T-Shirt Swim Club

Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People

By: Ian Karmel, Alisa Karmel PsyD

Narrated by: Ian Karmel, Alisa Karmel PsyD

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Comedian Ian Karmel, with help from his sister, Dr. Alisa Karmel, opens up about the daily humiliations of being fat and why it’s so hard to talk about something so visible.

“As charming and funny as it is poignant and thoughtful.”—Roxane Gay, author of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body

Ian Karmel has weighed eight pounds and he has weighed 420 pounds and right now he’s almost exactly in between the two, but this book is not a weight-loss book. It’s about being a fat person in a skinny world. It’s about gym class and football practice, about chicken wings and juice cleanses, about airplane seats and roller coasters, about fat jokes and Jabba the Hutt, about crying in the Big and Tall section and the joys of being a sneakerhead, about prediabetes and gout, and about realizing that you actually don’t want to eat yourself to death and hoping it’s not too late.

This book also includes a “What Now?” section from Ian’s sister, Alisa, who herself cycled through so many fad diets that she eventually pursued a master’s in nutrition and a doctorate in psychology with the goal of changing the contemporary narrative around fatness.

Ian and Alisa Karmel grew up fat. As kids, they never talked about it. They were too busy fighting over the last SnackWell’s Devil’s Food cookie. Now, decades later, having both turned into fat adults who eventually figured out how to get their health under control, they are finally ready to unpack the impact that their weight has had on them.

For them, the T-Shirt Swim Club is meant to be a place of support for anyone who struggles with weight issues. A place of care and candor, free of shame. A place to not deny or avoid the emotions you feel, the experiences you go through, the embarrassment, the anger, the resentment. T-Shirt Swim Club is about being a fat person and how the world treats fat people—but also an acknowledgment that maybe it doesn’t always have to feel quite so lonely.

Such an emotional book!

I love Ian and it was great to hear about what makes him, him. I recommend this to anyone that has been called big guy, fat, large, or even someone that doest fit in and gets called a slur, thank you both for writing this

Mostly great

Loved Ian’s parts , the end of the book that is more technical fell a bit flat in comparison being more technical. that being said Dr Karmels perspective was great to have as well

Funny and Inspiring

This book was incredible. So funny, so insightful. A very easy listen. Highly recommend to anyone who likes comedy or needing a Kickstart to improved mental and physical health.

Great listen!

I've been a big fan the all fantasy pod since 2017 and when I saw Ian was writing a book, I couldn't preorder it fast enough. This was really well done!

A New Perspective

Ian’s gift for writing is wonderfully on display here in a way that both compliments and highlights his stand up comedy. I really can’t complain about the content of this book at all. My one critique may be some of the transitions between him and his sisters writing, however that may possibly be something that stands out more in the audiobook and is smoother in the written word. Fantastic job.