All Of Me by Venice Berry

New American Library: April 2001
9780451202628
Reviewer: Dee-Dee
Rating: 5

TV news reporter Serpentine Williamson has a great life. Surrounded by family, friends and God, she lives the life many people only dream of. But Serpentine is not happy. Serpentine's plus size frame has been her nemesis her entire life, shaping both her view of the world as well as her view of self. She has spent her entire life on an emotional roller coaster, trying one diet after another to become the thin woman society seems to prefer. When the struggle to be thin takes Serpentine to the lowest point in her life she is forced to face her nemesis and learn to love herself hips and all.

“All Of Me” by Venise Berry is a touching story that will appeal to anyone that has struggled with the images of beauty placed upon us by society. Through Serpentine, Venice Berry shows us how society has warped the image of beauty and made many of us believe that beauty only comes in one shape and size. Serpentine seems to have everything but her low self-esteem negated all of her accomplishments making her feel like a failure because she could not seem to transform herself into the thin woman.

I absolutely loved this book. As a plus size woman dealing with my own image struggles, I could relate to Serpentine and her struggle. I could see bits of me and my personal battles in Serpentine's story. I so completely understood the place she was in when she decided to do the unthinkable. Venice Berry penned a book that will strike a cord for anyone who has ever picked up a fashion magazine or watched a music video and wondered why they never saw a woman that looked like them.