Book Review: The Secret Life of Fat

Title: The Secret Life of Fat
Author: Sylvia Tara
ISBN: 9789384067458
Language: English
Genres: Non-fiction, Health, Science, Fitness, Nutrition
Format: Paperback, 248 pages

Who loves fat? I guess no one. Sometimes, we even wish that it didn’t exist. But, have we ever really thought how valuable this fat is to us? “The Secret Life of Fat”, an enlightening book by Sylvia Tara answers all of our questions related to fat.

Although the book covers the health-related aspects of fat, which involve a lot of science, it never felt as if I was reading non-fiction. The author has covered, rather uncovered, the mystery of fat in a very interesting way through case-studies and personification of fat itself. While reading at some places it almost felt as if I was reading a fiction, except it wasn’t. It was all science, backed with a thorough research.

While a layman would normally find such a topic quite dull where most pages include biochemistry, or another form of science, the author has used a language that is simple but fascinating. The way she approached the subject, the outcome was an interesting book, that contained quite an information which was easy to comprehensible even for those who had never had a science related background.

Now, the reason why I would recommend this book to everyone is that the book contain a comprehensive information on fat. Almost everyone knows that in excess fat can be a serious threat to health and overall well-being. However, Sylvia’s book, The Secret Life of Fat, tells us that fat isn’t just an enemy, but a friend too. Our body has a complex relationship with it. Without it our body can simply cease to function properly. From proper development of babies to intricate functioning of brain, fat is everywhere. In fact, according to the book, history has witnessed an era where fat was considered good. There were books about How to be plump, and fat was a symbol of well-being and prosperity.

Anyhow, it doesn’t change the facts that modern science has revealed. Fat in excess can be harmful and the book addresses that problem in an interesting way. The book itself begins with the author’s troubles with her own fat, and how that inspired her to take up this extensive research and, eventually, write this book. After reading the book no one is going to look at fat the same way they did before. And, hopefully, the new insight into fat is going to help them a great deal.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.