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To the Bone (2017)
To the Bone (2017)
2017 | Drama
Can be triggering for some
The movie starts with a hospital support group, the girls are super skinny and talking about food, why? They are anorexic! This story focuses on 20 year old anorexia sufferer Ellie, she lives with her step mum who watches her when she eats and weighs her on a regular basis. She takes Ellie to see a specialist doctor to try and help her, and he admits her to a clinic with other people with eating disorders, it has no doors and no electronic devices are allowed. Fairly normal for rehab.
There's not much to say about the movie really, it's nice to see a movie dedicated to getting better rather than leading upto the illness. Be warned though, if you suffer from or have suffered from an eating disorder and are easily triggered then I would stay clear of the movie as the eating disorder language and attitudes towards food is pretty full on, such as tips on losing weight, where to hide your vomit, weight numbers and calorie counting.
  
Paperweight
Paperweight
Meg Haston | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/book-review-paperweight/

This. Book. Is. Amazing.

There aren't enough books about such serious and common topics like this. I'm not going to lie, I found this rather hard to read due to how it brought back so many personal memories for me. I should warn any potential readers that this book includes a log of negative language about body image, mentions of self-harm and suicide, and a lot about eating disorders and behaviours.

Stevie, a 17-year-old girl who's mother left and brother died, has her self-destruction plans halted when her father sends her to an eating disorder treatment centre. This book follows her through a twenty-seven day period of pain and conflicting thoughts and emotions.

Throughout Stevie's time at the treatment centre, the reader is told about her life through little snippets here and there. We learn about her behaviours and thoughts as her eating disorder developed, about the day her mother left, and the time around her brother's death.

Stevie is carrying so much guilt and pain, and all she wants is to disappear on the anniversary of the accident. But her shrink, Anna, is desperate to help her live her life.

This book is so accurately written. The things Stevie thinks and does often reflect myself and people I've known while really struggling with eating disorders. The daunting prospect of recovery looms over her, making her unsure of what her goal really is. She was so sure she wanted to die... But now she's met Ashley, and Anna, and rethought her plan. What once seemed so simple and obvious, Stevie is no longer sure she wants.

Paperweight is so emotional, accurately telling the story of Stevie's personal experiences with an eating disorder as well as her struggles after her mother moved away and her brother was killed. It combats so many topics that I've rarely seen in other books, and is just so greatly written... I love it. 5 stars!
  
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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Tyranny in Books

Jun 24, 2019  
Tyranny
Tyranny
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So as you've probably realised by now, I have anorexia. And because of that, I am always drawn to books about eating disorders, including this graphic novel I found in the library. It's always good to see realistic and relatable presentations of ED's, and I'm also always quick to point out when something is being portrayed wrong.

This book was a pretty accurate representation of my own personal battle with anorexia. It addressed the starving and the bingeing that many anorexics go through, as well as the body dysmorphia and unhealthy habits and routines. It included friends of Anna (the protagonist of this book) who are also suffering - one of which eventually suffered a heart attack and died. It's not uncommon for people with anorexia to have friends who pass away as a result of the unhealthy habits brought on by the disorder.

Anna does eventually decide she wants life, and goes into treatment. She learns to tell Tyranny (the voice/persons of her ED) that she doesn't care about being thin anymore, and eventually she gets her to leave entirely. (I can't say that's happened to me; it's more of an ongoing, up-and-down struggle in my experience.)

One thing I wasn't sure was so good about this book was the inclusion of weights - her weight loss process, the weight of another patient. This can be incredibly triggering for people suffering with an eating disorder, and can make people feel invalidated - feeling as if their ED isn't as "bad" or "real" because their weight wasn't quite as low. For this reason, I would be hesitant about recommending this book to people who are trying to recover from their disorder.

Overall, I felt it was a good portrayal of anorexia. It was brutally honest and included both the starving and the bingeing, which lots of people don't often discuss. 4.5 stars.
  
