Holding Up the Universe

I wasn't a big fan of Niven's "All the Bright Places", but this book was great. I enjoyed Libby and Jack's dual narrative. Their stories were both moving and poignant, and I loved watching their courage and self-worth grow and strengthen. Both of them struggled with their insecurities; Libby with

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her weight and Jack with his face-blindness. However, I loved them both. Libby was a strong, feisty character while Jack was totally loveable and a bit of a bad boy, swagger and all. Their romance was sweet, gentle and believable, and rather reminiscent of "Eleanor and Park".

Overall, I found "Holding Up the Universe" a refreshing read with a beautiful message - everyone is important regardless of gender, size, colour, social status or sexuality, so be true to yourself and be proud of who you are: there is no one else like you in the universe.

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A realistic fiction novel, Holding Up the Universe, takes a look at two teens who struggle to let others know who they are.

Libby Strout is very well known--a video of her went viral years ago when she was literally cut out of her house because she was so overweight. Time has passed and she’s lost

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A LOT of weight and is returning to school. Needless to say, people are not all nice about a very large girl (she could still lose well over 100 lbs) coming to their school. She, however, is very confident. She believes that she is worthy and that she has a lot to offer. She’s a great dancer with a great personality. She’s also smart and fairly sassy, not letting anyone treat her badly.

Jack Masselin knows how to handle people. He’s got swagger and he’s got charm. He also has a dark secret; he suffers face blindness (known as prosopagnosia). In fact, he can’t even recognize his own family. He knows that his brother has big ears. He refers to his mother as mother with hair up or mother with hair down. If he were to meet them outside of the house, he wouldn’t know them. Years ago he witnessed Libby being cut out because she lived across the street. He sent her a note saying he was rooting for her. Now that she’s returned to school, he cares that she not be treated badly. One mistake by Jack and she becomes a target. Somehow this mistake gives him the courage to tell her the truth--he’s face blind. She keeps his secret but encourages him to get properly diagnosed and to TELL people.

This is a funny novel--Libby has a great sense of humor and Jack’s humor is almost self-deprecating. No one expects them to be friends, much less actually like each other. Libby doesn’t let Jack get away with trying to manipulate her; instead, she makes him be honest. I know the novel sounds like it’s a heavy novel with heavy topics, but it’s actually amusing and fun. I listened to the audio, and the performers are excellent.

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A charming, hard to put down young adult book that is sure to garner lots of teen fans. Told from alternating perspectives of two extraordinarily different teenagers; Libby Strout was once so fat she had to be cut out of her house, Jack Masselin on the other hand is a popular jock with a hidden

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secret, he can't see or remember faces. When his friends dare him to try out this game they dubbed, "fat rodeo" he jumps on the back of Libby to see how long he can hang on. She punches him in the face and they both end up in detention. Together they realize they have more in common then they thought and build a beautiful friendship that hints at something more. Wonderfully told, you can't help but feeling for Libby and Jack and cringing when life throws them curve-balls. A wonderful read that kept me hooked.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

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Good book. Kept waiting for the shit to hit the fan right up until the last page. I don't think I'll ever forgive Jennifer Niven for All The Bright Places.

It's 3:26 am and I just finished this book and I need love, a bed, and people to read this book. It's simply amazing. Or maybe it just touched too close to home. Who knows?
It doesn't take away the fact that it's brilliant and mind-changing.
Pick it up. Read it.
Now.

Edit #1: Why are people so offended

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by a book being about a fat girl? Jesus Christ, as a person who deals with obesity, I actually liked the change of having a protagonist with my insecurities and my fights. Stop getting offended with things that don't even relate to you. When did readers and reviewers turn into a politically correct police (aka tumblr)? Take. A. Break.

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It's like a better version of Dumplin', but I'm just not loving this "fat girl gets her groove back" trend in YA right now.

Libby Strout is one of the best characters in fiction, especially in young adult fiction. She is smart, funny, kind, extremely brave, ethical, loyal and FAT! In point of fact, at one point she was famous because she was so fat she had to be cut out of her house during a panic attack! However, Libby

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found ways to deal with life and is back at school when this tale begins, and what a tale! Not only is Libby a wonderful person, but so is cool guy Jack Masselin, who has his own devils to contend with and turns out to be another very likable character despite his best efforts to just be cool and fit in! I simply loved this book because of its characters and realistic story line.

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A boy with face blindness and a girl who struggles with weight fall in love. Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are - and seeing them right back.

I managed about half of this. I didn't care about the characters. The book is overloaded with several major issues that can't then be handled properly. About all I can say for this book is that it made me very glad that I am not a teenager.

