Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders

by Aimee Liu

If you've ever suffered from an eating disorder-or cared for someone who is anorexic or bulimic-you may think you understand these illnesses. But do you really understand why they occur? Do you know what it takes to fully recover? Do you know how eating disorders affect life after recovery? Now, nearly three decades after she detailed her first battle with anorexia in Solitaire, Aimee Liu presents an emotionally powerful and poignant sequel that digs deep into the causes, cures, and consequences of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Aimee Liu believed she had conquered anorexia in her twenties. Then in her forties, when her life once again began spiraling out of control, she stopped eating. Liu realized the same forces that had caused her original eating disorder were still in play. She also noticed that other women she knew with histories of anorexia and bulimia seemed to share many of her personality traits and habits under stress-even decades after "recovery." Intrigued and concerned, Liu set out to learn who is susceptible to these disorders and why, and what it takes to overcome them once and for all. With GAINING, Liu shatters commonly held beliefs about eating disorders while assembling a puzzle that is as complex and fascinating as human identity itself. Through cutting-edge research and the stories of more than forty interview subjects, readers will discover that the tendency to develop anorexia or bulimia has little to do with culture, class, gender-or weight. Genetics, however, play a key role. So does temperament. So do anxiety, depression, and shame. Clearly, curing eating disorders involves more than good nutrition. Candidly recalling her own struggles, triumphs, and defeats, Aimee explores an array of promising and innovative new treatments, offers vital insights to anyone who has ever had an eating disorder, and shows parents how to help protect their children from ever developing one. Her book is sure to change the way we talk and think about eating disorders for years to come.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Mental Health, Memoir, Health, Mental Illness, Self Help

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Aimee Liu is a best-selling novelist, essayist, and nonfiction author based in Los Angeles.

Her 2020 novel GLORIOUS BOY, published by Red Hen Press, has received rave endorsements:

"The most memorable and original novel I've read in ages. Aimee Liu… evokes every side in a multi-cultural conversation with sympathy and rare understanding."
– Pico Iyer

“A riveting amalgam of history, family epic, anticolonial/antiwar treatise, cultural crossroads, and more, this latest from best-selling author Liu is a fascinating, irresistible marvel.” — Library Journal, starred review

”This fascinating novel examines the many dimensions of war, from the tragedy of loss to the unexpected relationships formed during conflict. The Andamans are a lush and unusual setting, a sacred home to all kinds of cultures and people, and Liu’s prose is masterful. A good choice for book groups and for readers who are unafraid to be swept away.” — Booklist, starred review

Glorious Boy is a tale of family devotion, war, and survival. Set on India's remote Andaman Islands before and during WWII , the story revolves around a mysteriously mute 4-year-old who vanishes on the eve of Japanese Occupation. Little Ty's parents, Shep and Claire, will go to any lengths to rescue him, but neither is prepared for the brutal odyssey that awaits them.

Aimee is also the author of GAINING: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders, published by Warner Books, February, 2007. Drawing on her own history of anorexia as well as interviews with more than forty other former anorexics and bulimics, Liu picks up her exploration of recovery where she ended her acclaimed memoir of anorexia nervosa, SOLITAIRE (Harper & Row, 1979), at age twenty-five. Back then, she thought recovery meant eating well. Gaining proves that healthy nutrition is only a first step. True recovery requires a new understanding of the role that genetics, personality, relationships, and anxiety play in these disorders. Liu uses cutting edge research to dispel the myth that fashion is to blame. She examines the real reasons eating disorders -- at all ages -- are on the rise, and how they can be prevented in future generations.

