Customer Reviews

Monster Within, The: Facing an Eating Disorder

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had purchased this book for an adult child of friends but thought I'd better read it first. What a book!! Many people can identify with the issues being addressed, even if they don't have an eating disorder!

It is an easy and quick read (outside of the emtional reaction times) and I highly reccommend it to anyone who has an eating disorder or knows someone who has - VERY POWERFUL!!!

This book is well worth the time and money! It is brutally honest and so open. The author shares from her own journey to recovery from bulimia. A truly unique and compelling portrait of life with bulimia. I loved this book!

The Monster Within is a detailed story of Cynthia's battle with Bulimia. Her stay in the hospital is well documented, and she shares her emotions through her recovery process. It is helping me to see the pain these women experience in their daily lives as they work their recovery. It is hard work and one must be diligent. This is an excellent book!

This is by far one of the worst eating disorder books I have ever read. I am a psychologist and so I spend much of my time reading memoirs written by individuals who have suffered from eating disorders, mental disorders, or have faced other serious traumas and obstacles. I was highly unimpressed and quite perturbed by this book.
Although this book begins with Rowland's entrance into the inpatient facility, this book did not do a good enough or thorough enough job at assessing her treatment process and her gradual increase in self-awareness and self-insight. Too much of this book was spent with Rowland hugging the other patients, crying in their arms, and the patients telling each other how much they loved each other. BORING. It seemed that every other page was spent with someone in someone else's arms professing his love.
Perhaps the worst part of this book was reading about her psychologist and the staff at the facility. They engaged in highly inappropriate "techniques" for treatment. There is frequent yelling at the patients and use of sarcasm when interacting with the patients. Also, the psychologist, and his staff with his encouragement, uses manipulation and trickery in order to teach the patients and "help them" gain insight into their own behavior and thoughts. This is completely unacceptable behavior. Patients should be able to trust their psychologist and feel that they are able to open up in a caring and warm environment. I was appalled by the staff in this book.
Also, Rowland is religious and there is frequent reference to God and religion in this book, which I was not expecting and didn't enjoy. I thought it detracted from the real focus of the book.
Overall I did not enjoy this book and do not recommend it to anyone.

WOW THIS BOOK WAS BAD. THE BOOK STARTS OUT WHEN SHE ENTERS A TREATMENT PROGRAM SO YOU ONLY GET GLIMPSES OF THE 12 YEARS LEADING UP TO TREATMENT. IN THE PROGRAM ALL SHE DOES IS CRY,WHINE AND THROW TANTRUMS. SHE GETS A CRUSH ON ONE OF THE MARRIED PATIENTS AND THEY PASSED LOVE NOTES LIKE THEY WERE IN GRADE SCHOOL. THE BOOK FEELS LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN BY A TEENAGER. SHE ALSO CLAIMS THAT WHEN SHE WAS 3 YEARS OLD SHE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR SEVERE BURNS AND HER NURSES TOLD HER TO GROW UP AND QUIT CRYING AND WERE VERY ROUGH WITH HER. I HAVE BEEN A NURSE FOR 21 YEARS AND I FIND THAT EXTREMELY HARD TO BELIEVE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SERIOUS PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THIS ILLNESS PASS ON THIS BOOK!