Perfect: Anorexia & Me [Hardcover]

Emily Halban (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2008

Emily Halban developed anorexia in her final year of high school. She went on to college at an Ivy League school where her disease took on a powerful dimension. By her final year she was so debilitated that she had to take her exams in a separate room where she could be fed continuously. With heartbreaking candor and poignant intimacy, Emily vividly chronicles the complexities and inner struggles of living with anorexia. She traces her disease from its elusive origins, through its darkest moments of deprivation, guilt, and self-loathing. As she recounts her journey towards recovery, Emily draws us into her raw experience of anorexia, exposing its secrets and dispelling some of the myths that shroud it. Beautifully written and alive with self-awareness, but never self-pity, this inspiring read will offer those battling with this all-consuming disease a glimpse of perspective and hope, and help those on the outside to understand more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emily Halban graduated from Oxford University in 2004.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Random House UK (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0091917271
• ISBN-13: 978-0091917272
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, well written, but a little Boring, December 27, 2009

By 

Ella Levine (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect: Anorexia & Me (Hardcover)

I have read over 20 Eating Disorder memoirs. This one really portrayed how people can have anorexia alongside moderate forms of OCD. The author writes in detail...her life over 9 years...she was heavily consumed by anorexia and the need to be perfect. However this book is different in how close she is to her family, how incredibly supportive they are..how driven she was by perfection and to please others down to the fine detail. It is also different in that she never once mislead people, told lies, or played games in her illness. She 100% was the perfect patient, and tried ever so hard to get better and comply with all treatment and help. I was amazed.

Also, in the back of the book it has 3-4 letters from family, explaining how they coped from their perspective as a mother, father, sister, brother and boyfriend.

I think this book could be extremely helpful for families and professionals in understanding the complexity and multi-facets of the illness, especially medically and physically.

I don't feel it's that helpful for sufferers unless you also suffer from OCD and an amazing ability to ALWAYS want to overcome the disorder instead of holding onto it.

She was amazingly compliant and good! I found the story interesting, but not so gripping or insightful.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read!, November 26, 2009

By 

Cathleen M. Covington - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfect: Anorexia & Me (Hardcover)

I have read a lot of books on Eating Disorders from fiction to nonfiction. 'Perfect' is a book I would definitely suggest reading! I loved it because it was so different from most eating disorder books. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the book was actually written because a lot of books I've seen lately have been written using the worst language, spelling typos, etc. This book however, was well written which made the flow of the story so much easier. It also had a more mature (or maybe a more intellectual approach) outlook/analysis on the whole eating disorder nightmare which was more entertaining for myself and probably anyone else above the age of 17. Anyone either dealing with this disease them self or know someone who is, should absolutely take some time and read through this novel, you'll learn/understand more of this disease after you finish the novel!