Customer Reviews

Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've spent many hours watching Tracey grow up on television and I've read the many accounts of her battles with anorexia. Her memoir is truly inspirational. I highly recommend it to women of all ages...to moms, friends and young women. Her recovery was long and difficult but she's turned into a beautiful woman with a happy family and an ongoing career! This is a great book for fans of her work on television, but even if you haven't followed her career you'll be fascinated to learn of all she has been through on her road to good health. There are great pictures of Tracey and her family in the book, from when she was a baby until now as the mom of several young kids! Tracey can do alot to help people with eating disorders overcome their demons, and this book is certainly the means for her to do so. I applaud her honesty.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is struggling with eating disorders and for parents of adolescents with anorexia also. I applaud Tracey for her honesty, as I am sure that there are several other actresses in Hollywood who have anorexia and/or bulimia, and young girls see them on television and wish they could be so "thin and beautiful"....but these are the ones who don't admit that they have a problem.

Tracey's story has been an inspiration to me in a highly personal way. I grew up watching "Growing Pains" and loved the show. Tracey and I look a lot alike....especially when she was (sadly) at her thinnest...we have a very similar facial/bone structure. So I always watched to see if she could overcome this disorder....because if she could, then certainly somehow I could too. I always felt some kind of closeness to her and the whole situation.

Unfortunately I am still struggling after 15 years with the beast of anorexia....but Tracey and her story is truly an inspiration. And I hope that everyone who reads this book will see that they too can overcome....and that parents/loved ones can learn how to love the person through the disorder.

Blessings Tracey ~ you are awesome and you're beautiful!

This book is more than just Tracey Gold's battle with anorexia. It is also about her childhood and her life beyond her disease. It is sweet, sad, funny, and heart-breaking all at once. It's a short read that leaves you wanting more. It sets itself apart from other books dealing with anorexia and eating disorders in that it does not glorify the disease. The best part of the book is her recovery and how she realizes that, as a mother, she no longer can live for only herself and must learn to overcome anorexia to fully be present enough to nurture her children. Excellent read and very warm and conversational tone to the book!

from BlueJeanOnline.com
by Truc Doan, age 15, Teen Editor

This book is about an actress who had an eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa. Does this sound familiar? Before beginning to read this book, I looked at the inside cover and immediately believed I was going to endure a literate, extended version of 'Behind the Music' (only without the music, drugs, or groupies). Well, everyone knows that they say about judging books by their cover, right? Room to Grow by Tracey Gold is about her life and her battle with anorexia, but if you're looking for preachy, 'look-at-poor-beautiful-me,' tear glistening in eye cripe, then you won't find it here.

Room to Grow uses fairly simple language to show the development of a problem, the recognition and the conquering of it. Throughout the book, one accepts that acting was simply something Gold did. It didn't define her and it wasn't the cause of her anorexia. Like most little girls, Gold had grown up wanting to please and (with a little help from movies and books) began to believe that if she was skinnier, it would be better. The book itself is not so much autobiographical as it is informative. Gold's life acts simply as a backdrop to the main topic, a disease that kills.

Gold isn't asking for sympathy. She explains this in the first chapter. She just wants to know that somebody read this and it helped them to better understand the disease and to seek help if they have it. Well, I read it and I commend her for caring enough to write it. ...

In her book, Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life, Tracey Gold talks about "not-eating days." She talks about "safe" restaurants. Tracey definitely knows anorexia. I know this, because I am in recovery for anorexia/bulimia. And I know exactly what she is talking about.

But Tracey Gold knows a lot more than just anorexia. She also knows about self-esteem, self-discovery, and valuing yourself. In Room to Grow, Tracey is a source of comfort and encouragement for those suffering with an eating disorder. She is also a reassuring voice for those who love someone afflicted with the disease. Tracey is an inspiration to us all.

Whether your life has been affected by an eating disorder or not, you will gain incredible insight by reading Tracey's story. You will learn about facing your fears and conquering challenges. You will learn about falling down and having the strength to get back up again. You will learn about accepting and even loving yourself.

Aside from offering words of wisdom, Tracey's story is also intriguing and just fun to read. She writes with an honest voice and reveals her deepest secrets. She invites you into her life and lets you walk the difficult roads with her. You will cry; you will laugh. You will not want to put the book down.

