Customer Reviews

The Anorexia Diaries: A Mother and Daughter's Triumph Over Teenage Eating Disorders

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Without trivializing the sufferings of the Rio family, I honestly feel like this book offers no insight to the complexity of anorexia nervosa. Tara's eating disorder - which was not anorexia at all, but bulimorexia - was a relatively short ordeal, and she did not hide it from her family like many sick young women do (or like the excerpt from the back of the book would have the prospective reader believe she did). Introspection is nihil - rarely expressed is sentiment deeper than "I feel fat". Moreover, the overall tone is self-centered, as the authors never speculate upon the epidemic nature of the disease; I call this sort of self-congratulatory, non-academic memoir "victimization literature." For these reasons and more, I cannot recommend this title as a quality account of an eating disorder.

I purchased this for my wife--she's a psychotherapist whose clients are 15--21 year-olds. She'd run across a copy belonging to a colleague and she found it both interesting and insightful. As to her satisfaction now that she possesses a copy I cannot say--we've not spoken of the book since it arrived.

I was attracted to this book when I saw it on the "New Releases" shelf at the library. I could tell it hadn't been read, and the title appealed to the voyeuristic part of me that enjoys peering into people's (published) diaries. I found the book to be extremely insightful and interesting, as it beautifully and honestly depicted the inner workings of a teenage daughter and her mother. I loved how the book was frank and blunt, (as I suppose it had to be, being a real diary) and it truly opened my eyes to the trials and tribulations that a mother faces while watching her daughter go through sickness and coming of age.
I would recommend this book to any female I know.

I thought this mother/daughter story was very accurate and sincere. How wonderful that they kept such a telling record of thier struggles for others to read. Many other reviewers have said that this is too "easy, boring, and worhtless", I think those may be the readers who are reading eating disorder books to feed thier own eating issues...like "Wasted", which many have called a handbook for how to have an eating disorder. I think this story is not as graphic as some, but it is a true account of a mother and daughter and thier struggles with a deadly disease. Also, the commentary by Dr. Craig Johnson was very interesting to read. He is very well known in this field, and he covers many issues in a very easy-to-understand way in this book.
Remember, not all eating disorder books are going to be as graphic as books such as "Wasted", but then again, not all eating disorders are that graphic either.

I found this book to be refreshingly real and raw. Beyond the scope of eating disorders it addressed everyday issues I think many teen girls are battling with. As a woman in my mid-twenties, I related to much of Tara's thoughts while also gaining a sense of empathy for the struggles I put my own mother through.

I think every woman will relate to at least some aspect of the Rio's story. As a recovered bulimic, I've read MANY books about eating disorders. However, few have touched me the way this one has. I'm tired of reading books from a clinical point of view. This one read like a soap opera and kept my interest to the very end.

This book is the first I have read to hear from the mother's side of an eating disorder. However, it is a bit unrealistic in the world of eating disorders. The daughter developed bulimia, and the mother had enough insight to get her treatment before it was terribly out of control. The whole episode from the "onset" to "recovery" was less than 2 years. It's great that she is fully recovered, but it is unrealistic in eating disorders that have plagued women for 5, 10, 20 years. Don't expect any enlightenment or answers from this book. Like I said, it is only good to read the mother's viewpoint while this "eating disorder" suffered. Look elsewhere for answers on true, long-term eating disorders.

Were they kidding? This kid developed anorexia because HER MOM WORKED? Well, she should slit her throat if she HAD A JOB. This book was difficult to get into. I felt that this kid was really spoiled if her mother was making her breakfast at the age of seventeen. Her mother seemed to do alot for her family and this child did not appear to be grateful for it at all. This book was undeveloped, and the reasons for the problem were not fully explored or explained.

I read this book at a bookstore and have already read several other books on eating disorders. This book was disappointing in that it felt that much of it centered on non-ED related issues unlike the title suggests. Although it was great that Tara quickly got over her ED, it seemed that half the book was devoted to other parts of her life (e.g., relations with her mother and boyfriend, college, an assault in Mexico) and I feel that this book didn't provide any useful insight above and beyond other books on the topic (e.g., Stick Figure, Wasted). However, it may be helpful for mothers with a child who has an eating disorder.

I'm a recovering anorexic who assumed this book would help me relate to the mother and daughter in this book. It was non discriptive, including not even telling how low Tara's weight got, her weeks in treatment, and didn't say how much she lost. They never said she got sick looking or anything related. The rest of the book was complete garbage about how she is doing at home and at school. O yeah, her mother is so naive to even pay attention to how her health was going. " Tara looks kindof blank and sad", says her mother. WELL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT IF YOU'RE A PSCHYATRIST AND HELP HER!!! don't waste you're time and money on this book. it's just not worth it.