T-Shirt Swim Club

Reviews

“Ian Karmel is truly an inspirational person. He took his life and his weight by the scruff of the neck and refused to back down in his quest to get healthier. He also got funnier when he got slimmer; this never happens. I love him and I love this book.”—James Corden

“Ian Karmel is funny and his sister is smart. Together they create a work that is both of those things and so much more.”—Seth Meyers

“T-Shirt Swim Club is as charming and funny as it is poignant and thoughtful. Ian Karmel writes about life as a fat boy who grows into a fat man and eventually figures out a better way to live in his body. The stories Karmel shares are heartbreakingly relatable. And Karmel’s sister Alisa, a psychologist, gracefully speaks to the emotional realities of making this world so inhospitable to fat people and how we can better embrace people whatever their size and wherever they are in their journey to have a healthy relationship with their body.”—Roxane Gay, author of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body

“A lot of people are funny. And a lot of people are warm. And a lot of people are insightful. But Ian Karmel, in his lovely book here, somehow manages to be all three of those things at once, fully and completely, across every single page. It’s wonderful.”—Shea Serrano, author of Hip-Hop (and Other Things)
 
“The T-Shirt Swim Club is a must-read for everyone, regardless of whether they are a member or not. I recommend this book for parents, teachers, those who work with children, and anyone who used to be a child. Ian’s description of his toxic relationship with his body is vulnerable, real, and painful. Dr. Alisa Karmel offers important, research-backed advice about how to navigate a world filled with weight-stigma and diet culture from the perspective of someone who truly understands the pain that accompanies Ian’s journey. I cannot possibly recommend this book more.”—Jennifer Harriger, PhD, professor of psychology, Seaver College, Pepperdine University

“Hilarious, heartbreaking and harrowing, T-Shirt Swim Club is a vulnerable, angry, beautifully crafted window into an experience so specific and isolating, all while making it feel imminently universal. We have not all been fat but everyone is trapped in their own skin and this book shines a light on the keyhole that turns to set us free. Fat kids everywhere are so lucky to have a book like this to read. Also it pairs well with pastrami.”—Moshe Kasher, comedian, Emmy winner and bestselling author of Kasher in the Rye and Subculture Vulture

“The Karmels serve up a comic and philosophical exploration suffused with hard-won wisdom and charming wit. . . . The book could have easily turned into a clumsy plea for sympathy or a bad-tempered rant, but Ian and Alisa tell their interlocking stories with grace and humor. Ultimately, the book is about resilience and growth; for this reason, it has something to say to everyone.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Expand reviews