Aimee has three previous novels. FLASH HOUSE (Warner Books, 2003) is a tale of suspense and Cold War intrigue set in Central Asia. CLOUD MOUNTAIN (Warner Books, 1997) is based on the true story of her American grandmother and Chinese revolutionary grandfather. Liu’s first novel, FACE (Warner Books, 1994), deals with mixed-race identity. These books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Before turning to writing fulltime, Aimee edited business and trade publications and worked as an associate producer for NBC's TODAY show. She has co-authored seven books on medical and psychological topics. Her articles, essays, and short stories have appeared in anthologies and periodicals such as Cosmopolitan, Self, Glamour, and Good Housekeeping.

Aimee Liu was born in 1953 and raised in Connecticut, received her B.A. from Yale University in 1975 and her MFA from Bennington College in 2006. She lives in Los Angeles with her family; teaches creative writing in Goddard College’s MFA program; and is a past president of the national writers’ organization PEN USA.

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I found the one book I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone who is currently struggling with an eating disorder. I learned so much about myself in this book, and found a great deal of hope in the stories of women who have moved beyond their eating disorders. It's a great mix of memoir, interview, and research.

[Annice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. It's easy to absorb and follow and she's writing about a topic that is addressed so little in the literature, that it's important. It's a start. I found myself struggling with personality categories that seemed too distinct, too limited, and too inflexible. Three to be exact. I wondered about diversity, in terms of class and race, and who exactly she was interviewing demographically. I also felt like there was too much emphasis on perfectionism, for it certainly doesn't characterize every person who's had and eating disorder, including those with anorexia.

While I think the inclusion of biology, personality/temperament are really important, I also think the cultural patriachal climate we live in is also vital to understand for its contribution and I think she needs to delve more into that. And by cultural patriachal climate I don't mean passing reference to the propagation of a thin ideal in advertising, I mean deconstructing sexism, objectification, power/powerlessness of women, and much more.

I enjoyed the anecdotes and only wish she could have included more in terms of what women who've found some sense of normalcy have done in their own processes to get there. Overall, I'd recommend it, I think it adds an important new dimension to the field and it leaves us with a great starting point from which to dig deeper.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I applaud the book for really speaking to the fact that anorexia isn't about silly girls reading Teen Beat and trying to look skinny like the models in the ads, but is rather one expression of a deep psychic pain and a drive to annihilate the self. The anorexic's compulsion is not about looking pretty (as should be obvious from the appearance of those in the hardest grip of the disorder), but is rather about the desire literally to disappear. I'm grateful to Liu for giving voice to this, and for honoring the stories of people who are bravely working to regain their health after struggling with this disorder.

I found Liu most insightful in the first two sections of the book on the inner self and the connections with friends and family. The third section on "society" got a little easy and vague. (I remember something about how if we stopped thinking so much about our thighs perhaps we could end nuclear proliferation, or somesuch. Um, no.) But, again, most of the book was right on target.

[Jamie Marfurt · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder my entire life and is now 3 years into recovery, I’ve read several books on this subject and found this particular book hard to read. It jumps around and is kind of dry.

My biggest problem however is the number of potential triggers in it. If you are currently struggling with an ED, do NOT read this book. It’s full of numbers and weights and detailed stories that I think anyone who is not in a good place in their recovery could potentially be triggered by. For example, talking about a family with a history of “obesity” and listing all their weights (which are actually not terribly out of the ordinary, and depending on height and build, could be perfectly “healthy” weights for many other people). Or giving details on the opposite end of extremely low weights. It just seems these numbers are put in for shock factor with no regard to how they will affect those currently struggling.

[Esthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely unhelpful. I love that the cover features a chic who appears to weigh all of 80 lbs.

[Angie Engles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dozens and dozens of books over the past thirty some years have tried to explain what anorexia and bulimia really are, but nothing quite gets it the way Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders does.

Writer Aimee Liu sums it up best on page 125:

"Recovery is like a big old house…the anorexic or the bulimic is always going to live there. People sometimes think, I can evict her, I can get rid of that. But you don’t develop an eating disorder for no good reason. It’s a profound experience. So how can you wipe out that whole piece of your history? I prefer to think of it this way. She used to rule the house in a kind of tyranny. She was in charge of the kitchen, in charge of everything. Now she still gets to live there and she may still have some of those old fears and vulnerabilities, but she’s got only one room in the house and has to make way for more and more occupants as time passes."

