A Hunger So Wide and So Deep: American Women Speak Out on Eating Problems (Paperback)

by Becky W. Thompson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Thompson's look at the motives behind eating disorders draws on interviews with women from a wide range of backgrounds.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In this highly readable account, Thompson (editor of Beyond a Dream Deferred: Multicultural Education and the Politics of Excellence, Univ. of Minnesota Pr., 1993) has broken down the theory that eating disorders are temporary afflictions of the white, middle-class, teenage population. Based on interviews with 18 white, Latina, and African American women, aged 19 to 46, the author found that in one-third to two-thirds of cases, eating disorders were linked to emotional or, more particularly, sexual abuse. These women were seeking control over something in their lives, argues Thompson. Food was more accessible than drugs or alcohol and, unlike substance abuse, binging allowed women to perform their daily lives with a clear head. The author also examines the healing process, detailing these women's experiences with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Overeater's Anonymous (OA), or individual counseling sought out in response to some life crisis. Thompson ends the book with short biographies of the interviewees. Her uniquely balanced view of women with eating disorders is highly recommended for public, academic, and medical libraries.
Lisa Wise, Univ. of Southern Colorado, Pueblo
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 161 pages
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press; 2nd edition (July 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816624356
• ISBN-13: 978-0816624355
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #229,204 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hungry?, May 17, 2000

By	"banditqueen22" (chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

this is a fabulous book! it does much to unpack all the myths surrounding eating disorders, namely that they are a problem of rich, white, teenage women who are just overly vain. primarily it explores eating disorders in the context of race and class and as a reaction to sexual/physical/emotional abuse. rather than pathologizing the people who suffer from eating disorders, the author considers them as logical reactions to completely illogical, destructive situations. having heard all my life that my bizarre relationship with food exists because i'm crazy (rather than because i'm perfectly sane), this book did so much to assuage my guilt and shame and removed so much of the mystery that surrounded all of it. a truly transformative book .....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Provoking, September 25, 2002

By	cactus writer (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

Thompson's work is by no means over-generalized. Indeed, she is careful to base all of her statements on the rich, in-depth interviews she conducts with her participants. This book is especially important not only for women of color, but also for white women to read because it confirms our many-times-voiced argument that our eating problems are not about being thin: they are about surviving, about feeling scared, about wanting to disappear, but also to be recognized as "beautiful." Thompson's study is based on 18 case studies, yet her introduction provides a fabulous justification for such a small sample - how do you get a random sample of women with eating problems? There's no way to know what the POPULATION is. The new edition is subtitled: a multicultral view of women's eating problems. Pick it up! You won't regret it!

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Over Generalization, May 1, 2002

By	"sunbunni17" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

I found this book extremely generalized and narrow minded.I agree that the fact that eating disorders among minority women should be exposed and written about in order to give those women a voice and a place to turn to for answers. However, the fact remains that the vast majority of eating disorders are suffered by white, middle class young women. Instead of addressing this, calls those who suffer from eating disorders and happen to be white and middle class vain. However when minorities suffer, the disorder is socio-economically created. She also draws generalized conclusions from a study of only 32 women. I feel the book was grossly over-generalized. The only part of the book that I felt was useful, was the fact that it brings the issue of minority eating disorders to the public's attention.