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    ADHD Quiz

    ADHD Quiz

    Medical and Education

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    Do you or someone you know have trouble focusing, remembering things, and completing tasks? Is there...

    Bone Ninja

    Bone Ninja

    Medical and Education

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    Bone Ninja is a teaching tool developed by two orthopedic surgeons who specialize in limb deformity...

    Diabetes Passport

    Diabetes Passport

    Medical and Health & Fitness

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    A new beautiful iOS 7 optimized tool for monitoring Blood Sugar (Glucose), Meals and Insulin (basal,...

    Veterinary Dermatology

    Veterinary Dermatology

    Education and Magazines & Newspapers

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    “Veterinary Dermatology” is now available on your iPad and iPhone. Fresh from the newsstand,...

I'm probably more obsessed with ED books than is healthy, but it's so reassuring to read other people's experiences that are similar to my own. This book was absolutely fantastic - not only did it help me see that I'm not alone or abnormal, but I was also able to read a mother's point of view on the experience. I understand now how awful it must have been for my own mother during my inpatient hospital stay and the initial battle of getting a diagnosis.

I found it interesting that they gave Jo (the mother)'s perspective first, instead of Alice herself. We learn about what she witnesses before we find out exactly what Alice was actually thinking and feeling.

They don't include weights or numbers in this, which is tremendously helpful. Like Jo says, this is a competitive illness, and even parents seem to want to compete in having the "most poorly" child. But it's so triggering for other people to read about how much weight someone lost, and it's not really relevant. Weight loss is just a side affect of the illness, and not the main issue itself.

The reality is addressed so honestly in this book, all the feelings and experiences that we may be ashamed to admit are written in black and white. It made me feel a lot less guilty about things that I've felt, knowing other people have felt the same way, too. And the recovery aspect was not unrealistically easy or happy; Alice is not completely recovered even at the end of the book, but is managing her illness. That is how most of us will live for a long time, if not for the rest of our lives. But Alice expresses how she is so much happier "managing" her anorexia than she was when she was suffering years ago. It gives hope - even if you don't fully recover, life can be good. 

I really loved this book. I'd urge anyone with a loved one who is suffering from an eating disorder (or has one themselves) to read this, as it would really help seeing both perspectives on the journey. 5 stars.