Bibliographic Information:
Title: Eat Your Heart Out
Author: Kelly Devos
ISBN: 978-0593204825
Publisher: Razorbill
Copyright Date: June 29, 2021
Reading Level / Interest Level: Min/Max grade levels 8 -12 (Novelist)
Genre / Format: Horror, Thriller, Satire / Book
Themes: Zombie Apocalypse, Fatphobia, Fatshaming, Self Esteem, Friendship, Complicated Family
Awards or Honors: None as of the publication of this post.
Plot Summary: A group of teenagers are sent to fat-camp by their parents one summer in oder to lose weight. Our main action hero is the badass Vivian. Despite being a confident captain of her soccer team, and the most active teenager she knows, Vivian is sent to Camp Featherlight by her mother to shed some pounds. Vivian's ex-best-friend, Allie, who betrayed her by sleeping with her crush, is also at the camp. Allie has ulterior motives though: an aspiring filmmaker, she wants to shoot a documentary about the Camp, showing the results of a fat-shaming culture. Before Allie and Vivian can begin to make amends, a zombie outbreak throws everyone into survival panic mode. Now Allie, Vivian, and a group of other fellow campers must work together to uncover the secrets of the shady scientists behind Camp Featherlight before they are eaten alive by zombies!
Author Background: Kelly Devos is from Arizona and has a BA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. Reader's Digest named her debut album, Fat Girl on a Plane, one of the "50 Best Summer Reads of All Time." Much of her young adult writing features body positivity (deVos, n.d.).
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items: One of the main characters that we follow, Allie, is an aspiring filmmaker and she assigns tropes to each of the characters at the camp. As the characters fight off the hoards of zombies, they make constant references to these tropes, keeping the reader wondering whether or not a trope will be subverted. As someone who watches many movies, I appreciated this storytelling device and it helped me keep track of the events in the story. This clever classification was useful given the book's multiple perspective format. All of the campers were sent to the camp by their parents and the multiple perspectives format gives voice to multiple individuals, all affected by the same fat-shaming culture. This story has gore, romance, friendship, and a rebellious spirit. My one complaint is that the the poor character, the most relatable of the group, was not explored enough and she should have told more of the story. Vivian and the rest of the campers are all filthy rich, making them a bit difficult to relate to since they can solve all of their problems with money. Both Vivian and Allie were shamed for their weight at home, but after the shaming, Allie is stuck in her trailer home while Vivian is on ski resorts with her family. Overall, this horror, zombie satire is action-packed and fast-paced with strong body positivity.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Which Movie Character Trope Are You?
Teens will design their own character for a zombie apocalypse. They will select their favorite character trope and explore it further through library resources. Tropes featured in the story include:
The Basket Case
The Outcast
Action Girl
The Jock with a Heart of Gold
Metabolize-A Bars: Teens will have the opportunity to bake their very own Metabolize-A Bars, which were the lovely, weird, mysterious green snacks that turned the campers into zombies!
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer: Can you believe fat camps exist? Vivian is sent to an expensive fat camp by her mother, despite being in perfect shape and being the captain of her soccer team. She already hates having to be there, but then her ex-best friend Allie shows up too, making things awkward. Vivian doesn't get to dwell on her feelings for her long because the fellow campers begin to turn to zombies. Communications have been completely cut off and the blizzard has them trapped. Will Vivian, Allie, and the remaining campers survive this zombie apocalypse? Yeah, fat camps suck.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: Some parents may not appreciate a story that encourages their children to rebel against their parents. I would argue that the story doesn't necessarily encourage teens to rebel against their parents, but that they should love themselves and rebel against anyone who tries to deny them the space to do so. Also, the adults in Eat Your Heart Out are painted in an obvious bad light because the story is a satire!
Reason for Inclusion: This story features a lot of body positivity: characters with low self esteem due to body shaming are given moments to shine and be heroic. By the end of the fight, all of the characters have become fighters, determined to live their lives for themselves no matter how many people try to keep them down and under their control. The book clears up some common misconceptions about people's weight, health, and body image. This is an interesting, fast-paced story with a positive message and an interesting, witty writing style.
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