Customer Reviews

Kim: Empty Inside (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

... Others ... have remarked that this diary doesn't seem like any thing a teenager would write...and with good reason. This cautionary morality tale is actually a work of fiction, NOT A REAL DIARY, written (not edited) by Beatrice Sparks. The 80 year old Ms. Sparks is also the author of "Go, Ask Alice" and many other alleged "diaries". This book does not offer accurate information on the causes and treatment of eating disorders.

I probably shouldn't be reviewing this because I didn't even finish the book.. I got about 1/4 of the way into it and after so many "And then Billy looked at me!!!!!" type of sentances I stopped reading.. this is obviously not a real diary, no one that stupid would have gotten into UCLA. The whole thing is extremely patronizing to teens as obviously someone older wrote it thinking this is how we think. Uh, no. Thanks for playing granny.

AS A GYMNAST AND FORMER ANOREXIC/BULIMIC, THIS BOOK IS VERY INACCURATE. FIRST, THIS DOES NOT PORTRAY THESE REAL DISEASES.THE INTENISITY IS FAR FROM WHAT YOU READ IN THE BOOK.YOU HAVE NO TIME FOR BOYS,FUN,FAMILY,ETC. ANYWAYS,AT THAT LEVEL OF GYMNASTICS,KIM WOULD NOT HAVE TIME FOR ANYOTHER THINGS BESIDES GYMNASTICS. SHE WOULD BE IN THE GYM FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 HOURS, 6 DAYS A WEEK. THE ONLY REASON THAT THIS BOOK GETS 1 STAR IS BECAUSE AT LEAST IT HAS A STORY LINE. I WOULD NOT RECCOMEND THIS BOOK AT ALL.

Brought to you from the author of Go Ask Alice... yeah, right.

This is probably not the first great hoax in publishing history, but I'm sure it's one of the most successful.

In spite of the fact that the actual source of this book has long been revealed and known, the publishing company continues to brazenly assert that this is a genuine document. It's as ridiculous as the continuing insistence that The Amityville Horror is a true story, too.

It should take any literate adult no more than one and one half pages to determine that this is neither the language nor the syntax of an adolescent/young adult.

It is a known fact that this shameless propoganda was the work of Beatrice Sparks, a Mormom activist who created an entire series of these books, in which children are destroyed by the evils of homosexuality, premarital sex, drug abuse, satanism, etc.

Without diminishing what positive impact this book, or any of the others, may have had on impressionable youth, and without condemning its good intentions (is anyone in favor of having AIDS?), these books are complete rubbish.

Like Mr. Frey, the intentions are not the point.

The point is that these books are being published as nonfiction.

And they are lies.

An anonymous teenager's diary: 'Kim: Empty Inside' is a lesson for all teens. This powerfull book tells the true story of a weight conscience college girl named Kim. In the diary Kim starts believing weight is everything, and gets so caught up in wanting the "every teens dream body." She starts to lose herself mentally and physically. For being a fit gymnast, Kim's weight should not be an issue. But inside her mind it is. With incredible characters and a powerful storyline, this book touches many. Kim is homesick for her Arizona home when she leaves for UCLA. While trying to fit in, get her love life straight, and just make it through college, she doesn't even notice her dangerous eating disorder. This marvelous story touches all. The true storyline is superb. This novel is for mature 13 year olds and up. Other diaries by anonymous teenagers are 'Go Ask Alice' and 'It Happened to Nancy'.

It just wasn't a believably written piece. It seemed to sensationalize aspects of eating disorders and behaviors, and point to the generalizations that sadly dominate this diagnosed mental illness. A mental illness that strikes mostly elite, upper class, white people? Book after book repeats the same drama. It's just another plug that supports the unfortunate generalization that all people with eating disorders have little financial concerns or someone else typically foots the bill, are self absorbed, spoiled, controlling and manipulative attention seakers who buckle when the possibility of failure or personal responsibility encroaches. I have yet to seen anything opposing this in print yet.

In the book, the main character, Kim can't always take what is thrown
at her. She feels pressure to get a boyfriend and get into the right
college and compete in gymnastics. To help her feel better and in
control of her life, she eats and then feeling bad about it purges. Kim
sometimes feels that she is not as skinny as she needs to be for
competing in gymnastics. Her eating disorder gets out of control when
she leaves for college. When she gets to UCLA she feels very lost and
thinks the only thing she can control is her eating. During the book
Kim goes up and down with her eating. When she becomes sad, she eats
like she has been starved and then throws up. When she is happy the
throwing up pauses but not for long. When she can't handle something
food is her friend. In the book she struggles with fasting and
purging.,       The book is a little bit of a slow read but in the end you
will be happy about what she does to help herself. Sometimes you will
not be able to put down the book and others times you will think why do
I need to know this? It is the perfect book to take on a trip with you.
The book may  help you never want to become anorexic. The way the story
is told will make you want to help Kim more than anything in the world.
Kim makes it seem like everything bad is happening to her and she can't
take it. In the end you feel hope for Kim and you will be glad you read
it.

Here's yet another diary "edited" by Beatrice Sparks, this one about a seventeen-year-old girl's struggle with eating disorders and the pressure to fit in with the other girls on her college gymnastics team. The book opens up with Kim hoping to get accepted to UCLA, her college of choice. Not only does she get accepted, but she also has an opportunity to join their gymnastics team, something that Kim has always dreamed of. Faced with the pressures of roommates, soririty, gymnastics, keeping her grades up, and other things, Kim starts to feel as if she were fat, ugly and disgusting, so she starts to purge after every meal and occasionally fasts or starves herself at the end of every meal. She writes about the horrible feelings and depression associated with eating disorders, and how she always feels fat no matter what. This book would be a good read if you want to know an eating disorder from the point of view from someone whose been there. The back of the book also includes some basic information and Q&A about anorexia and bulima, although the diary itself does not really give you that much information about eating disorders. I think it would be a good read for anyone who has enjoyed Beatrice Sparks' other diaries, or anyone who wants to read about a fictional girl with an eating disorder.

Brittany Marshalls

I started reading this book then i put it down somewhere and totally forgot about it - it was that boring!!
It really confused me because the book wasn't really that much about eating disorders and i thought of Kim as being an average sized teen worrying about her weight like everyone does but then all of a sudden she was in hospital and everyone was worried - it was like she became ill overnight. Her illness was all covered in about one page and by the time i'd got that far in the book i was just flicking through it and so practically missed the page long hospital drama!!!
If you are going to write about eating disorders then i think you should cover all the really serious issues that go with them - this book didn't do that at all, infact i think it trivialised eating disorders. The book made it seem like eating disorders are cured in a day or two when they are not, there's a long healing process involved and its a shame the book didn't cover that.

If you are looking for a book that thouroghly describes anerexia or bulemia, dont get this one. It had like 3 major parts that described "Kim's" anerexia,thats about it...
I was looking forward to reading this book and when I was finished i was very disappointed. If you are looking for a good anexeria/bulemia book..DON'T read this one!!!