# 'Cherry Baby' holds a mirror to its main character - and to the GLP-1 industry itself

An episode of [NPR's Book of the Day](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1587369865), 27 May 2026, 11 min.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510364/npr.simplecastaudio.com/c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a/episodes/84ebca7e-5d1a-4de4-9c3f-44d1ed702afb/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a&awEpisodeId=84ebca7e-5d1a-4de4-9c3f-44d1ed702afb&feed=tZrJMl4P&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5835728&p=510364&d=632&size=10117165

Cherry Baby is a novel of perceptions. Cherry thought life couldn’t get worse when her ex-husband turned her into a caricature for his popular comic strip — curves, double-chin and all. But then the comic gets a film adaptation, and another problem appears: Every Hollywood actress who could have played the Cherry-inspired character is now too thin, thanks to weight-loss drugs. In today’s episode, author Rainbow Rowell joins Here and Now’s Deborah Becker to discuss the GLP-1 industry’s societal impact, and how Cherry’s relationship with her body changes when she’s forced into the spotlight. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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