It’s no wonder Aimee Liu captures the image of recovery so well, she writes from experience. In her teens and twenties, Liu battled anorexia and thought she had won the war, but found herself battling it all over again in her forties.

Her examination of this scary world covers so much: the people she’s met along the way (both men and women) who have been in her shoes, the causes of eating disorders (always up for debate depending upon whom you to talk to), the sadness, the triumphs.

Publishers Weekly says this book is "poignant even for those who have have not suffered from an eating disorder." The author’s sincerity is as touching as her website, where she shares letters from readers who have reached out to her in gratitude and their need to share what they’ve survived.

Books such as Gaining are crucial because they help put perspective on a misunderstood disease where the victim is often blamed. Free of any kind of sensationalism or need to romanticize eating disorders, Gaining lays everything on the line for patients (both past and present) and their loved ones. And while she’s not afraid to write about the grim truths of eating disorders, she leaves her readers with hope, not fear.

[Ciorstaidh MacIver · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review in sum/TW: For anyone looking to understand eating disorders from the outside I implore you to do further reading to get a more rounded understanding. For those recovering: avoid. For now at least. This is the first ED book I've had a problem with. I have a whole shelve on here of far more helpful books, all of which I'd recommend.

As someone early on in recovery from anorexia (weight-restored but with a long way to go), this isn't a book I'd recommend in terms of understanding anorexia from the outside or for those attempting recovery.

The interviews and analyses that stick out to me are the majority which seem to describe lives just as controlled, rigid, cold and not particularly appealing as the one I'm trying to break free of.

As some of the reviews say there are good parts BUT to a 'typical' and triggerable disordered mind I found myself thinking numerous times throughout the book: "giving up MY way and all this weight doesn't seem worth it," because of the descriptions of post-ED life. I also found myself feeling (and this is symptomatic of anorexia, but I don't expect it to be prompted by a "recovery" book) undeserving of my diagnosis and feeling guilty of my struggle because I haven't been molested or abused, as frequently came up throughout the book.

The need to defeat the stereotype of rich, white, females being the only ones with disorders wasn't exactly helped either. There was a distinct whiff of privilege in the vast majority of stories.

[danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was seriously disappointing. Liu basically implied that anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder is bound struggle with being a neurotic perfectionist for the rest of her life. The majority of the book consisted interviews with said neurotic perfectionists to prove the point that eating disorders have less to do with weight and body image and more to do with how one processes the tough parts of life. Yes, we know already. What would have been useful was some more hope. There is precious little until the very last chapter, and what is offered comes, primarily, not from Liu herself, or any of the middle-aged professionals, but from Jessica Weiner, a 20-something "actionist." Save yourself some precious reading time and check out Courtney Martin's

* link: Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters instead.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of great information- a lot of which seemed repetitive if you've read other books on the subject, but some of it was put in a new light that I appreciated.... However, I had a hard time with the fact that she just MAGICALLY got better one day... just decided to start eating. So tell that to girls who've been in and out of treatment centers and therapists for YEARS and YEARS... "You just DECIDE to start eating, or quit sticking your finger down your throat, or stop exercising like a psycho...." Oh... okay- why didn't I think of that?! Well, who knew it was so easy. That bugged the hell out of me. I was also annoyed by the implied fact that all women with E.D.'s are neurotic or compulsive or any other variations of those words- and that they will simply move on to controlling something ELSE in their lives once they let go of controlling food. THAT doesn't work for me... how is THAT about healing?
Basically- it shed a bit of light on some things- most of which you could get from other books, but ultimately was disappointing and felt quite hopeless.

