Brave Girl Eating is the story of the Brown family before and after their daughter, Kitty, develops anorexia. At first the Browns don't notice that Kitty has changed. In fact Brown comments on her daughter's commitment to not eat dessert, thinking that her daughter is just being healthy. Soon Kitty starts cutting out other foods, does 100's of sit ups a night and withdraws from friends. The Browns struggle to find a therapy suited for their daughter and struggle to help her recovery. Anorexia is a lot like alcoholism, one day at a time.
Brown does a lot of research and devotes a lot of pages to studies about anorexia. I definitely came away with a lot of knowledge about eating disorders, the behaviors of starvation, and the theories about why people become anorexic. It was intense. I started noticing my own eating habits. I actually think was I was less restrictive in my eating after reading this book. I'm not in danger of being anorexic but I've dealt with binge eating in the past. It's hard to have a healthy view of food when you hear so many negative things about food (this is bad for you, don't eat that). I struggle with it all the time.
Recommended to anyone who is affected by anorexia or anyone with children (boys or girls can become anorexic). Others who shared their thoughts on Brave Girl Eating: A Book A Week, Thinking About... and Dog Ear.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their eating disorder, there is help. The National Eating Disorder Association has a toll free number for those in the US: 1-800-931-2237.
Sounds like a good book. I did have problems myself when younger, but nothing bad, I just did not like food...ahem, except for chocolate
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds important. I use food to feed my sadness and anxiety!
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