Yes, Tracey Gold knows anorexia. After you read her story, you will know it, too. And you will know so much more. So make some room on your shelf for Room to Grow, and you will grow. You will discover yourself all over again.

Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too (McGraw-Hill)

As a recovering anorexic myself, I did not find this book to be worth the paper it was printed on. I read it in less than an hour in the bookstore (thank goodness I didn't waste my hard-earned money on it). The writing itself was boring and dry (Tracey should stick to acting). The content left more than just a bit to be desired. Tracey had a negative experience in a treatment center/hospital setting. Unfortunately, she goes on to make blanket statements about how ALL eating disorder support groups and treatment centers are just breeding grounds for anorexics and bulimics to get worse (by learning "tips" of the trade, so to speak). My turning point into recovery came in an eating disorder treatment center. Without it I would have died. Furthermore, I have maintained my recovery (and have continued to recover beyond the restored weight and cessation of anorexic behaviors) through twelve-step and other support groups. I know many others who could say the same. To steer people away from that kind of help just because SHE had a negative experience is dangerous--especially because she was/is a celebrity and will be looked to as having all the answers. Also, comments such as (paraphrase) "Ensure has, like, a million calories" has no place in a book like this. Ensure is a helpful supplement to many anorexics . . . reading something like this only confirms their disordered thinking that Ensure is evil and will make them fat. Finally, it really sounds like Tracey has a LONG way to go in the thoughts/thinking department of recovery. She still makes a lot of anorexic comments at the end of her book where she is supposedly in recovery. There is a BIG difference between being recovered from the behaviors and low weight and being fully recovered in mind, body, and spirit. I do not claim to be the latter--that is why I say I am in recovery. I have maintained a healthy weight and not engaged in anorexic behavior for many years (more than Tracey) now, yet I still think in terms of "good" and "bad" foods, etc. That is not recoverED. The book is printed in large print on about 1/2 normal size paper. It is not a compelling read. Of course, as with most books on eating disorders, I am sure that those with eating disorders will buy it in hopes of one of two things: 1)find the magic answer that will cure them; 2)learn how to be a better anorexic/bulimic. I doubt any will find any true words of wisdom that will put them on to the path of recovery though . . .

As a sufferer of an eating disorder myself, I have come to admire Tracey Gold and her recovery from anorexia, and always like to watch her share her triumph over anorexia on TV specials, so I was beyond thrilled when I realized that she had a book out. But frankly, the book is not what I expected it to be, and is disappointing in a number of ways.

Tracey makes a big deal at the beginning of the book about how this book would in NO way be a how-to guide for other girls to learn how to be anorexic, but too bad she didn't practice what she preached.

At one point, she talks about a book on anorexia called "the best little girl in the world" and goes on to say how the book practically became her bible and she read it frequently and carried it around with her everywhere. Now, for anyone who hasn't yet read that particular book, let me tell you that the book is less an anti-eating disorder book, and more of a pro-ana type of book, because the character in the book is basically the perfect anorexic, and the author seems to glorify her for it. So anyway, for all of Traceys talk about not wanting her book to be a how-to guide, I really don't understand what she was thinking when she chose to talk about "the best little girl in the world" one of the biggest trigger books out there, and then go so far as to talk about how it was her bible and such. If she really felt it was necessary to talk about the book, I think she could have atleast disincluded the title of the book.

Another thing, Tracey spends more time talking about how she developed anorexia, and what steps led into her anorexia, and less time describing her recovery from it. She reveals nothing about what went on during her therapy sessions with dr. Strober, and talks more about her "eating days" and "non eating days" and even goes so far as to say that she refused to drink cough syrup when she was sick because it was during her "non-eating" days. She also describes the things she would eat and how she would over cook her food for so long that she no longer had any desire to eat it.

And then as many of you pointed out, there was the "ensure is a supplement that has like, a million calories" (or something along those lines) remark. Um, okay? Was that really necessary to put in there?

And then as many of you said, I didn't like the way she completely wrote off treatment centers, in a very arrogant manner may I add. True, her experience in that particular treatment didn't seem too pleasant, but so what? She tries ONE place, and that automatically means that non of them are competent in the treatment of eating disorders? Now I've never been to a treatment center myself, but I know from hearing about other peoples experiences that in-patient treatment can be life saving. And just because a place isn't effective for one person, doesn't mean that it won't work for another. It all just depends on the person really. I could have understood Traceys opinion a little better if she had atleast tried several places and not just one. And another thing, not everybody has the luxury of being able to afford entering and walking away from treatment whenever they please.

