This is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World (and Me)

· Random House
Ebook
304
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

'A life-changing book' Viv Groskop

Marisa Meltzer was put on her first diet aged five: it was the beginning of a fraught relationship with food.

Jean Nidetch was a housewife from Queens who defiantly lost 70 pounds after she was mistaken for being pregnant. Taking everything she learned from this experience, in 1963 she founded Weight Watchers, a company that has shaped decades of diet culture.

When Marisa reads Jean's obituary, she feels a moment of intense connection. Curious about the woman and her legacy, she signs up for a year of Weight Watchers; counting points, weighing in and listening to her fellow members struggle with their bodies.

This is Big is a biography of an idiosyncratic entrepreneur whose impact is still felt strongly today. It is a history of dieting and body politics for anyone who has agonised over their weight or defiantly tried not to do so. And it is Marisa's funny and thoughtful journey towards a different way to live in the world.

'This is the anti-diet book I've been waiting for' Daisy Buchanan
'A life-changing book' Viv Groskop Marisa Meltzer was put on her first diet aged five: it was the beginning of a fraught relationship with food. Jean Nidetch was a housewife from Queens who defiantly lost 70 pounds after she was mistaken for being pregnant. Taking everything she learned from th...

Discover more

About the author

Marisa Meltzer is a journalist based in New York who writes the 'Me Time' column for The New York Times Style section and has contributed to The New Yorker, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and Vogue among numerous other major national publications. The author of two previous books, How Sassy Changed My Life and Girl Power, she lives in Brooklyn, NY and was born in Northern California.
Marisa Meltzer is a journalist based in New York who writes the 'Me Time' column for The New York Times Style section and has contributed to The New Yorker, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and Vogue among numerous other major national publications. The author of two previous books, How Sassy Changed M...

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.