Fat Angie

Charlton-Trujillo, E. E. Fat Angie. 2013. 264p. ISBN 0763661198. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Angie has never been thin, but she’s always had her sister and her adopted brother to protect her from bullies and those who torment the weak and the different. Her sister was dedicated and worked hard towards her goals. A champion basketball player, she turned down a full scholarship and joined the military before being deployed to Iraq.

Nine months ago, she went missing in Iraq and has not been seen since. Angie’s world ended on that day. Called Fat Angie at school by the well-meaning kids and worse names by beautiful Stacey and her clique, Angie attempted suicide during a school assembly, in front of everyone. With divorced parents who don’t care, with a brother now on the skids as well, and with her sister gone, Angie thought she had nothing left to live for and wanted to make a statement. Only she didn’t die. She survived her attempt, and had to return to school after a bout with therapy. Her miserable existence continues, and only the hope that her sister will be found alive sustains her.

Then KC Romance arrives in her little Ohio town. KC is everything Angie is not: bold, outspoken, pretty, thin. But, like Angie, she’s got several secrets. She’s a cutter. She’s gay-girl gay. And she’s attracted to Angie, whom she does not see as fat but rather as exceptional. With someone new in her life, someone who loves her for whom she is, Angie’s life has just gotten more complicated.

This book really has it all: bullying, divorce, homosexuality, body issues, harassment, parental neglect, self-harm, depression, sports competition, and intense sibling rivalry. Readers interested in any of these topics will find their fill by reading the sad, tragic, but ultimately redeeming life of fat Angie.