Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett

From the Publisher

Beauty pageant winner, homecoming queen--Lara has the world at her feet.  Until she gets fat.

Despite a strict diet and workout schedule, Lara is soon a nameless, faceless, 200-pound-plus teenage blimp.  She's desperate to get her to-die-for body back--and to find an explanation for her rapid weight gain.

When she's diagnosed with a mysterious metabolic disorder that has no known cure, Lara fears she'll spend the rest of her life trapped in a fat suit.  Who will stand by her?  Her image-conscious family?  Her shallow friends?  Her handsome boyfriend?  Or will she be left alone in the land of the fat girls?

Publishers Weekly

Lara Ardeche seems to have everythingthe perfect boyfriend, a roomful of beauty pageant trophies, a talent for the piano and terrific looksand as her saga begins, she is crowned homecoming queen of her Nashville high school. Upon this paragon, Bennett (Did You Hear About Amber?) visits a made-up disease, which makes Lara balloon past 200 pounds, no matter how little she eats and how much she exercises. Her popularity turns to ashes and she becomes alienated from herself, "a prisoner in a fat suit"and her troubles have only begun. Bennett drops in transcripts from TV talk shows and news reports to demonstrate just how ingrained is the prejudice against fat people in American culture, and she obviously wants to challenge popular notions of weight, self-image and beauty. Reading this often artificial novel for insight into these issues is a little like eating peanut M&Ms for the protein, but it's a similarly addictive experience. While Bennett contrives both the obstacles facing Lara and the means by which Lara surmounts them, the author is on target with her estimation of how greatly readers will share Lara's horror at her plight; if she does not revolutionize anyone's thinking about weight, she is sure to hit a nerve. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

A beauty queen develops a rare (and fictional) weight-gaining disorder. "Reading this often artificial novel for insight into [issues of weight, self-image and beauty] is a little like eating peanut M&Ms for the protein, but it's a similarly addictive experience," said PW. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA

Lara Adeche lives a golden life: teenage pageant queen, prom queen. Handsome and loving boyfriend. Kind and generous heart to those less perfect. Money. Good-looking parents. Then the unthinkable happens: in just one year, Lara's weight balloons from 118 to 218 pounds. Her desperate, dangerous attempts to diet fail. She lives the nightmare of being obese in a thin-obsessed world. Her classmates' cruelty breaks her heart and opens her eyes to the hellish twin torments of social invisibility and of being the butt of savage teasing. And just as the pretty veneer of Lara's physical self crumples into something unrecognizable, so does the shallow "for appearances' sake" structure of her parents' marriage. Bennett writes bluntly about the misery that overweight teenagers experience. Lara understands finally that there is more to a person than a number on a scale even as she is paralyzed by the self-loathing and despair caused by her failure to regain control of her body. Bennett uses the literary device of an invented metabolic illness (Axell Crowne Syndrome) to dismantle, rescue, and rebuild Lara's soul. At times almost too painful to read, Life in the Fat Lane accomplishes two important goals: it cautions image-conscious adolescents to build a base of meaningful values, and it reassures overweight teens that the world is full of wonderful people who see right past the flesh and into the beauty of each person's essence. This book offers a full measure of wisdom and hope. VOYA Codes: 4Q 5P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

School Library Journal

Gr 8 UpLara, 16, is just what most girls want to be: thin, beautiful, and smart. She's dating one of the cutest boys in school, and she's popular. Then she notices that she's gained a few pounds. Unconcerned, she starts to work out harder and watches what she eats. However, her weight keeps going up, and soon Lara weighs over 200 pounds. She spends a week in a hospital on a controlled liquid diet, and the doctors and nutritionists can't understand why she becomes even heavier. Suddenly, she is no longer popular and is faced with ridicule from everyone around her. The story of Lara's weight gain is set against a backdrop of her outwardly perfect, but deeply troubled family life: her father is having a long-term affair, her mother is insecure and obsessed with her (and Lara's) appearance, and her younger brother is angry and rebellious. All of these characters and situations are skillfully drawn, resulting in a compelling story. Bennett captures the voices of teenagers well and offers insight into what it's like to be overweight in a society that is so caught up in appearances. Lara is further challenged when she finds out that the cause of her sudden weight gain is Axell-Crowne Syndrome (readers learn in an author's note that the disease is fictional). This plot device allows for more insight into Lara's character, as she struggles with being overweight through no "fault" of her own. While the fabrication of the disease may surprise or even disappoint some readers, most will find this an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.Dina Sherman, Brooklyn Children's Museum, NY

Product Details

• ISBN: 0440220297
  
• ISBN-13: 9780440220299
• Format: Mass Market Paperback, 260pp
• Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books
• Pub. Date: July 1999
• Sales Rank: 68,587
• Age Range: Young Adult

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