About Camp Utopia & the Forgiveness Diet
• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Koehler Books (July 1, 2014)
Sixteen-year-old Baltimore teen Bethany Stern knows the only way out of spending her summer at Camp Utopia, a fat camp in Northern California, is weight-loss. Desperate, she tries The Forgiveness Diet, the latest fad whose infomercial promises that all she has to do is forgive her deadbeat dad, her scandalous sister, and the teenage magician next door and (unrequited) love of her life. But when the diet fails and her camp nemesis delivers the ultimate blow, Bee bids sayonara to Camp-not-Utopian-at-all to begin what she believes will be her “real” summer adventure, only to learn that running away isn’t as easy—or as healing—as it seems.
Her wry and honest voice bring humor and poignancy for anyone, fat or thin, tired of hearing “you’d be so pretty if…[insert unwelcome judgment about your appearance from loved one or perfect stranger].”
Praise for Camp Utopia and the Forgiveness Diet
“A funny, poignant, emotionally intelligent and beautifully written novel that takes the reader on a journey that is by turns heartbreaking and inspiring. I highly recommend it.” -Alisa Valdes, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
“Ruden’s debut novel is more than merely funny. It skewers our cultural obsession with the superficial, lampooning everything from fad diets to reality television and self-help gurus. And Bethany’s inner journey from bitterness to forgiveness is one that will resonate with all readers. Read it for the laughs, reread it for Ruden’s profound insight into the transformative power of forgiveness.” -Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall
Purchase Links
Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
About Jenny Ruden
Jenny Ruden has published short stories and essays in Nerve, Salon, Eclectica Magazine, Literary Mama and High Desert Journal. She won an Orlando award for creative nonfiction, was named a finalist in Glimmertrain’s short fiction contest, and has been nominated for the Pushcart prize two years in a row. She has worked with teenagers for over ten years as a teacher of Reading, Writing and GED, and has an MFA in Fiction from the University of Oregon. She lives with her husband, two daughters, two basset hounds and cat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit her website jennyruden.com, and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Jenny’s Tour Stops
Monday, August 18th: Snowdrop Dreams of Books
Wednesday, August 20th: Pingwing’s Bookshelf
Friday, August 22nd: Bibliotica
Wednesday, August 27th: Journey Through the Pages
Thursday, August 28th: Spiced Latte Reads
Friday, August 29th: Sweet Southern Home
Friday, September 5th: Bibliophilia, Please