A cute YA love story about a pair of misfits, a very fat girl and a boy who can't recognise faces. Libby's story is interesting because we meet her on a path to recovery - she's been depressed and trapped but is rebuilding herself and rediscovering the real world, with strength of character and the

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help of her therapist. Nice for the exciting tingly feels about falling in love, nice for the 'bullying people is bad mmmkay, everyone is a real person, bullies are evil' vibe. Some of Libby's survival strategies - she gets anonymous letters saying 'you are not wanted' and so takes off all her clothes and walks the halls in a purple bikini with 'I am wanted' written all over her body - feel like the sort of thing it's easy to write about, but that would misfire in real life. And not a lot actually happens. But very easy to read, and sweet.

[I wasn't aware when I picked this up of all the controversy around it, and the debates around whether this is improved diversity, or showcasing the freakshow. I think it's probably impossible to write a book about how hard it is to be a fat teen at highschool without getting into some pretty awful areas, even if you don't condone the existence of people who behave like that. And I think even the most sympathetic book about a teen cut out of their house for being too fat is going to veer into voyeristic 'OMG, they were cut out of their house because they were So Fat!' So I think it probably did what it was doing surprisingly well, but superficially, and what it was doing was always going to have problems.]

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I am so bummed about this. Jennifer Niven's ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES is one of my favorite books of all time, and I still think it's one of the most important novels about mental health in existence. HOLDING UP THE UNIVERSE, though, is mediocre at best. It has none of the heartbreaking urgency and

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devastating love of ATBP, and its characters can't hold a candle to Violet and Finch. I found this flat and uninspiring in every way, so here's hoping her next YA venture is more like the first.

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Because of the amazing book Bone Gap, I learned what prosopagnosia is. I feel like I have a mild form of this because to be honest, I will not remember what a person looks like to save my life. I have met three famous people up close and I didn’t even recognize that they were famous until much

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later when someone else pointed them out to me. In fact, I find someone much more recognizable on a screen than I did in person so there’s some sort of disconnect there if I’m being honest.

Anyway, so Libby Strout is one of those people that believes that someone out there has it worse. She is that person that someone else can use as an example of someone who has it worse. Someone might think they are fat but Libby is actually fat and she knows it. Plus her family life isn’t the greatest, her mom died and her dad can kind of be distant.

Jack gets by in life on his charm and ability to make people think that he’s super invested in them. Truth is he can’t recognize anyone without obvious identifiers. That has gotten him in trouble on more than one occasion. Because of this, he feels like no one really knows the real him just the person he has projected to save face.

When his friends start a cruel form of bullying called the fat rodeo, Jack decides to get ahead of it and “help” the biggest girl so she doesn’t get worse treatment from the other guys involved. He writes her an apology letter in advance and “hugs” her. Libby knows the purpose of the hug and punches him in the face thus starting a wonderful friendship. *sarcasm*

I actually did like this book it was really funny at some points and I really felt for both Jack and Libby in the whole aspect about people assuming you’re one way when it’s just the image that you have let them see. Part of me thought the romance was kind of lame, I would have preferred if it was a slow burn but obviously it’s not. In the end, I thought both characters were pretty funny and I really enjoyed the family dynamics that were explored in this book.

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Molto bello, tocca argomenti come il lutto, il bullismo, gli scompensi alimentari, ecc. ma lo fa con dolcezza e poesia

Libby is starting school again - now a junior, the last time she attended school, her mom had suddenly died, her dad was grieving, and Libby was so afraid & sad, she began eating. She ate until she earned the media title "America's Fattest Teen." Hospitalization, counseling, and dietary help brings

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Libby back to being a functioning, active young woman, and it's time to "re-enter" the world. Jack Masselin, popular and dating off and one of the most aloof and beautiful girls on campus; however, he has a secret no one knows, not even his family. Jack suspects he has some sort of disorder: he cannot recognize people by their faces. He struggles to identify even his good friends, his little brother, everyone, and uses all sorts of other "identifiers" to put the correct name to everyone in his world. Not until he goes to a nearby university and has himself tested by specialists does he confirm what he fears: he does have severe prosopagnosia.
Backing up: It's Libby's first week back at school and she's already begun to tentatively re-initiate with grade school friends and get through the gauntlet of being "new girl". Jack watches one of his friends gleefully wrap his arms around an unsuspecting chubby girl as she crosses the track & is told there's a new "game". He reluctantly accepts his friends' challenge in the "Fat Girl Rodeo" contest: grab a fat girl, hug her tight for as many seconds as you can in order to "win". Jack launches himself at Libby in the cafeteria; to his surprise, rather than flee crying, Libby not only throws him off of her, she punches him. Their punishment: join a group with school counselor- The Conversation Circle- to do community service around the school and work through their issues.
To their surprise, Jack and Libby become more than detention "buddies" - they become friends. And maybe more... Niven effortlessly walks us through the pangs and sorrows of teen love, self-identity, acceptance, and self empowerment, and weaves in a poignant love story too. Too good to put down, so real it will make you wince or laugh out loud.

