Berman, Michael S. 1939-

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Berman, Michael S. 1939-

PERSONAL:

Born April 9, 1939, in MN; married, c. 1966; wife's name Carol. Education: Attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth; graduated from law school.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—mike@mikelivinglarge.com.

CAREER:

Lawyer, public relations executive, lobbyist, political consultant, educator, and writer. Duberstein Group, Inc., Washington, DC, founder and president, 1989—. Conducted a private law practice in Minnesota; served as State of Minnesota attorney general, Senator Walter Mondale's Administrative Assistant, Vice President Walter Mondale's Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff, and as advisor to Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Campaign Committees. Has lectured at American University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, and the Kennedy School at Harvard University. Serves on numerous boards, including Human Rights Campaign, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health.

WRITINGS:

(With Laurence Shames) Living Large: A Big Man's Ideas on Weight, Success, and Acceptance (memoir), Rodale Books (Emmaus, PA), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael S. Berman and coauthor Laurence Shames present Berman's memoir as a "fat man" in Living Large: A Big Man's Ideas on Weight, Success, and Acceptance. Although Berman, a longtime political consultant, declares that he is a happy man who has had a successful career and a good marriage, he describes the difficulties and struggles he faced growing up and then later among the political elite in Washington, DC. He recounts the cruelties foisted upon him by other children and embarrassing episodes in his life, such as the time he got stuck in his classroom seat in law school. In his book, Berman and Shames describe the chair episode: "My body had essentially flowed out to fill the space between the arms and seat. My hips were captured; my bottom stayed glued to the chair and the whole thing lifted up with me as I tried to stand." The story continues: "I felt all eyes on me, understood that people didn't want to look but, as at a train wreck, couldn't turn away." Berman's primary message in Living Large, according to reviewers, is his firm belief that fatness is not a moral failing but a disease that can be managed. As a result, Berman and Shames write about Berman's many attempts to gain control over his weight, which include going on numerous diets, consulting with doctors, and visiting so-called "fat farms." Noting that Berman's "frankness is as infectious as his insights," Carolyn Olson, writing in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, called the book "a refreshing take on being overweight." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the book's "tone is heartfelt and genuinely self-effacing."