The Weight of It: A Story of Two Sisters

A deeply affecting memoir about the bond between two sisters—and the 150 pounds that nearly separated them

As young girls, a year apart in age, Alison and Amy Wilensky were almost indistinguishable. And they were inseparable: growing up in a comfortable Boston suburb, they were never far from each other's side, wearing matching dresses, playing the same games, eating the same food. But Alison began gaining weight in elementary school and by the time she was sixteen was morbidly obese. The sisters remained close, but over the years the daily indignities and affronts endured by Alison took their toll, reshaping her identity indelibly and affecting the sisters' relationship in unanticipated ways.

In her late twenties, Alison underwent gastric bypass surgery, in the wake of which she lost more than 150 pounds and achieved the shape she'd dreamed of for so much of her life. It wasn't just her body that was transformed: every significant relationship in her life was profoundly altered.

The Weight of It is a universal story of how we discover what makes us who we are, and how we become the people we want to be. Amy Wilensky is uniquely equipped to write this book, and she does so with fine perception, insight, and compassion.

© 2025 Henry Holt and Co. (Ebook): 9781466865860

Release date

Ebook: 25 June 2025