MadnessMarya HornbacherThe less triggering of the Hornbacher memoirs. Madness actually didn't trigger me period. While her eating disorder is brought up in brief, it isn't elaborated on. This is an amazing look at bipolar disorder, & it helped me understand my bipolar sister just a little bit better. The descriptions are vivid & are very Wasted-esque. Even if you don't have bipolar disorder, this is worth reading.
Girl, Interrupted
Susanna Kaysen
If you've seen the movie, you must read the memoir it was based on. SO much better than the movie. It's choppy & jumps around, but it ended up working out better that way. You get a better sense of what it was like living in McLean.
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia PlathSylvia Plath While I found that I had to really focus to get through it while still remembering what I just read - it's worth the extra effort if you're a Plath reader. Lots on insight on what was going on in her life, although it is depressing.
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood
Koren Zailckas
Koren Zailckas
My favourite book on alcoholism, & was disapointed when it ended. Honest & compelling - it's refreshing (?) to hear about alcoholism from the view point of someone younger because it puts a different face on the disease. If you've ever drank or know someone who is an alcoholic it's a must read.
Drunkard: A Hard Drinking Life
Neil Steinberg
An honest look at alcoholism from a male point of view. How an editorial writer went from husband & father to nearly losing those titles, ending up in treatment, & even drinking vanilla extract to be buzzed. Practically the brother book to Smashed because it gives you a look at the other side of the disease.
Drinking: A Love Story
Carolyn Knapp
Carolyn Knapp
A memoir about life as a self-proclaimed 'functioning alcoholic'. I liked the honesty, the language, & the facts she supports her statements with. I didn't find it much different from other stories about alcoholism, but it does add another face to the disease. Not as good as Smashed, but close enough.
Addiction
John Hoffman and Susan FraemkeBased on the HBO documentary of the same name, Addiction is more of a text book on addictions. Includes charts, brain scans, & good information about recovery, treatment, how addiction essentially works, & several personal stories on drug addiction / alcoholism. I didn't find it too helpful, but it could be different for someone where it's more relevant.
Here's The Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True VoiceMaureen McCormick
Growing up I was a huge Brady Bunch fan, so I jumped at the chance to read Maureen's memoir. She doesn't go in to detail about her bulimia, but does address that it WAS there. Mainly about her drug abuse & severe depression. A perfect example that not everything is as it seems.
Wishful DrinkingCarrie Fisher
A very short & easy read (it took me just under an hour to get through). It's based on her one-woman-show so it's a very hilarious short glimpse of her life from growing up with celebrity parents, her take on her Star Wars fame, 'turning' her ex husband gay, & waking up in bed next to a dead, gay, drug-addict, republican. She doesn't really start talking about her drug & alcohol addiction until the last half, but since it is easy to get through - it might be worth it. It just depends on the person, really.
Today I'm Alice
Alice Jamieson
"A girl with multiple personality disorder and her journey through getting treatment for her mental illness."
Alice Jamieson
"A girl with multiple personality disorder and her journey through getting treatment for her mental illness."
------------
It's Kind of a Funny Story - T
Ned Vizzini
Ned Vizzini
This is the novel that the movie of the same name is based on. About 15yr old Craig who suddenly becomes depressed, stops eating, & once he stops taking his medication - becomes suicidal - so he checks himself into a mental hospital. Realistic because the author spent time just before writing this novel, in a mental hospital. It's your typical teen novel when it comes to being helpful or informative - it's just entertaining & it works perfect that way. I loved it, & I don't typically like teen focused novels. It made me want to see the movie even more than I had.
Books Without Reviews.
Girl Culture
Lauren Greenfield
The Bell JarSylvia Plath
Lauren Greenfield
Eating In The Light Of The Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship With Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling
Anita Johnson, PhD
Fasting Girls: A History of Anorexia NervosaJoan Jacobs Brumberg
Life Inside The Thin Cage
Constance Rhodes
DistortedLorri Antosz Benson
Running on EmptyCarrie Arnold
Self-Esteem Comes In All Sizes: How to Be Happy and Healthy At Your Natural WeightCarol A Johnson, M.A.
Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult WomenTrisha Gura
Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult WomenTrisha Gura
Learning to Be Me: My Twenty-Three Year Battle With BulimiaJocelyn Golden
Bulimia: A Guide to RecoveryLindsey Hall and Leigh Cohn
Diary of an Anorexic GirlMorgan Menzie
Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food
Susan Albers
Susan Albers
Diary of an Eating Disorder: A Mother and Daughter Share Their Healing Journey - TChelsea Smith
The Bell JarSylvia Plath
The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented LivesBrian Dillon
A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathmatical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash Sylvia Nasar
Postcards From The EdgeCarrie Fisher
Go Ask Alice - TBeatrice Sparks
The Luckiest Girl in the World : A Young Skater Battles Her Self-Destructive Impulses
Steven Levekron
Steven Levekron
Prozac Nation
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Reviving Ophelia
Mary Pipher
Mary Pipher
Body Image/Eating Disorders:
The Best Little Girl in the WorldSteven Levenkron
I've yet to hear about someone liking this book. It was written by a doctor so it's technical & seems really forced. Because he is a doctor, it is accurate, but that doesn't make it any easier to get through. I read it once several years ago, & that was more than enough for me. Pass on it - there's better books out there.
Wintergirls - TLaurie Halse AndersonFrom what I've heard, it's really triggering - which is why I haven't read it. I've seen several girls end up relapsing after reading it, so unless you're in a superb place with your recovery, you probably shouldn't read it.
Skinny - T
Ibi Kaslik
Ibi Kaslik
A novel aimed at teens about fictional anorectic, Giselle. The first novel I had ever read that talked about anorexia - I wasn't impressed then, not that impressed with it now. It doesn't glamourize eating disorders, & it does show the negative things that come with having one, but it's sometimes hard to follow. The chapters alternate between Giselle dealing with her eating disorder, & her sister Holly dealing with having an anorectic sister. Lots of back-and-forth dialogue between Giselle & her ED. Very realistic, however, & because of that could be slightly triggering.
Next to NothingCarrie Arnold
If you want a book that's more technical & informative, this is the one to read. The author adds in personal antidotes which makes it less of a 'what's-what' read. If you don't want to read the technical side of things, the back of the book is a FAQ of commonly asked ED related questions - which IS worth reading, even if you think you know everything.
Goodbye Ed, Hello MeJenni Schaefer
The sister book to Life Without Ed. Mainly for when you're already in recovery, but it's worth reading even if you're not there yet. It's basically a guide for things to expect after your eating disorder. I loved it even more than Life Without Ed. MUCH more helpful, but probably because that's what stage of life I'm in right now.
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy In Hating Your BodyCourtney E. Martin
If you want a book that's more technical & informative, this is the one to read. The author adds in personal antidotes which makes it less of a 'what's-what' read. If you don't want to read the technical side of things, the back of the book is a FAQ of commonly asked ED related questions - which IS worth reading, even if you think you know everything.
Life Without EdJenni Schaefer
You would be an idiot to not read Life Without Ed. If you want recovery it's insanely helpful, especially all the activities that are included. (Declaration of Independence from your ED, anyone?) The most helpful part was about how you should separate yourself from your eating disorder because when it comes down to it, you may be the one going through with the symptoms, but that's not you that's telling yourself to do those destructive things.
You would be an idiot to not read Life Without Ed. If you want recovery it's insanely helpful, especially all the activities that are included. (Declaration of Independence from your ED, anyone?) The most helpful part was about how you should separate yourself from your eating disorder because when it comes down to it, you may be the one going through with the symptoms, but that's not you that's telling yourself to do those destructive things.
Goodbye Ed, Hello MeJenni Schaefer
The sister book to Life Without Ed. Mainly for when you're already in recovery, but it's worth reading even if you're not there yet. It's basically a guide for things to expect after your eating disorder. I loved it even more than Life Without Ed. MUCH more helpful, but probably because that's what stage of life I'm in right now.
Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating DisordersAimee Liu
I kick myself constantly for losing my copy, mainly because of it's honesty. Gaining profiles women who suffered from eating disorders & disordered eating in their teens / young adulthood, & what life was like after everything was supposed to be all said & done. Realistic when it comes to showing that the ED thoughts don't always go away 100%, & that recovery is just about what you do with those thoughts when you do have them.