To the Bone (2017)
To the Bone (2017)
2017 | Drama
Best adaptation of anorexia I've ever seen (2 more)
Very real
Every actor outstanding
Can be triggering to people who suffer from diesease (0 more)
A must watch!
I've read and watched a lot of film programs and read a lot of book on subject like this. Whilst I have never had an eating disorder my self harming and sucided when younger has caused me to have in patient treatment. As I've recovered and been stable enough to get a psychology degree I know look at the show different that I did when I was younger. However I do like to see how media pursue these issues and if they handle them with the care that needed. This film is beautifully handled ever single actor portrayed there part beautifully and made it so real. The story was brilliant and true their was no glamering or Hollywood effect it was something that could so easily be real. I fell for every character and truely hope people watch and take awake front this film on how hard recovery is but people can recover if given right support and the right time.
  
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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Grown Ups in Books

May 4, 2022  
Grown Ups
Grown Ups
10
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Marian Keyes never fails to disappoint me with her books, and this one is no exception.
Her humour is injected beautifully into this book, whilst still dealing with issues of infidelity, an eating disorder, financial problems and imperfect marriages. All of the issues in the book are dealt with so delicately while also ensuring that the issues should not be taken lightly by the reader.
Marian Keyes always makes sure that her humour is in the book, and there are some ridiculous bits that made me laugh out loud while reading but also some serious parts that reminded you about life and the things other people have to deal with.
I loved the story being about three different marriages in one family as well as their kids and loved that it was from the point of view of seven characters - Jessie, Johnny, Ed, Cara, Liam, Nell and Ferdia. I felt that by the end everyone’s stories were tied up quite nicely… except for Nell and Ferdia! I had hopes that things would work out for them, but I doubt we’ll ever find out unfortunately!
Another amazing Marian Keyes that has been added to my growing collection of her work.
  
My Good Bright Wolf
My Good Bright Wolf
Sarah Moss | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I knew that My Good Bright Wolf was a memoir, it says it is in the title after all, but when I started reading it, I thought I’d downloaded the wrong book. I’m a lover of fairytales, and this memoir reads as such in places, especially as it’s written in the 3rd person. This also seems to create a distance between the author and their story.

At its heart is Moss’ battle with anorexia. After reading about her childhood and her parents, it would be unrealistic to think that both of these factors had nothing to do with her eating disorder. In fact, some of her most intrusive thoughts have her parents voices.

Throughout is Moss’ love of literature, and how the books she read - the girls and women that they portrayed - influenced her self-worth.

This is a story of how women are policed, constrained and ultimately how they are treated in illness. It’s also a story of never feeling that you’re good enough and a lack of control over everything - except the control over what you put in your body.

This really is a stunning, shocking, very emotional memoir, and it reinforces to me what an exceptional author Sarah Moss is.
  
TF
The Food of Love
Amanda Prowse | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MoMo’s Book Diary recommends this emotional family tale as a 5 star read.
                        
This is the first Amanda Prowse book I have read. My first impression is that Amanda Prowse is an exceptional novelist who has deeply researched this storyline. In this heart-wrenching novel we are introduced to Freya and Lockie and their two daughters, Charlotte and Lexi and taken on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey with them as they are plunged into a nightmare situation.

What starts out as a perfectly ordinary family living a happy domestic life soon is rocked to the core. No-one understands. No-one has the answers. No-one knows what to do. Mistakes are made. The one thing you can feel from the first page to the last is the love the characters have between them.

This is a MUST READ novel which tells the story of how an eating disorder can invade any family. It is about the importance of love and honesty within the family. It is about sticking together to get through whatever crisis is in front of us.

I knew nothing about anorexia before and whilst I understand it may not be factually perfect – everyone’s experience is different - but it is a novel not a self-help book.

Once I started to read this book I couldn’t put it down, even after finishing it a few days ago, I still find myself thinking about the characters and what happens next. I highly recommend this novel to everyone.

Thanks to Amanda Prowse, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel prior to publication.
  
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.
  
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Jamie (131 KP) rated The Edible Woman in Books

May 24, 2017  
The Edible Woman
The Edible Woman
Margaret Atwood | 1969 | Fiction & Poetry
9
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Strong commentary about the roles of women as they enter adulthood (0 more)
Starting to show it’s age with outdated social norms (0 more)
An honest exploration of the roles of women, marriage, and entering adulthood
Marian is an average college-educated woman who lives with a roommate in a decent apartment, works for a survey company, is moderately good looking, and has a handsome fiancé who is on his way to being a big shot lawyer. It sounds like life altogether is going pretty well for Marian. Yet for some reason she feels empty, why?