[Meg Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

As important as this topic is, and how necessary it is to start talking about what life looks like for people with eating disorders (or histories of them) who aren't teens or young adults, I don't think this book is very representative of its intended audience. It was filled with elitism, name-dropping, and completely lacked any kind of awareness of different classes of people who have eating disorders or histories of them. The author focussed on her small social circle of mostly wealthy, mostly white friends or acquaintances from her youth. While their stories are seriously tragic, I found myself wondering if these same truths that the author is espousing for people who are in recovery from their disordered eating would prove true for people not in that demographic, without that privileged life. I wanted to hear about poor folks who have eating disorders. I wanted to hear about women of colour who have eating disorders. I wanted more diversity!

TL;DR I found this book about a hugely important topic shallow and full of elitist bullshit.

[Kendall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Primarily based on research and interviews, this book was difficult to follow. The chronology of the author's life was lost and it was nearly impossible to keep track of the interviewees, their stories, and the lessons to be learned from their lives.

That is not to say that this book is a waste of a read. In fact, there is much insight to the disordered eater's thought processes and actions. Though I would not necessarily recommend this book I would not dissuade one from reading it either.

[Rachel Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whose truth? Not mine. This book annoyed me. Yeah, she got some things right, but really this is about the author's life post-anorexia. Not the life of every woman recovering from an eating disorder out there.

[Marlayna · Rating 2 out of 5]

does not provide any true sense of relief or hope for lifetime change.

[Briar Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a much more inspirational and self-helpy kind of book than I would generally touch with a ten-foot stick, but I picked it up because I'm at a point in my life where I genuinely want to Recover from my various mental health problems, including disordered eating and eating disordered thinking, not just keep the most destructive behaviors under control so that I'm not putting myself in physical danger. To do this, I've realized I have to do the hard, embarrassing, and often very trite/cliche-feeling work of figuring out what emotional problems/thoughtworms/unmet needs/unacknowledged desires/etc. are actually undergirding my obsessions, compulsions, and destructive behavior patterns and address *those* instead of treating the behaviors themselves as the whole problem. Since introspective rumination can only go so far in such endeavors, I've been reading basically anything that seems like it might provide any insight or helpful advice.

GAINING didn't provide much for me personally in the way of actionable advice, although that is mostly because I'm already in therapy and on an SSRI, already practice some CBT/DBT and mindfulness techniques, cannot do yoga or certain forms of meditation for health reasons, and do not have or expect to have a romantic partner or children.**However, I can easily see this book prompting another reader to make a beneficial lifestyle change such as seeking therapy or marriage counseling, starting a spiritual practice, changing the way they talk about food and bodies with their young children...or trying psychiatric medication.
One thing I learned from GAINING that I badly wish I'd known sooner is that SSRI antidepressants are very effective in treating most bulimics and some anorexics, especially if they are also suffering from severe depression and anxiety...*however*, the drugs tend not to work on people who are seriously underweight. When I first tried SSRIs in my early twenties, I was between 14 and 20 lbs. underweight (I am short, so that's a lot). Because medication was ineffective *then*, I spent more than six years thinking I had some kind of special brain chemistry that just couldn't respond to SSRIs, when in fact the problem was likely just that I was too thin. Had I known that at the time, I might have tried them again once I'd reached a healthier weight instead of waiting an additional four years, until I was desperately miserable and had hurt myself and a lot of other people with my behavior, before figuring out that they could help me. Oh, well. Water under the bridge.
The main way GAINING was helpful to me, then, was not in giving me advice or the inspiration to change anything I'm currently *doing*, but in providing insight into the way my mind and personality work, making me realize that I'm far from alone in my tendencies, traumas, neuroses, and perfectionistic self-loathing, and that a lot of the groundwork for my eating disorder was laid by genetic forces and life experiences that I had no control over. It's easy to feel stupid and shallow and hypocritical for succumbing to an eating disorder when pop culture paints eating disorders as the provenance of image-obsessed young women who have gullibly internalized an unrealistically skinny standard of beauty, and you pride yourself on being an iconoclastic, skeptical consumer of media who does not care about being conventionally attractive. It's easy to hate yourself when you can't stop doing something that part of you *knows* is very bad for you, worrying your family, ruining your life, etc. I won't go into all the ways in which this book made me reconsider my self-image and self-blame, as that would be overly personal, and extremely tedious for others, and probably, well, trite and cliche and obvious-sounding. But learning about the ways many aspects of my mental and emotional problems are intimately interconnected, hearing the stories of others with similar experiences, and being told that almost anyone with my genetic inheritance and my life experiences and my cultural background would have ended up the same way I did, that the salient part of my story isn't that I was weak enough to succumb but that I was strong enough to pull out of it, all of that was truly empowering and affirming. (Gag. Self-help buzzwords!)

