I feel bad about my neck by Nora Ephron

What’s the story?  From Goodreads: ” With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.

Review: It pains me to say that I was disappointed in this book. This book was in my “to read” pile for years.  When I say years, I mean YEARS.  I saw Nora Ephron on the Oprah show talking about this book in 2006, and I thought that I had to read it. This woman wrote “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle”.  How could it not be fantastic? Honestly, if I had read it in 2006, I probably would have loved it.  It was quirky, and witty, and self deprecating… all things that resonated with me a decade and a half ago.  The thing that changed about me since then is that I have become very active in the HAES (Health at every size) movement, and I feel extremely passionate about body positivity.  That being said, I cringed every time Nora wrote about how much she hated a different part of her body and how her fellow NYC wives would painstakingly hide or surgically manipulate their flaws.  I understand this was written to get a laugh, but there is truth in jest.  This book is a testament to our society, and how much pressure there is not to age gracefully.  I do hope that in the last 14 years the body positivity movement, and singers like Meghan Trainor and Lizzo have begun to break down the walls of a fat phobic society, but this book only highlights how much more work needs to be done in order for women to feel good about themselves.  So as I finish this book, I hope Nora Ephron rests in peace, as she passed in 2012, and I hope she comes back in her next life as a woman with blazon self love and nothing to apologize for.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

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