Customer Reviews

Starving for Attention

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone struggling with an eating disorder should read this book. It is a starkingly truthful account, leaving no details out. I originally needed a book on anorexia for a speech, and I found out a lot of information. The book deals not only with the physical aspects of anorexia/bulimia, but also the psychological. It is a great reference for anorexics/bulimics. I admire her courage for writing this book.

Though this book may be most helpful to those individuals struggling with an eating disorder, I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves books. This is the story of Cherry's life, and it doesn't leave anything out. She talks about everything from her fame to her religion to her addiction to laxatives. This book truly made me face some of the harsh realities about my own anorexia. I realized the pain I was inflicting on not only myself, but those around me. This book is truly brilliant and worth picking up. I read the whole thing in three days.

Although this book is quite old, I really enjoyed it. I thought it may be out dated in the way that the anorexia was treated and thoughts of the disorder in general, but I didn't find much of that. The book shows just what an eating disorder can do to a relationship and how much hiding and lying an anorexic does in order to keep the disorder going. I really enjoyed that it ended with hope and a recovery.

This is one of the very first books that I read involving eating disorders & now, after reading dozens, it's still one of my favorites. I recommend this book to anyone suffering from an eating disorder or anyone who cares to know more about them. Excellent.

I had originally read this book in high school, during the onset of my anorexia. It proved to be a haven of reassurance... someone else did this too! Cherry's style is very intelligent, vividly explicit and downright original. I enjoyed not so much her famous family and religious incorporations as I did the actual accounts of her battle with anorexia and bulimia. Cherry's detailed excerpts from her once twisted sense of reality were both close to home as well as tear jerking.

It would be years before I would even think to re-read Starving For Attention; but recently I did locate a copy in a tiny off-beat bookstore/cafe. I purchased Cherry's book and in seven months, I have perused its informative pages about five times.

I would recommend this book to anyone; although it was a hard find. Perhaps the library would be your best bet. At times, she plunges just a bit too deeply into her family's career and religion.

"Starving for Attention" is an honest and revealing account of one young woman's battle with anorexia nervosa and bulemia. Written by the oldest daughter in the Boone family, the book portrays Cherry's ten years of successes and defeats, and her slow journey out of an almost fatal relationship with food. O'Neill never sugarcoats the problem or blames everyone else for it. She takes responsibility for herself and her own difficulties in relating to food, while at the same time looking honestly at her childhood family and the patterns and structures that contributed to the problem She includes her own spiritual journey and how that helped or hindered her progress. Her gradual return to health both physically and emotionally was a result of professional help and much work on her part in learning about herself, her perfectionism, her need for healthy independence from parents and husband and continual honesty with God.

An easy book to read, it is at the same time an awesome personal story. It lays bare the dangerous repercussions of the Church's traditional teaching about women. Such concepts all too often result in a lack of healthy self regard, an obligation to be perfect toward God and others, or the stunting of independence in authoritarian marriage and church relationships.

This book will especially interest anyone who struggles with food and weight. You may see some aspect of yourself in this story.

(This review was previously published in "Daughters of Sarah" May/June 1985.)

As any anorexic knows, eating disorders really aren't about food or weight; they're about control. Growing up in a household constantly under a spotlight, with a strict parent with overly high expectations is a disaster waiting to happen. Thank you, Ms. O'Neill, for having the courage to tell your story. Maybe more people will realize that anorexia ISN'T caused by being rich or spoiled or "wanting attention!"

I first read this book in college, when i was in the middle of what would turn out to be a very long battle with anorexia. After reading this book, for the first time, i felt like i was not alone in this fight. I highly recommend it to anyone that feels like no one understands what they are going through.

I will never get over the books that Debby and Cherry wrote concerning the extreme abuse that they suffered as children. But Cherry's abuse ended in anorexia. Her abuse didn't end until she married and got away from her family and the emotional strain of appearing in public. So surprising that her father beat his grown daughters. Especially since Cherry was so self starved that the physical marks of her abuse would last for months. Understandably upset there were many confrontations as Cherry tried to control the only thing she could, her food intake. It took many years after marriage for her to get control of her life without using food. I have very little respect for Pat Boone as both his daughters have born witness to their violent abuse as children.

I saw the Boone family in a live concert in my hometown. When I first saw this book by Cherry Boone O'Neil, the oldest Boone daughter, I was intrigued and wanted to read it.

Although I do not suffer from anorexia (in fact, I would like to lose a few pounds) my heart went out to Cherry Boone's plight. She lived such a public life as the child of a very famous man, and felt like her life was being controlled. Her description of the struggle with anorexia and the motivations behind it are heart-wrenching.

She also shows (helpfully or unhelpfully, depending on the reader) the challenges of growing up in an extremely strict home. The book does not flatter Pat Boone at all, although it does show him admitting that his own attitudes didn't help her problem. Whether or not her anorexia came from her home life can't be proven or disproven in the book -- perhaps some people with anorexia didn't have the same problems she did. I don't know.

However, it is good to know that she overcame the problem and is now helping others who have problems with anorexia. And I am sure that it will help others who struggle with this baffling condition.