Christin R. (raksha38) reviewed on 2/21/2014 + 203 more book reviews

This book is a sort of memoir of anorexia. It's selections from the diary Lori Gottlieb kept at that age, when she developed an eating disorder. Unfortunately for her, she developed this eating disorder during the 70s when the medical understanding of and treatment for anorexia was even more dismal than it is now. I think she actually recovered in spite of her treatment, rather than because of it. Only one nurse, Elizabeth, who was genuinely kind and actually listened to what Lori had to say (unlike every single other person in her life), seems to have done any real good for her. One thing that struck me is how all the other women in Lori's life (including the nurses and nutritionist at the hospital) were just as messed up about food and engaged in the same behaviors as she did. The only difference was that Lori was successful at it, and actually engaged in all of everyone's "dieting" advice at once.


While any book about eating disorders can be triggering for someone in recovery, I didn't find this one particularly triggering. Most of the discussion is about her life and the people around her, not so much about numbers or stats or descriptions of her body or the physical feelings associated with her starvation.

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