I mean honestly, how is this book in any way inspirational? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm still a big fan of Tracey and having an eating disorder myself, I can understand where its practically impossible to write a book on anorexia without revealing details that may be triggering to others, but like I said, there were many uneccessary details in her book that could have most certainly been left out.

in my opinion, I think she should write another book, one that focuses more on the details of her recovery, rather than the details of her anorexic behaviors

Tracey Gold says near the end of this book that she is too young to write an autobiography yet--and this is certainly not a complete autobiography. It's part life story, part an attempt to help girls with anorexia. It's listed under the category "Self Help" on the back (so it's not a memoir). But it's not successful in any case because it's just too short and lacks anything more than bare facts of her life story.

It's a tiny book--with lots of white space. If you just count the text it's probably 70 normal-sized, double spaced pages. She does talk about her career but says absolutely nothing about working with some of the biggest names in show business. There is a tiny bit about Growing Pains but the only two things she says we have all heard before: that the writers put in too many fat jokes about her and that Kirk Cameron turned everyone off when he became a Christian. Otherwise there's nothing from the show and even less from the reunion, which will be a real disappointment to her fans.

When it comes to her illness, she is very honest but not detailed. That makes sense since she says that she learned most of her anorexic habits from detailed movies about the subject and even going into the hospital for it. What she is trying to say is to avoid most of the group programs and spend one-on-one time each day with a decent therapist. She really condemns most of the doctors she saw and programs she was involved with.

She does mention her mom having the same illness while Tracey was suffering--but that doesn't get resolved. Her parents appear to be the source of her problems (her dad left her when she was 4, her mom threw up after eating her entire lifetime). Tracey doesn't really deal with those obvious causes and instead places a lot of the blame on her OCD and ADD. She seems to have some excuses for things like not doing well in school or not taking anyone's advice, but in reality her parents could have taken steps to avoid a lot of this mess.

So it's an interesting story but more the People magazine version or the Cliff Notes version--too short, breezy and incomplete.

Book arrived quickly and exactly as described. A great read! Would definitely recommend this seller.

If Tracey Gold wasn't an actress, this book would never have been published. Conversely, if Tracey Gold hadn't suffered from anorexia, she would not be in the public eye today, and she likely would have faded into obscurity like so many other actresses on sitcoms in the 1980s and early 90s. Instead, Gold has garnered a good deal of money and attention by proclaiming the details of her struggles with anorexia.

I appreciate that she is trying to send a positive message of hope with this book. However, I cannot recommend it for several reasons. First of all, Gold's wealth and privilege make her details of recovery quite inaccessible to the average person. She was able to afford to go for psychotherapy numerous times a week, and eat all (and I mean all) her food out of expensive restaurants. She arrogantly dismisses residential treatment centres and group therapy, claiming that they only make the problems worse. This is a very negative message to be sending to young girls with eating disorders. Treatment centres can be lifesaving. As a previous reviewer noted, she makes statements like, "Ensure is a supplement with a million calories." This is a libelous remark, and Ensure could certainly sue her for defaming what is a useful and nutritious product that helps many desperately underweight girls. Gold also informs us all that she doesn't believe in anorexic girls meeting with dietitians or nutritionists. She apparently has done no research on the subject, since outcome studies have consistently found that dietitians can have a positive influence on the recovery of anorexic patients.

Gold is very vague on the details of her recovery. She mentions going for therapy, but doesn't describe what she says in her sessions. She also doesn't explain how she manages to gain the twenty or thirty pounds she had lost in her illness. There are no helpful suggestions for others struggling with an eating disorder.

It seems to me that Gold is clinging to her anorexia story in an unhealthy manner. Her book could have easily been reduced to a magazine article. When is that last time she has appeared in the media as an actress? Besides appearing in that movie about an anorexic lady (which hardly counts, in my opinion). She has become attached to her eating disorder, and is using it to hang onto fame, instead of moving past it and getting on with the business of acting.

There are many books about this difficult and baffling condition which are written by writers, who have the skill to bring such a story to life. For those needing help with recovery, I recommend "Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide to Recovery" by Lindsey Hall and Monika Ostroff.