While most 9-year-olds are busy playing outside, Marya Hornbacher is preoccupied with her weight.
In "Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia," Hornbacher steps through the looking glass at an early age. While this may sound normal in today's society, Hornbacher's story happens in the late '80s, before angular, bony bodies were the norm.
Hornbacher starts out normal enough, but with a weight-obsessed mother, she becomes curious to see what it would be like to throw up. One day, she tries it. After that, everything changes. Soon she finds herself throwing up daily and bulimia gives way to anorexia. After many trials and triumphs, Hornbacher finds her way back into the real world. She learns to adapt and understand.
Throughout the book you just want to scream "Eat!" at her, but she's at the brink of death, just wishing she was thin.
What appealed to me was that I could relate to the book. Since I dealt with an eating disorder and recovered from it, I can sympathize with Hornbacher.
It's an eye-opener for everyone, but the sad fact is most teenage girls in America can, at least in some way, understand. They may not have an eating disorder, but most girls are concerned with their weight. This book happens to show the worst side of an eating disorder, however, it portrays it wonderfully.
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