Radical Belonging: How To Survive and Thrive in an Unjust World (While Transforming It for the Better)

Bacon’s two previous books, Body Respect and Health at Every Size, have played a foundational role in shifting conversations away from weight stigma and introducing the concept of Health at Every Size (HAES) to audiences looking for ways to escape from the damage diet culture does to our minds and bodies. In this new book, Bacon ventures into deeper social justice work in order to explore ways in which we can find a sense of belonging in ourselves and in our bodies. Whereas body positivity makes it our responsibility to love ourselves even if the world does not, the concept of radical belonging allows for changes and challenges; it gives individuals experiencing body dysmorphia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and forms of alienation or disconnect from their bodies strategies to find their way home without feeling pressure to deny their experiences in the world. As Bacon explains, oppression becomes woven into our bodies, which is why we need body liberation, which happens through the work of social justice. With insightful observations about what it means for someone genderqueer to navigate a world based on gendered binaries, Bacon offers a framework that absolves us of shame while providing ways in which we can work together toward a more collective healing.