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy In Hating Your BodyCourtney E. Martin
Not my favourite, but the good parts out shined the bad. She's really general when it comes to talking about eating disorders & tends to lump all women together into one giant group. Still worth reading.
Do I Look Fat In This?: Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds From Now
Jessica Weiner
The best book I've read when it comes to putting an end to fat-talk. Empowering, but seems really redundant at times. I ended up just skimming through some sections because she tends to repeat herself while just wording things differently. It's forgivable, though & easy to see past.
The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America
Dr. Drew Pinsky
Not exclusively ED related. It explores how the media influences 'typical' people into self-destructive behavior & how it all comes down to the self-hate of narcissism. I love Dr. Drew, so I'm biased when it comes to how the book was - I enjoyed it. Eye-opening when it comes to how the media has changed itself & society in the past 80 years.
THINLauren Greenfield
THIN, the book, is much much better than the HBO documentary - & less triggering. It's basically a book full of photos / essays on the women who were at Renfrew during the filming of the documentary. The stories are depressing, & several of the photos are shocking to say the least (a set of before & after photos of one young girl made me cry). If you want the full effect of the film (plus some) without being triggered, it's a good substitute.
The Fasting Girl: A True Victorian Medical Mystery
Michelle Stacey
Michelle Stacey
I was disappointed after reading The Fasting Girl. It's supposed to be about a girl who in the mid 1800's starved herself & refused food after an accident. For twelve years she appeared (appeared being the key word) to exist on nothing. To me, the book is really choppy & includes more about Victorian life & illness than anything else. The parts that ended up being more interesting than the rest, were when the author talked about the first diagnosed case of anorexia nervosa in 1868, & and the section that focused on a study done by Jewish doctors in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII on the other Jews who were dying of starvation. The findings of the doctors mirrored the same effects that eating disorders have on people in today's society. Worth reading, if only for those two chapters.
Do I Look Fat In This?: Get Over Your Body and On With Your LifeRhonda Britten
A must read! The author is one of the 'life changers' on the old Fox show 'Starting Over'. One of the best books I've read that focuses solely on body image. It incorporates her body-image issues with people she's met & interviewed who felt the same way. Throughout the book she includes photos of women & how they feel about their bodies to show how it doesn't matter your size - people aren't going to see what everyone else does. Do I Look Fat..has you ask yourself "WHY do I feel so fat?" & re-enforces what everyone hears but doesn't want to believe - that your negative body image has very little to do with your actual body.
WastedMarya Hornbacher
This memoir should come with a giant sticker slapped across the cover that says; "Will without a doubt trigger you." Every lapse / relapse I've had was in part because I decided to read that book. It's really good, the best ED memoir I've read, but still. It's painfully honest & 100% relatable, but depending where you are with your ED / recovery - it's not worth it.
Purge: The Rehab DiariesNicole JohnsI'm going to take a random guess & say that this memoir takes place at Rodgers, but I could be wrong. I really liked it because it's the first memoir I've read from the point of view of someone with ED-NOS, but it wasn't incredibly 'helpful' as far as getting better goes. It's honest & shows the ups & downs in a not-so-triggering way.
Dying to Be Thin
This memoir should come with a giant sticker slapped across the cover that says; "Will without a doubt trigger you." Every lapse / relapse I've had was in part because I decided to read that book. It's really good, the best ED memoir I've read, but still. It's painfully honest & 100% relatable, but depending where you are with your ED / recovery - it's not worth it.
Hungry
Crystal Renn
Crystal Renn
I've always loved Crystal Renn, but Hungry made me love her even more. It's her autobiography on how getting into modeling influenced her into anorexia. It's a sad look into the fashion industry, & if you're one of those people that says fashion isn't the reason for some people having anorexia - read this because you'll see how wrong that statement is. Also read if you're on of those people who say Crystal Renn should lose weight or is too fat to be a model. [click] [click] [click]
Purge: The Rehab DiariesNicole JohnsI'm going to take a random guess & say that this memoir takes place at Rodgers, but I could be wrong. I really liked it because it's the first memoir I've read from the point of view of someone with ED-NOS, but it wasn't incredibly 'helpful' as far as getting better goes. It's honest & shows the ups & downs in a not-so-triggering way.