This book is definitely not without flaw; I'm glad I overcame my cynic's aversion to the genre and read it anyway!


**It's worth noting that, while GAINING acknowledges that people of any gender and sexual orientation can develop eating disorders, its focus is *overwhelmingly* on the experiences of heterosexual, cisgender women, and heterosexual, cisgender women with eating disorders are clearly its main target audience. If you're not heterosexual, not cisgender, or not a woman-- and I'm none of those things-- some of the subject matter here is just not going to be relevant to your life, and some of the generalizations will probably feel at least a bit alienating. On the other hand, if you've had anorexia or bulimia, a great deal will be very relatable indeed, regardless...

[Zefyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An analysis of all the factors currently being discussed as playing a part in the development of anorexia and bulimia (with some amount touching on other eating disorders as well), written as a follow-up to Liu's late-70s book on her own recovery from anorexia (Solitaire), in the form of a question: can you actually get over an eating disorder? It challenges myths, including that the eating disorder is the illness (rather than a symptom of another problem) and is the direct result of skewed body image ideas in the media (which isn't to say that this plays no part), and presents connections between mental health issues, parent/child dynamics, child development, and personal relationships with food and the body, as a framework for Liu's history of what happened after Solitaire. This was a really critical book for my own process of recovery/relearning to eat because I related so strongly to much of Liu's experience.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was eye opening. I liked the authors style, she really has a lot of interesting points.

[ladylassitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and easy to read, I have mixed (though mainly positive) feelings on this book. I was disappointed there wasn’t more on how the people (and it’s mainly women) who’ve recovered, really recovered, reached that point. Many in this book are still in the grip of the thoughts, of not the habits. There is life - and a wonderful, purposeful, joyous and fulfilling one - to be had after ED, but I didn’t get much of that from this book. Instead, its positives are delving into the commonalities and the difference of the experiences of people with EDs. Liu’s style is novelistic and easy to read, and I was completely wrapped up in her prose. However, my biggest problem with the book is its focus on describing the physical features of its subjects, and its incessant use of numbers, ie, references to people’s weight. While I understand they’re provided to give us a sense of how physically ill the subjects were or weren’t at various points, I think the use of numbers/weights in a book about recovery from EDs is very, very counterintuitive, possibly dangerous (though I was kind of glad pounds mean very little to European me, and I was not bothered to calculate how many kilos that meant each time). I was surprised to see how recently this book was published - as in, this century - as my understanding is that best practice now is considered to be *not* mentioning weight/numbers. Aside from the fact that, as illnesses rooted in the mind, the physical effects of EDs are not a good proxy for understanding how sick someone is

[Leanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very disappointing. I feel as if the title should have been something more along the lines of. Recovered anorexics stories of how their disorders developed and presented themselves, as well as factors both internal and external that may have contributed. Long title but I think you get the point.

It is not very often that I do not finish a book even if I am not enjoying it (I have a need for completion), but I made it exactly half way through this one before putting it in my donation box.

It is clear from the book that the author did her research. She tells snippets of tales mostly from adult woman who have suffered an eating disorder. Then offers some research conclusions that loosely relate to aspects of the story. In an attempt to explain causes of their disorders.

