“A deeply validating and joyful collection! Every Body Shines is the kind of book I’ve been waiting to see on shelves my whole life.”

Readers can expect diverse takes on the experience of living as a fat person in modern times [ . . . ], to find characters of different gender identities, sexual orientations, cultural heritages, and race. No longer relegated to comedic relief or token sidekick, these fat teens, who are given multidimensional personalities, face troubles beyond others’ views of their size and are given room to cultivate their own identities. A broad selection of genres makes this appealing to an expansive swath of socially conscious readers.

Presenting both joys and frustrations, this unapologetically honest collection features characters finding their voices alongside characters who fully embrace their bodies, challenge stereotypes, and refuse to let anything hold them back, effectively dispelling any notion of fatness as a singular perspective.

Authors unite around body-celebrating fiction. Aubrey Gordon writes movingly about fat friendships and community in the introduction to this 16-story anthology, and readers might describe its stories as an assortment of fat friends holding out hands of welcome. Undeniably earnest and filling an important niche.

Here . . . everybody is given the space to glow . . . . A mindful, meaningful compilation of stories featuring characters who prove that being fat is not a deterrent to happiness, nor is it the main event of anyone’s life.