words and built them up and down bring your eyes and reading along this backwards journey with Roy Strang. The story started out light, adventurous, I actually like Roy. My relationship with Roy was a lot different than most main characters. It was as interesting and backwards as the book. At the beginning I like Roy, I found him interesting, kinda felt bad for him that he was bullied and his weird family. As the story progressed I found myself feeling more hatred towards him that sadness, I didn't like him. Roy was dumb and arrogant and an ass. I honestly hated him. Near the end you started to feel bad for him again, just a bit of sympathy was sent his way. But by the end my relationship with Roy Strang was mutual. We had finished the book together and I felt like the more I knew about him, the less I liked him. But I enjoyed the journey and story of his life, the Scottish humor and language Welsh put into his book. It was a great, interesting read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a light stomach. I must say it gets a bit hard to handle. Overall, so glad I purchased it. Now on to buying Trainspotting and Acid House.