Perk!: The Story of a Teenager with Bulimia (Paperback)

by Liza F. Hall (Author) "I went downstairs slowly..." (more)
Key Phrases: Loretta Gauthier, New York City

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9?Eating helps Perk forget her nervousness. A whole basket of crackers, a cheese omelet, large shake, muffins, and a wedge of cake smother the hurt when her father calls her a "fat ass" in a fit of temper. She fails to please her gorgeous mother, so she eats. The guy she's been crazy about all year proves to be a creep, so she eats. Finally, guilt and weight gain set in. She discovers that vomiting quiets the voice in her head that screams, "You're fat!" Then her baby sister almost drowns while Perk is throwing up instead of watching her. At the hospital, a doctor also examines Perk. Her sunken eyes, skeletal frame, and blistered throat reveal her bulimia, and she, too, is admitted. With the help of a caring teacher, a new friend, and a support group for adolescents with eating disorders, the teen begins her recovery. Hall conveys Perk's horrible cycle of gorging and throwing up in a way that allows readers to feel her hopeless pain and shame. However, while the teen's eventual recovery saves the book from bleakness, it seems too easy. In the last chapter, she has managed two days without throwing up. In the epilogue, Perk seems almost totally well. Although it is one year later, and Perk admits it "gets really hard," a one-chapter recovery seems incredibly fast after 14 chapters of pain. Still, readers may close the last page with the realization that hope exists.?Leigh Ann Jones, Gee Jr. High, Pilot Point, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
". . . there is no glamour in bulimia and recovery is possible if teens face their feelings, family issues, etc." -- Margo Maine, Ph.D. author of Father Hunger: Fathers, Daughters & Food

"An extremely engaging book. . . refreshing and inspirational." -- Michael Levine, Ph.D., Kenyon College, President, Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gurze Books (October 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936077271
• ISBN-13: 978-0936077277
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #400,083 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really in depth look at eating disoders, May 13, 2000

By A Customer

This book really explains what its like to obsess over yourweight, food, and and what your parents have to say. The mother wasreally cruel and didn't seem to care much about Perk, which make you feel for her all the more.The book is a really good read for anyone who has thoughts about the binge- purge cycle. The book really make you feel like you are Perk in more ways then one.Especially if you have struggled with any eating issues.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can relate to this book , July 15, 2005

By	Anonymous_Heart (VA) - See all my reviews

I read this book because I am a Bulimic myself and I understood what Perk was going through, food can be your best friend when no one to talks to you and when your parents are to busy to pay attention to you, but it can also be your worst enemy.
For Perk it was hard to resist food, when she is feeling down she stocks up on food and feels guilty about it later on.
This is a very good book especially if you are a Bulimic, you can really relate to the character in this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars simplistic and pedantic, February 21, 2001

By	Megan E. Gendell "voracious children's book r... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A young adult book that's written to be educational rather than as a piece of literature. And it shows. Perk is a sympathetic character and her disorder is portrayed realistly enough, but the conclusion of this book is far too easy and cheerful. You'll get a small look into the life of a bulimic, but this book wants to leave you thinking recovery is easy and your life suddenly becomes perfect.