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Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is an absolutely amazing book. It is the story of two teens. Libby Strout, who at one point in her young life had gained so much weight she had to be cut out of her house, and Jack Masselin, who has prosopagnosia, or face blindness. He has been able to hide

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this fact from everyone, including his family, but it is taking a toll on him. Due to a cruel stunt at school, Jack and Libby wind up in detention and group counseling together. As they begin to know each other, attractions develop.

I think Libby is a fantastic character. Although she still weighs enough to be considered morbidly obese, she has lost hundreds of pounds since being cut out of her house. She is eager to experience all life has to offer, and is not afraid to go for it. I love that she tries out for the school dance team, and is not afraid to speak her mind. She has a sure sense of self that is very appealing.

Libby's burgeoning relationship with Jack feels natural, not forced. She becomes the first person he tells about his prosopagnosia. The reader gets to experience a lot of firsts with Libby: first kiss, first date, first high school party. I really felt invested in her life and her happiness.

This is a very sweet love story, with great, complicated characters. Although both Jack and Libby have unusual problems, they feel very natural, not forced at all. I also feel like I learned a bit about prosopagnosia. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoyed it so much and will recommend it to all my friends. (And I love the cover so much. So pretty!)

I received a free copy from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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4.50

There are so many things I love about this book. I loved it despite the often placed lovey dovey cliches you find in many of these YA contemporaries. That's says a lot for me as I'm usually quite unforgiving of convenient plot twists and lovers seeing stars. I still couldn't help loving this

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book because I loved Libby. I was Libby in my early college and high school years. Unfortunately my confidence and tenacity didn't come until many years later, and it's still a struggle not to be "trapped" within myself. I love that Niven created a 3 dimensional Libby instead of the typical pathetic fat girl character who is happy with tiny amounts of attention or scraps. I'm happy it isn't just a story of people learning to accept that fat girl, or the the fat girl gets a makeover and looses the weight and suddenly becomes usable and viable. Moreover, I'm glad the fat girl was actually fat and not a Bridget Jones 135 pounds. I wish this book was around when I was younger. I recommend this book for everyone who feels trapped and doesn't seem to fit.

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Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Libby has been struggling with her weight her entire life known as "America's Fattest Teen". She is dealing with the death of her Mother and her grieving Father. She wants a normal life and to be accepted by her peers.

Jack is suffering from a rare condition

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Prosopagnosia or Face Blindness. He can't recognize people, including family. Due to this he uses humor (to cope) and does not allow anyone to get too close to him. He wants to live a normal life and be accepted as well.

The two form a friendship while facing normal teen problems and trying to overcome their own insecurities. Although the paring of the two would seem off to some, the union of the pair could be exactly what they need to live life to it's fullest.

The story moves at a fast pace with well developed characters and alternating (voice of) Libby and Jack. Both are very likable. I really wanted them to be self confident and find true happiness. Overall I found Holding Up the Universe very enjoyable. With true to life situations and told in a relatable way. I highly recommend to Young Adult and Adult readers as well. A definite five star read.

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3.5 Not quite the masterpiece that All the Bright Places was, but a very good YA story about the insecurities everyone possesses and the ways they try to hide it. Told in alternating chapters by Libby Strout and Jack Masselin, the book is essentially the story of a school year (junior) and the

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unlikely events that bring these 2 very different teens together. The time sequence is important too and is clearly labeled, but was a little challenging on a e-reader. Libby was America's Fattest Teen and had to be extracted from her house by construction and a crane when she was 13 years old. She has lost 300 of the 600 pounds she once was and after being home-schooled during that process is returning to public school, specifically junior year of high school. She hopes for a fresh start and has made amazing progress in her self-awareness and self-understanding, and has learned a lot about her weight, her emotional issues and how to cope. Her problems were initially brought on by the sudden, unexpected death of her mother when she was 11 or 12. Now all her health and growth is about to be tested. Week 1 she encounters Jack Masselin, a popular kid whose deviant friends have dared him to play "Fat Girl Rodeo" in which he is supposed to grab her and not let go -- much like riding a bull. Libby decks him and they both end up in the principal's office. Jack reveals to Libby privately that he only took the dare in hopes of preventing his "friends" from doing the same or worse. He also reveals that he has a condition called prosopagnosia, or "face-blindness" in which he cannot recognize people by their facial features or retain memory of them. He has to find other identifiers like size, or hair (he himself wears a big afro) or birthmarks -- his girlfriend Caroline has a fake beauty mark-- and that he has been a great pretender all these years, because not even his family (whom he also cannot recognize) knows this about him. BTW, this is the second YA book to deal with this topic recently -- must be a thing. Jack and Libby and a few other miscreants get thrown together in a Breakfast Club-like scenario to work off their detentions and misbehavior and Jack and Libby become friends and more over time as they try to help each other navigate the awkward, cutthroat world of adolescence. Highlights: road trip to IU to confirm Jack's diagnosis. Libby's manifesto about kindness and acceptance that she delivers in the school hallway while wearing a bikini. Mr. Levine, cool school counselor who runs the after school Conversation Circle (detention). Libby's slam-dunk try-out for the school's dance team -- dancing is her major talent and her salvation. There are requisite mean girls and cocky guys who try to thwart Libby and Jack, but they both gain and retain a sense of themselves, separate and together that helps them become invincible. The overall message is to face the truth and be your truth.

