Here, collected for the first time, 19 writers describe their eating disorders from the distance of recovery, exposing as never before the anorexic's self-enclosed world. Taking up issues including depression, genetics, sexuality, sports, religion, fashion and family, these essays examine the role anorexia plays in a young person's search for direction. Powerful and immensely informative, this collection makes accessible the mindset of a disease that has long been misunderstood.
With essays by Priscilla Becker, Francesca Lia Block, Maya Browne, Jennifer Egan, Clara Elliot, Amanda Fortini, Louise Gluck, Latria Graham, Francine du Plessix Gray, Trisha Gura, Sarah Haight, Lisa Halliday, Elizabeth Kadetsky, Maura Kelly, Ilana Kurshan, Joyce Maynard, John Nolan, Rudy Ruiz, and Kate Taylor.
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Industry Reviews
Praise for Going Hungry
"In revealing essays by men and women-young and old, thin and not thin, black, brown and white-this anthology lends remarkable texture to a subject that has been too often sensationalized and oversimplified." -The New York Times "Taylor writes with grace and insight of her self-imposed malnourishment." -The New York Times Book Review
"Powerful. . . . Allows[s] the breadth and depth of anorexia to be revealed in the thorough, eloquent words of its sufferers. . . . [The essays are] beautiful pieces in and of themselves that help shed light on a powerful affliction." -San Francisco Chronicle
"[Going Hungry's] authors defy many of the stereotypes about eating disorders, and who suffers from them." -Newsweek
"Eighteen women writers-and one man-share memories of anorexia's tenacious grip in this eye-opening collection." -People
"Those struggling with an eating disorder are sure to find among these personal essays at least one that will help them better understand their own condition, and provide company and hope." -Publishers Weekly
"Going Hungry is a remarkable book. To read these powerful and articulate life stories of anorexia is to gain a kind of new understanding into the conflict, disconnection and seductiveness of this potentially lethal disease. The psychology of anorexia is difficult to comprehend but I felt at the end of reading this book that I had a much better, much more human grasp of what is like to live and struggle with the illness. The stories are deeply illuminating, in the fullest sense of the word." -Kay Redfield Jamison, author of An Unquiet Mind
"In Going Hungry, writers of different ethnicities offer thoughtful personal perspectives on eating disorders. Of particular interest is the theme that anorexia nervosa can be an expression (albeit a harmful one) of a positive drive to accomplish something noteworthy and that such aspirations can be redirected into meaningful, productive endeavors. These messages inspire hope and provide a powerful counterforce to stereotypes that associate eating disorders with superficiality and vanity." -Dr. David Herzog, Director of the Harris Center for Eating Disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital
