A cultural history of diets and fat

“We imagine the world with and through our bodies and we arrive at fantasies of our bodies through our social and cultural experience. Hillel Schwartz makes this clear in a book that combines the most meticulous scholarship with an imaginative grasp of American culture. This is a daring effort—to take a subject usually the topic of heavy-handed preaching or lighthearted ridicule (metaphors of weight are inescapable for us as Schwartz persuasively demonstrates)—and to show without being ponderous that it is central to our cultural history. An omnivorous historian who analyzes with equal facility and wit, Schwartz draws expertly on the biological, psychological, and social sciences as well as on an extraordinary array of material from popular culture. Never Satisfied is a fascinating piece of work.”
Michael Schudson, the University of California, San Diego

“Recommended for any person who is seriously interested in the history of diets and dieting. A well-researched and well documented work.”
Lois L.Lindauer, International Director, The Diet Workshop

“A fascinating history sprinkled with anecdotes that are intriguing as well as funny. {Hillel Schwartz} touches on hundreds of humorous and serious attempts to combat the battle of the bulge from the 1500s to the present and cleverly shows how business and marketing have affected the entire diet industry, continually reinforcing man’s obsession with his weight. Both novices and seasoned dieters will be enthralled by this long overdue work.”
Lynne Miller and Paula Modell, Directors