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Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession
Bottom of the pile
24
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
11/100Critics
37/100Scholars
Author:
Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press
Date:
February 2, 2023
Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a scholar and proselytizer for physical well-being, elucidates the political and social implications of America's exercise cult(ure). Delving into the paradox of why so many Americans are physically unfit, despite the power of the exercise industry, Petrzela shows fitness to be both a product and a marker of education, social class, wealth, power, and more.
What The Reviewers Say
Petrzela’s book continued to haunt me after I put it down. I was embarrassed by the number of fitness brands that I recognized in it, and I winced at how much money I’ve forked out for them. But I wish I’d come out with a better understanding of how the United States compares with other countries in this regard. Petrzela makes several observations about America that could have benefited from more context..
Petrzela’s cultural history combines an academic approach with an activist’s urgency.
Ms. Petrzela’s account moves at a quick-lap pace: She scans the market from top to bottom, from the Equinox gym to the Zumba class in a local church hall.
A pensive survey of the evolution of exercise in America and a pessimistic view of our nation’s current fitness..