However, the book is highly focused on anorexics and how their brains differ from those who do not have an eating disorder. How they experience the world differently, contributions of traumas like sexual abuse and so on. While citing research studies is greatly appreciated the transitions between the womens stories and the research were rather choppy. Some research conclusions were backed with information like sample size and duration which help gauge validity of the drawn conclusions while others were just stated as factual conclusions of causation.

In the half that I read most interviewees were well off to do women who attended college, got married and had children. Not to say that these women are any less worthy of note. I just would have appreciated a little more diversity.

As someone who has dealt with disordered eating almost their entire life I did not find the book that helpful. I was expecting from the title and description something more along the lines of stories of the lives of how people in recovery continue to battle with and handle the challenges of a disordered eaters brain in their everyday lives. Maybe with some lessons to glean from their experiences. It is possible that there may have been some of that in the second half of the book but judging from the other reviews I gather that there is not.

Overall not a terrible read. However, not one I would reccomend.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

given, well everything, I tend to avoid reading eating disorder books because my mind becomes obsessive, they draw up 'bad' feelings/thoughts, etc.

I am so obscenely grateful that I took a chance on this one though. Liu writes effortlessly (and while I know that that is not true in all likelihood, it reads as if she does) and handles the subject matter with such grace. If I am ever to write 'my story' it will most likely come off as bitter and angry and defiant even when I am writing about the times at which I am not bitter, angry, defiant, or just wanting to be all "screw it, this is how it is...have I horrified you yet?". she does an admirable job of blending anecdotes with scientific research and providing an honest (though sometimes ugly...I now understand why my mother couldn't finish it yet but knows that someday she would like to) account of what happens after 'recovery.' while by the end I wanted to protest that not everyone turns out ok and with their life having taken a protected and cautious 180, the way she handled it worked for me...I know that that was the end note she wanted to leave the reader with. and it's necessary. just like the whole sordid affair, I feel like books like this 'have to' be all or nothing. while I'll hope that if I ever write one I can be honest and balanced and happy with a wafting of melancholy, if I don't I know that I can recommend this one to anyone interested in the subject.

well done Miss Aimee, well done.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned? So much. I read this book to prepare for a panel I'm moderating at the 9/28/08 West Hollywood Book Fair on memoirs about Addiction, Recovery, and Everything In Between. I was stunned by how comprehensive, accessible, meditative, thought-provoking, personal, insightful and well-researched it was. I particularly enjoyed the personal encounters Aimee had with women who'd suffered or still suffered from these eating disorders. All her training as a novelist stood her in excellent stead as she beautifully portrayed these meetings with compassion and grace. I do not have an eating disorder myself. However, I am addicted to love, and understand about low self esteem, chemical imbalance, childhood trauma, self-loathing. I have a new book coming out this fall that offers a personal narrative about this issue, LOVE JUNKIE: A MEMOIR. So I also appreciate Aimee's rigorous honesty in exposing facts about her own personal journey, and the roots of this disorder for her. I really can't recommend this book highly enough. I marked passages on so many pages. I had no idea, for example, that according to a huge national poll, many women (39%) would agree to DIE three years younger if they could attain their ideal weight. That gave me pause. Then, as a love junkie, I particularly resonated with this line she quotes from Caroline Knapp's book APPETITES: "Love. If the deepest soure of human hunger had a name,, that would be it."

[Liralen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read, I make note of passages to copy down. This was definitely a book for which I folded down a lot of corners.

Two things about Gaining that really struck me: First, how much of it rang true to me. Time after time I felt myself thinking What!? I thought that was just me! Second, I think it takes a certain amount of distance from an eating disorder to be able to fully appreciate this book. It's very real, and very realistic, but it's not for somebody who doesn't want recovery (nor, perhaps, is it for somebody who does want recovery but still has a very long way to go to get there).

