Gina Kolata, a science reporter for The New York Times, tackles the fat wars in her new book, "Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss — and the Myths and Realities of Dieting."

Kolata posits that since most folks don't keep off the weight they lose, waging the war may not be worth it after all.

Check out a New York Times review by Emily Bazelon, a senior editor at Slate magazine.

Read the first chapter of "Rethinking Thin" and see what you think.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com