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Title details for Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan - Available

Big Girl

A Novel

by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
Lisa Reneé Pitts
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Exquisitely compassionate and witty, Big Girl traces the intergenerational hungers and desires of Black womanhood, as told through the unforgettable voice of Malaya Clondon. In her highly anticipated debut novel, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan explores the perils-and undeniable beauty-of insatiable longing. Growing up in a rapidly changing Harlem, eight-year-old Malaya hates when her mother drags her to Weight Watchers meetings; she'd rather paint alone in her bedroom or enjoy forbidden street foods with her father. For Malaya, the pressures of her predominantly white Upper East Side prep school are relentless, as are the expectations passed down from her painfully proper mother and sharp-tongued grandmother. As she comes of age in the 1990s, she finds solace in the music of Biggie Smalls and Aaliyah, but her weight continues to climb-until a family tragedy forces her to face the source of her hunger, ultimately shattering her inherited stigmas surrounding women's bodies, and embracing her own desire. Written with vibrant lyricism shot through with tenderness, Big Girl announces Sullivan as an urgent and vital voice in contemporary fiction.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 26, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781696608572
      • File size: 347665 KB
      • Duration: 12:04:18

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 30, 2022
      Sullivan (the collection Blue Talk and Love) charms in her stunning debut novel about a Black girl’s coming-of-age. While growing up in gentrifying Harlem during the 1980s and ’90s, Malaya Clondon is irrevocably impacted by other people’s perceptions and judgments of her weight. At eight, her mother, Nyela forces her to attend Nyela’s Weight Watchers meetings, and she endures cruel remarks from classmates at her predominantly white school. When she’s 16, Nyela and Malaya’s father, Percy, fight over the prospect of Malaya undergoing a gastric bypass. Throughout, Sullivan offers a nuanced portrayal of Malaya’s difficulties in navigating a world in which other people are unable to see her beyond her size, even after a terrible loss shakes Malaya’s world and reorients her family. All of Sullivan’s characters—even the cruel ones—brim with humanity, and the author shines when conveying the details of Malaya’s comforts, such as Biggie Smalls lyrics, the portraits she paints in her room, the colors she braids into her hair, and the sweet-smelling dulce de coco candies she eats with a classmate with whom she shares a close and sexually charged friendship. This is a treasure. Agent: Janet Silver, Aevitas Creative Management.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Lisa Renee Pitts delivers a spirited narration of this coming-of-age debut. Malaya Clondon is a young Black girl growing up in Harlem in the '80s and '90s who faces continual fat shaming. At age 8, she is forced to attend Weight Watchers with her mother, and she suffers harsh judgments and pressures at school, as well as from her hypercritical grandmother. In contrast, Malaya's father shows her tenderness and support. In tense family scenes, Pitts's performance stands out. Her energy and expressiveness capture the raw emotions of the characters, helping to keep listeners engaged. However, the story's incessant fat phobia, which spans decades, can make the listening experience challenging. Overall, a skillfully voiced portrait of complex characters and relationships. V.T.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      December 1, 2022

      The melodious voice of the narrator Lisa Rene� Pitts eases listeners into 1990s Harlem, where eight-year-old Malaya is going to a weight-loss meeting with her mother. Malaya's weight dictates the way others think of her and treat her, but she doesn't let that limit her own outlook and possibilities. Listeners travel along with her until she's 18 years old, as her parents fight with each other, her grandmother berates her, romantic relationships go wrong, and friendships wax and wane. Pitts inhabits each character, bringing authentic emotions and accents as needed. Sullivan describes the luscious foods that Malaya wants, as well as the bland diet foods that she does not. Her depiction of shame-filled eating disorder behaviors is heartbreaking. This book is not an easy listen, as it is difficult to hear how others focus only on Malaya's weight, when there is so much more to this strong, bright girl. While cataloged for adults, Sullivan's affecting debut may also resonate with teenagers, despite the 1990s references. VERDICT An ultimately hopeful book with a top-tier narrator that does not disappoint.--Laura Stein

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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