“Vernon’s determined advocacy for body positivity as a feminist and mental health issue, and her painful journey to self-acceptance, are moving and powerful, forcing readers to examine their own preconceptions about beauty standards and health.”
—Booklist
“This candid memoir will be of interest for those who have experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence, and who are seeking forceful encouragement toward self-empowerment and self-expression.”
—Library Journal
“Vernon’s narration reads like an intimate heart-to-heart chat with a friend . . . Irreverent, vulnerable, and unapologetic in every sense.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“I love the fierce, unflinching honesty and integrity in Unashamed. The courage and raw emotion grabs you from the start and demands you open your heart and mind without judgment or preconceptions. I laughed and cried and read this book in awe of Leah Vernon’s brave, bold, and beautiful voice.”
—Randa Abdel-Fattah, author of The Lines We Cross and Does My Head Look Big in This?
“Deeply powerful in its vulnerability, Unashamed invites us into the pain, beauty, and redemption that have shaped Leah Vernon. We are transformed through the act of witnessing. Yes, this is a book for Fat Studies and Critical Race scholars, but it’s also one of the most generous memoirs I’ve ever read. There’s not a moment in this book where Vernon doesn’t take risks. That’s rare and beautiful to see.”
—Virgie Tovar, author of You Have the Right to Remain Fat
“Unashamed is everything Leah Vernon embodies on a daily basis: authenticity, resiliency, and, most of all . . . unquestionable courage. Unashamed is exactly what this world needs, and I’m so thankful for Leah: the fantastically powerful force behind this literary triumph.”
—Jes Baker, author of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls and Landwhale