The Edible Woman explores the themes of losing a sense of self with maturity. At work she is pushed around, her roommate Ainsley is inconsiderate, the landlady is judgmental, and her boyfriend Peter is self centered and makes snide comments at Marian’s expense, acting like he can barely tolerate her. With each encounter Marian puts aside her pride for the sake of avoiding conflict. Marian expresses her problems through eating, or the lack thereof, hinting at a potential eating disorder. Just as she feels inhibited in life, she suddenly feels inhibited with the kinds of food that she can eat.

As the story continues she begins to dread marriage and question the direction her life is going—becoming just as listless as her friend and former classmate Clara, who after marriage and three pregnancies just seems beaten down. Marian’s fiancé Peter is the stereotypical perfect bachelor: a man’s man that looks down on women and views marriage as a ball and chain. Peter pushes Marian around in order to mold her into a subservient woman. There is no longer any room for her thoughts, her feelings, or her desires from under his shadow.

But what about work? What are women’s roles in society and the work force? Throughout the story there are several women including Marian with college educations, yet none of them really have a stable career. Women are expected to be wives and mothers, there’s simply no time for an education or a job. In this case, their educations are ultimately viewed as their downfall due to the crushing reality of how little opportunity they would have. This was the very sad truth at the time the book was written and thankfully is not exactly the case now in most parts of the world.

Atwood tackles a large number of social issues throughout the book that I think would be important for any young woman. Adulthood, relationships, marriage, the choice between work and education versus starting a family, and lastly feminism—both good and bad. (Hint: Ainsely is a perfect example of a bad feminist.)

There are certain elements of the book that are becoming quite dated. Namely the typewriters, the social expectation that all women can be are housewives, and the limited ways that women can dress; These things might make it difficult for young women to look past and relate to the main character. Despite this the book is still incredibly relevant in the message that it brings about maintaining one’s individuality. I absolutely love this book and found a lot of my former self in it’s pages.
  
Two Sisters
Two Sisters
Kerry Wilkinson | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
9
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Such a great Read
Two Sisters By Kerry Wilkinson is well worth a read.
I would describe this as a psychological mystery but with the added bonus of it dipping its toe into the waters of mental illness and addiction to.
To summarise we have two sisters Megan and Chloe who after the death of their parents in a road accident, journey back to their parents holiday cottage in Whitecliff to stay, supposedly to sort out their affairs and get the cottage in order.
But for Megan, there are different reasons for her return she has received a postcard with the letter Z spelt on it.
years ago the girls older brother Zak went missing at Whitecliff his body never found, Megan the oldest sister is determined to figure out the truth of what has happened to her brother and she will bulldoze down whoever gets in her way.
Now the sisters are an interesting pair, having spent their time at different boarding schools growing up, these two are like chalk and cheese.
We have Chloe the younger of the two nearly seventeen a bit shy, but friendly and open, Chloe doesn't like to rock the waters and I get the impression she's a bit of a people pleaser. She's also a fabulous artist, A vegan and looks like her mother.
Now Megan, by contrast, is the exact polar opposite of her younger sister, she's prickly, bad tempered, goes out of her way to cause strife and shock in people.
there's a lot of deep-seated issues that are girl needs to get a handle on she is addicted to prescription drugs which she acquires through dubious means and as if that's not enough she is also suffering from an eating disorder, which her sister pretends to turn a blind eye too.
So as you can see there is an awful lot going on here.
As the story progresses truths that people want buried come to light, Megan puts herself and sister in extreme danger and some people are so not what they seem in Whitecliff.
Two sisters was definitely a page turner with a flowing easy storyline that sucked you in from the start. I especially appreciated Megan's issues, this added a whole extra layer to the storyline enriching it greatly. Eating disorders are a subject close to my heart, so it was fascinating to kind of get into the mindset of an individual suffering from this type of mental illness. The addiction storyline was also an extremely fascinating issue, we often see drug taking in novels but prescription drug addiction, even know so prevalent, is not explored so frequently in fiction.
But I have to say my favourite aspect of Two Sisters was seeing the two girls connect together after being virtual strangers growing up, now that was really charming indeed.
So, in conclusion, I found this a Fabulous book and I would definitely recommend this to other readers.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free advance reader copy of Two Sisters by Kerry Wilkinson. This is my own unbiased opinion of this novel.

Arc Reviewed By BeckieBookworm
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