Stick FigureLori Gottlieb
Based on the authors diaries from having anorexia at the age of eleven. Reading it was sad because of her age when it was all taking place. Easy to relate to. VERY triggering, but really good. Seemes to be targeted towards a younger audience.
Based on the authors diaries from having anorexia at the age of eleven. Reading it was sad because of her age when it was all taking place. Easy to relate to. VERY triggering, but really good. Seemes to be targeted towards a younger audience.
Food and Loathing
Betsy Lerner
Betsy Lerner
One of the only books I've read that talks about compulsive-overeating (COE). Even though I'm not COE, I could identify with the binging aspects so it was actually nice to see that side of eating disorders. I wouldn't say it's triggering.. but it could be different for someone with that specific disorder.
Everything About Me Is Fake... and I'm Perfect!Janice Dickinson
I'll be the first person to admit my extreme dislike for Janice Dickinson, so picking this book up & expecting something good was a stretch. But I was surprised. Sort of. I want to first say that this book could be triggering, especially since she doesn't stray from her well-known comments against anyone bigger than a twig. BUT - reading her book does answer the question of WHY she thinks the way that she does. She admits to having a life long struggle with 'perfliction' ("the extreme need to be more perfect than humanly possible"), & countless times warns about the impossiblity to be 'perfect' ("this book is a cautionary tale about something that's not within reach"). She even gives some actual advice that I think anyone could use; ("If you put your hand out and embrace something new, the good in your life will start to outweigh the bad"). I hate to say it, but combining that with her shameless name-dropping, I liked the book. Sue me.
Going Hungry: Writers On Desire, Self-Denial, and Overcoming AnorexiaVarious
Very triggering, but not quite on the same level as Wasted. I didn't find it helpful at all, either. 19 writers submitted essays on their experiences with anorexia, & was meant to show that not just 'rich white girls' have it. The point of views come from men, all religions, ages, & all races. I did not like that most of the people claimed to be recovered when they admitted that they still restrict & engage in ED behaviors. Some stories are condescending to people that do not appear a certain way & very judgmental about people who do not eat a certain way. I was VERY disappointed, & didn't even end up reading the last few stories because I grew aggravated.
Appetites: Why Women Want
Carolyn Knapp
Carolyn Knapp
This part self-help part memoir explores that everything that women do comes down simply to a want. A want for something other than what they have been given. Worth reading, especially if you've read her book on her alcoholism. (See Above)
Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty, From Someone Who's Been There And Back - T
Katherine Schwarzenegger
Written by the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger, this book is more targeted towards teens when it comes to the subject of body image, eating disorders, & growing up (puberty). The layout of the book makes it easy & even fun to get through, & I love how with every point she makes she relates it to something that she's gone through. When you take out some of the language she uses, you almost forget that she's only 20, I believe. Good book for teens & maybe even some adults.
Katherine Schwarzenegger
Written by the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger, this book is more targeted towards teens when it comes to the subject of body image, eating disorders, & growing up (puberty). The layout of the book makes it easy & even fun to get through, & I love how with every point she makes she relates it to something that she's gone through. When you take out some of the language she uses, you almost forget that she's only 20, I believe. Good book for teens & maybe even some adults.
Hollow: An Unpolished TaleJena Morrow "Jena's story - her book- is about her walk with anorexia, and how her faith in God helped guide her through the process of struggle and recovery. She recounts her childhood (where body image disturbances first became a problem at only 3 years old!!) , her college years, (ed takes grasp), and treatment at Remuda Ranch... and how her story is not a "happy ending" where ED is suddenly gone and wiped away forever.. nor does she continue to relapse.. she is somewhere in the middle..." I would definitely recommend it.
Thin
Grace Bowman
"You have to be careful with this one, because many found it to be triggering or not helpful."
Grace Bowman
"You have to be careful with this one, because many found it to be triggering or not helpful."
Dying to Be Thin
Nikki Grahame
"Nikki's struggle through treatment to survive her anorexia from age 8."
"Nikki's struggle through treatment to survive her anorexia from age 8."
No comments:
Post a Comment