Purge [Hardcover]

Sarah Darer Littman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

From acclaimed author Sarah Darer Littman, a striking story about a girl's recovery from bulimia in the tradition of CUT, PERFECT, and GIRL INTERRUPTED.

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Written in first person, including journal entries, Littman's chronicle of teen bulimia unfolds as 16-year-old Janie describes her stay in a rehabilitation center for eating disorders. For Janie, bingeing and purging make her feel in control of a body she hates. After a humiliating scene at her sister's wedding in which her disease is discovered, she tries to kill herself and is brought to the center for treatment. Unfortunately, her stay is predictable and her counterparts come across as clichéd. Janie's recounting of the events leading up to her suicide attempt, however, is entirely relatable and her feelings authentic ("Was there ever a period of time when I was able to love food unreservedly, without thinking of it as 'the enemy' the minute it was in my stomach?"). Most realistic is her friendship with childhood pal Kelsey, and their big fight is devastating, as is Janie's losing her virginity to a boy who treats her badly. Littman (Confessions of a Closet Catholic) offers a good, if limited, addition to the resources available for teens suffering with this issue. Ages 12-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Stuck with a bunch of Barfers and Starvers, Janie, 16, describes her experiences at Golden Slopes, a rehab facility. Partly dead serious and partly humorous, her narrative slowly changes as she goes from believing that she's almost normal to understanding that she is sick and needs help. Other patients include various girls, an older woman, and a couple of boys, all of whom have wide-ranging issues at the heart of their pain. While other books are more realistic about the time involved in treating eating disorders, Littman provides a sympathetic character and a quick overview of treatment and hopeful progress. Janie moves from denial of habitual bulimia to release back to her regular routine in only three weeks. Her parents are loving, her family is loyal, and her friends are forgiving. The universality of Janie's blindness to her own behavior is clearly portrayed, as is her later insight into her destructive choices. Drinking and sexual situations are necessary to the plot and are described realistically. This is a worthy addition to the current books on the topic for its relatively lighter touch and accessibility.–Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545052351
• ISBN-13: 978-0545052351
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Darer Littman, writer, mother, and unpaid chauffeur, is a living example of the cliche, "Life Begins at 40." After spending much of her adult life doing things she didn't really plan to, including such diverse occupations as financial analyst and farmer's wife, she at long last found her true calling as a writer. Her first book, CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC won the 2006 Sydney Taylor Award for Older Readers and LIFE, AFTER was a 2011 Sydney Taylor Honor Book. She indulges her adult voice as a columnist for the Hearst Newspapers in CT and writes for CTNewsJunkie.com

Sarah lives in CT with her two teenage children and an adorable Havanese in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best in class, but still not great, November 28, 2008

By 

M. Garrison (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Purge (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

There are a lot of YA books out there set in inpatient psychiatric treatment, especially for eating disorders -- enough so that it's almost a sub-genre of its own at this point. And as books in this category go, this one has a lot going for it -- there are some compelling characters, the book goes well beyond the obvious cliches, and the hospital staff and treatment process are portrayed more realistically than in most books.

All that said, there were two things about this book that I really disliked:

1) A large chunk of the "plot" is just Janie (the main character) not telling the reader things that she knows. Especially when a book is written in 1st person, I find this a really old trick -- there is so much room here for a real plot that there's really no excuse for this.

2) Probably because of the above, the ending seems artificially quick and easy.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little superficial., February 19, 2009

By 

T. Casto (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Purge (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I know this book is fiction, but as someone who has studied and read up on eating disorders for many years, I feel this book is a little superficial and doesn't really get to the core of why a lot of girls have these disorders. I guess this book is geared more towards young girls, and not really a place to find help and answers. I don't think I'd recommend this book. There are a lot of fictional stories on anorexia and bulimia on the market I would recommend over this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 22, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purge (Hardcover)

Janie believed it was under control. What began as just a little something to relieve that "full" feeling after a big meal at a Chinese restaurant became the focus of her life. Janie can admit now that she is bulimic. What she can't understand and admit is why she has let this disorder consume her.

Perhaps her family is to blame. Her father dotes on her "perfect" older sister. That older sister only pays attention to her own "perfect" wedding plans. Janie's mother not only has a career to attend to, but also that "perfect" wedding to orchestrate.

The boy of her dreams finally asks her out, but after only a few short dates expects her to sacrifice her virginity. Afterward, she doesn't feel loved, she just feels like a slut. Embarrassment keeps her from confiding in her real friends, which causes hard feelings and separation.

Now after total humiliation at her sister's wedding, Janie finds herself at Golden Slopes, a treatment facility for eating disorders. She is now one of the Barfers waiting in frustration for the Starvers to straggle in for every scheduled meal. In between therapy sessions, she shares her thoughts in a journal. More than anything she wants to go home, but first she must confront her situation and come to terms with the root cause of her constant desire to purge.

Author Sarah Darer Littman brings a fresh voice to this growing problem among teens today. Her story proves how wide-spread the problem of eating disorders has become. Among her cast of characters, readers will hear from males as well as females, the well-to-do as well as the disadvantaged, and even someone well beyond her teen years who has fallen victim to the disease.

Littman highlights the seriousness and the life-threatening effects of eating disorders, but at the same time, through humor and the results of positive treatment, provides hope and encouragement. PURGE is one you won't want to miss.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"