That said, the author maintains a delicate balance between personal stories and research, and I would readily recommend Gaining to anyone who wants to better understand eating disorders and the road to recovery.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely are recovery narratives insightful, academic, and uplifting without feeling condescending all at the same time. Aimee Liu's book manages to do this, and illustrates an entire spectrum of recovery that doesn't rely on who is the sickest or spent the most time in hospital. It highlights that total recovery is absolutely possible, however it takes long term work and dedication to relearn how to live. Further, it illustrates there is no "one size fits all approach". People find their moment at different times and recover in different ways.

Liu consults with experts and sufferers for a well rounded perspective on the disordered and recovery experience. It is heart wrenching at times. However, for the most part it is positive.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a couple months to work through this one, just because I wanted to digest it (ha ha, no pun intended)... in the end it was a worthwhile read, but I wouldn't say it offered any easy answers or explanations... not that it promises to... I think anyone affected by this subject matter can find something to relate and/or respond to. A lot of it is written from an older woman's viewpoint, even dare I say a mother's viewpoint, which is very difficult for me to relate to... but the source material is valid nevertheless and Liu brings up a great deal of interesting facts and ideas to contemplate.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I love how the author goes into all the other aspects that go into eating disorders other than Hollywood super-thin models. While I agree that tiny celebrities and fashion magazines have something to do with the preponderance of eating disorders in our society, there is so much more to it than that alone. I also love how although this book is part-memoir, the author speaks to and tells the stories of many other women who have struggled with eating disorders in their lives. I didn't realize before how many women were getting eating disorders or having relapses later in life. Very enjoyable read and very informative as well. I would definitely recommend it!

[Sjunebug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think her title and cover are not ideal, as they may scare off many women struggling with eating disorders or in various stages if recovery who might really benefit from this insightful book. The author has years of experience, therapy, education, and relationships and interviews with others who struggle with EDs... it's a lot to offer in a market dominated by teen-and-twenties girls sharing their stories (some of which are great but lack the perspective of time, and the life you live after and as you recover) or psychologist accounts, theories, stories. I recommend it highly. One of the most helpful, probably THE most helpful book I've read on the topic, and I have read many.

[Ava Courtney Sylvester · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Buy for Patients, Parents, Friends, and Families

Simply masterful. Liu skilfully weaves personal stories about eating disorders, both her own and those of her contemporaries, with threads of expert opinion and corroborated by research. Thoroughly engaging, entertaining, and enlightening, this book is a must for everyone affected by eating disorders, from the patient to parents, friends, and family.

I loved it so much I bought another copy for my parents to help explain anorexia nervosa to them. Thank you, Ms. Liu, for helping me and my family during this difficult time.

[Kathryn Monsewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well-researched. As a practicing journalist, I look up to Liu's reporting abilities and admire her persistence through this entire process. This book speaks volumes for those who are in recovery from an eating disorder, from learning about their past and how it contributed to their illness, to learning about what possible futures they have if they commit to themselves and recovery. There are things in this book that frightened me as a long-time anorexic struggling through recovery, but I've learned from them and I carry that knowledge so that I may be prepared for what life has in store for me as I grow older.

[Sarah]

Part memior, part sociological study, this book really covers mad ground about eating disorders. The title might mislead you into thinking this was all about recovery but a fair amount is devoted to family dynamics and genetic causes. It is a fascinating read for anyone who wants to know more about the topic but I feel like the ending was a bit lacking. I wanted to finish the story of Liu's rebuilding marriage but she never revisits it. As a result the ending feels a bit unsatisfying, tho the book overall is educational.

[V B · Rating 5 out of 5]

reveals a lot about more than eating disorders-- a personality type of controlling, anxious behavior. Obsessive, compulsive, impulsive, restricting, controlling etc.

[stephanie]

i am so excited to read this book, i had it pre-ordered! (amazon knows me so well.) i have to get through the others first though . . .