Parents and caregivers of children of all ages, including expecting parents, are invited to come discuss the latest book selection and share in mutual support. It will be a safe space to discuss a variety of parental topics facilitated by Allie Kidd, LISW-S, EMDR Certified Therapist and local Kinsman mom. Call 330-876-2461 x2752 to learn more about this new book club and to reserve a copy of the book. 

Meets second Tuesday of every month at 4:30 p.m. in the Library Activity Room. 

Next Meeting: August 12, 2025

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith 

Kids learn, as we’ve all learned, that thinness is a survival strategy in a world that equates body size and value. Parents worry if their kids care too much about being thin, but even more about the consequences if they aren’t. And multibillion-dollar industries thrive on this fear of fatness. We’ve fought the “war on obesity” for over forty years and Americans aren’t thinner or happier with their bodies. But it’s not our kids―or their weight―who need fixing.

In this illuminating narrative, journalist Virginia Sole-Smith exposes the daily onslaught of fatphobia and body shaming that kids face from school, sports, doctors, diet culture, and parents themselves―and offers strategies for how families can change the conversation around weight, health, and self-worth.

Fat Talk is a stirring, deeply researched, and groundbreaking book that will help parents learn to reckon with their own body biases, identify diet culture, and empower their kids to navigate this challenging landscape. Sole-Smith draws on her extensive reporting and interviews with dozens of parents and kids to offer a provocative new approach for thinking about food and bodies, and a way for us all to work toward a more weight-inclusive world.