Ameema S.'s Reviews > Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs

3.5 Stars

Not exactly what I was expecting, although this book does explore Ozempic, it’s benefits, it’s risks and side effects, and the cultural contexts and concerns about it, it also goes further and explores our society’s complicated relationships to food and fatness. It pulls a lot of research and interviews into its pages, to give you a lot of information and context. The book also explore’s Hari’s own personal experiences, which include his relationship to food, and his experiences taking Ozempic. Although jt felt like Hari did a lot of research, and attempted to explore many different sides, his reflection didn’t always ring authentic (to me) - there were times where it felt like we *almost* got to the root of something, but didn’t actually ask the right questions. There were other times where (in the writing) it seemed that Hari had already come to the conclusion he wanted, and the research did
seem to cater to it. There was also a bit of a defensiveness that occasionally showed up, which did surprise me - but I guess it’s very human, and not exactly a flaw for the book, just unexpected.

Overall, I did learn a lot from this book - it pulls together a lot of research on weight loss, from the effects of diet and exercise, to the effectiveness of different methods of weight loss. There was a lot of information about Ozempic research too, with a few caveats about potential for harm and potential side effects, as well as potential unknowns. I appreciated the context and the indictments of the food industry and food culture that has shaped most of our modern society. This book is challenging and informative, and a great conversation starter. I look forward to hearing what other people thought about it.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from my publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback.