Good Enough...When Losing is Winning, and Thin Enough Can Never be Achieved [Paperback]

Cynthia N. Bitter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0965775569 | ISBN-13: 978-0965775564 | Publication Date: 1998 0

This is an inspiring memoir of the author's near-fatal battle with anorexia and bulimia, and how she was able to emerge victorious 25 years later. Her incredible, thought-provoking journey takes you far beyond the eating disorder symptoms and into the obsessive mindset in a way that only someone who has been there can. But the story doesn't end there; it continues straight down the road of recovery proving that victory is possible no matter how many years you have struggled.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an incredible story! It was so engrossing that I couldn't put it down. [Good Enough] breaks through all the taboos on the subject that I can imagine without getting theoretical, self pitying, or dogmatic. [Good Enough] deserves a close reading by both the victims of eating disorders and anyone in a position to counsel, nurture, teach, mentor, or love these promising [people]. This story belongs in every middle, high school, and public library to bring hope to the sufferers and families of eating disorder victims. Anybody with $15.00 to spend on a book will be rewarded many times over their investment." -- Marne Rogers (parent), New York

Cynthia Nappa Bitter's quest for "a better me" is her ticket to a new adventure in Good Enough. Cindy climbs on the carousel of anorexia nervosa and bulimia when she's 14, never suspecting she'll spin there for more than two decades. Bitter glosses over her father's severe bouts with manic-depression while minimizing her mother's denial of the obvious. Neither the media nor society receive credit for fueling her quest for a skeletal shape or reinforcing this ideal once it's attained. The author's refusal to point the finger of blame away from herself illustrates the self-blaming nature of anorexia and bulimia. Chapter after chapter whirls through the binge/purge cycle year after year. As Cindy's despair mounts, so does reader-frustration until she vows to break the cycle. Deception, Cindy's ally through seizures, apparent heart attacks, and the loss of all her teeth, becomes the enemy. Bitter's message, that self-destructive behavior can be overcome, is as compelling as her honesty. -- From Independent Publisher

Cynthia [Nappa] Bitter's revealing biography is the intensely personal story of anorexia nervosa whose eating disorder began when she was fourteen. The obsessive mindset and the horrendous medical complications of bulimia and anorexia lead her to the brink of death before she discovered what it would take to save her life and her sanity. From first page to the last, Good Enough is a compelling narrative that will be greatly appreciated by all those who suffer from life-threatening eating disorders. -- Midwest Book Review, May 1998

Cynthia writes from a personal perspective about experiences in her childhood that contributed to the development of her eating disorder. Cynthia's story begins around the age of 10, prior to her eating disorder, and ends somewhere around the age of 37, when she is recovered. Yes, I did say recovered. In fact, the best part of this book is that, unlike many others, Cynthia weaves her therapy, both inpatient and outpatient, throughout her book, and the end result of that therapy is that she is happy, successful, and recovered. Cynthia's struggle with an eating disorder was neither simple nor mild. She suffered from a long, severe, protracted case of anorexia, binge/purge type, the one considered most difficult to treat and overcome. This story brings home loud and clear that no matter how horrible, how hopeless, or how recalcitrant a case may seem, people can overcome the most devastating and resistant eating disorder! This is an important, even critical, message. Cynthia Nappa Bitter makes us all think again. -- Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, Volume 6, Number 4, Winter 99. 1999

From the title to the last page, Cindy Nappa Bitter relates her experience with an eating disorder in a compelling and inspiring way. This is not a book about "how to" or about blaming. It is the story of her journey through more than a quarter of a century of life with an eating disorder. Told on two levels--the external appearance that she projected to the world, as well as her authentic internal experiences that fueled her disorder for so long--she clearly depicts the numerous paradoxes that she confronted and that impeded her recovery. With tremendous strength, resilience, courage and determination, she eventually came to believe that being "good enough" mean exactly what it says, that "giving up" the eating disorder didn't mean "giving in", and that "as long as you try, you are not a failure". Although Good Enough can be inspirational and educational for anyone interested in the experience of having an eating disorder, this book should be read by any person with an eating disorder who loses hope along the path of reclaiming health or who believes that it is "too late" to recover. -- Richard E. Kreipe, MD, Director, Adolescent Eating Disorder Program, University of Rochester Medical Center

From the Publisher

Reader Comments Received by Publisher:

". . . awesome! Well-written! I'm putting this on my website book page." Cheryl (sister of a woman with anorexia), Connecticut

". . . a wonderful story of triumph over illness. I couldn't put it down till I had finished it. It helped me put my own problems into better perspective." Joan (parent), Maryland

". . . thank you for writing Good Enough. It is truly encouraging for me, as it renews my hope that maybe, I, too, can get better." Cathy (19-year-old college student), New York

" . . . compelling reading! I got so caught up in the story that I was up half the night reading it." Connie (librarian), Virginia

". . . what an inspirational story! And such a beautiful ending!" Mary (parent), Florida

". . . it give such good insight into eating disorders that I'm ordering more copies for the eating disorder program that I work in." Pat (nurse), Maine

". . . your book helps me again and again. I re-read sections, which help me to understand that life can be a lot better when weight and food aren't the primary focus. Thank you. I hear your 'voice' in my head several times a day as I try to reassure myself that eating is the right thing to do." Susan (woman with anorexia), California

" . . . a page turner! The intriguing title caught my eye and I had to pick it up. What a compelling story . . . I had to come home and call you for an interview." Ginny, TV news anchor, New York

" . . . you are giving hope to others. I could feel the pain of eating disorders as I read the book. You inspire me because you are a living testimony that it is possible to recover from these disorders." Linda (woman with anorexia and bulimia), Pennsylvania

" . . . after reading a borrowed copy from a friend, I had to buy one for myself. As a spiritual director, I know many women will benefit from this book." Eleanor, New York

" . . . what a wonderful story. Please send me another book. I gave mine to a friend who is struggling with an eating disorder, and I want to read it again." Catherine, Norway

". . . thank you for writing this book. It gives me a deeper understanding of my wife's struggle, and I'm more hopeful now." David, South Carolina

". . . I felt like I was reading my own daughter's life in your pages. My husband is reading it now and when he is finished, our son is going to read it. For the first time, we feel more hopeful and more knowledgeable about what our daughter is dealing with." Anne, New York

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Hopelines Enterprises (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965775569
• ISBN-13: 978-0965775564
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story that gives one hope and strenght to go on., December 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Enough...When Losing is Winning, and Thin Enough Can Never be Achieved (Paperback)

This is an excellent book, fit for people with or without eating disorders. Reading about Cynthia's struggles and how she overcame them, can give anyone hope as well as strenght to continue and not give up. For anyone with an eating disorder or if you are related to someone who has one, this book offers hope that will push you to not give up on yourself, or your loved one. I have a sister who has been struggling with bulimia for over 7 years now, I thought it was a long time until I read "good enough" and found cynthia battled eating disorders for 25 years and overcame it to be the woman she is today. That gave me hope, and I realized that my sister could get better, for a while I had given up on her. It helped me understand my sister and the "irrational" behavior she constatly displays. Through this book I began to understand that no one wants that kind of life for themselves but they feel out of control if they abandon what they have come to know so well. Excellent overall, thank-you Cynthia.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true-story that is saving my life to this day. Tnx, Cindy, February 16, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (long beach, california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Enough...When Losing is Winning, and Thin Enough Can Never be Achieved (Paperback)

This book is a true-story about the turmoil of living and dying from anorexia nervosa and bulimia. This book shows a real-life day to day, year to year struggle with eating disorders. It is amazing to me that after enduring so much pain and hardship the author is now living happily and healthily. I was ready to give up until I read Cindy's book. I believe she is godsent and I'm chosing to live because I have new hope because of her. Anybody recovering or struggling or who knows someone with an eating disorder should read this book now. Stephanie Mullennix

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring, March 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Enough...When Losing is Winning, and Thin Enough Can Never be Achieved (Paperback)

This book was so inspiring to me. So often I read books that are merely war stories, people telling you step by step their downfall, therefore describing how to go about having an eating disorder. Those books are very triggering for those of us who have an eating disorder. But this book was about recovery. And to read about someone who overcame a difficult thing was encouraging. It gave me hope that I will one day be able to do the same thing. The task doesn't seem so impossible anymore.