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Part of me wants to write this entirely in response to the whiny haters who are giving it one-star reviews, but, to them, I'll only say this: Maybe this book isn't for you. That's fine. But maybe wait until after you've read it to spew your vitriol. It's not uncommon for the jacket copy/synopsis to

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misrepresent the true contents of the book, especially since the book is still in the editorial process when that copy is written and there may still be significant changes to come. It's like judging an adult based on a teacher's assessment from the first day of kindergarten. So, please, just unbunch your panties, take a deep breath, and stop looking for offense everywhere you turn. Because, guaranteed, if you look for offense, you are bound to find it.

Anyway...

Libby is amazing. As someone who has struggled with weight all my life, I envied her confidence. She was strong and beautiful and sure of her place in the world. I honestly think she deserves better than Jack, but he seems to make her happy, so whatever. And, their relationship develops in a really natural way without being sticky-sweet and sentimental. I feel like I have a lot I want to say about this book, but I don't think I have the words to properly express myself. it's sweet, but not overly so. It's smart and funny and true. It's heartbreaking and uplifting. It's a girl who would, in most books of this sort, be the one who got "fixed" by her relationship with the popular boy instead being the one who finally gets the popular boy to come clean about his condition. It's not the book I expected it to be, but it's exactly the book I didn't know I wanted it to be.

The haters are going to hate and they're going to look for things about this book to offend them and, because they're looking, they'll find. But, if you approach this book with an open mind and open heart, you're far more likely to find someone and something to inspire.

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Jack and Libby. Libby and Jack. Two teenagers with issues. Jack has Prosopagnosia and can’t recognize faces, even of those who are close to him…even his girlfriend, which has caused him problems in the past. He’s identified other means of, sort of, recognizing people, but it’s certainly not

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fool proof. Libby was once dubbed America’s Fattest Teen and had to be lifted out of her house by means of a crane. Currently half her former size, she’s still a big girl, subject to the taunts of her high school peers.

Libby, having been the brunt of a cruel joke perpetrated by Jack, punched him, so they are both destined to serve time in the Conversation Circle after school, where they and several other teens discuss their behavior, among other things. It is there that they get to know each other and find out what makes each other tick.

Libby is still mourning the sudden death of her mother five years earlier, an impetus to her spiraling weight. Jack knows about his father’s affair and is trying to hide both this and his Prosopagnosia from the rest of the family. Can two people with issues come together and understand each other?

Jennifer Niven came on the scene in early 2015 with the critically acclaimed All the Bright Places in which she tackles suicide and bipolar disorder. In Holding Up the Universe, she tackles another subject affecting not only teens. Living in an era in which match-stick thin is a sign of beauty, being a larger size can have a dramatic impact on a person’s self image. Libby, however, knows who she is after having lived through a period during which she never left her home. She’s proud of who she is and wants to the world to know she is loved and wanted and just a great person. She, in turn, tries to instill that confidence in others.

While I enjoyed reading Holding Up the Universe, I found Libby to be too rah-rah. Is that possible given her past? Yet maybe that’s what’s necessary to let the world know that self worth isn’t inversely proportional to weight. On the other side, I don’t know how Jack made it through life without anyone knowing of his disability. It seems incredible. In looking back, I also had an issue with characters in All the Bright Places.

Niven has put together an interesting supporting cast, most of whom ring true. All in all, Hold Up the Universe was an enjoyable read.

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"Holding up the Universe" has been on my to-read list for a long time. After receiving it as a gift in 2019, I'm glad that I was finally able to read this book. From start to finish, I enjoyed Libby and Jack's stories and how they were woven together. I could relate to their desires to be wanted

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and accepted, but also their realizations that they are different form everyone else. This book has made its way onto my favorites list and I can't wait to reread it sometime in the future.

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