ANA'S GIRLS: The Essential Guide to the Underground Eating Disorder Community Online (Paperback)

by Eda Uca (Author) "As with any sub-group of society or counter-culture, the online eating disorder community has a unique vernacular..." (more)
Key Phrases: Goddess Ana

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This groundbreaking book is the only honest, balanced and complete introduction to the frightening online eating disorder underground. Explore a world that no one wants to believe exists: learn the secret code words, debunk the myths (find out why thousands of young girls are really flooding these sites) and read hundreds of anonymous rants, declarations of commitment and pleas for help from Ana's girls.This book does not promote eating disorders. It exposes the undeniable fact that thousands of young people are struggling in isolation with very real, life threatening disorders and we, as a society have not been able to help them. If we ignore this information, we choose to ignore their cry and lose the opportunity to gain potent insight into their world.Ana's girls are our children, our sisters, our spouses, our patients and our students; they are represented in every class and race. No community is sheltered from this pain. No community is complete without their health. Let us take the first step towards becoming whole by hearing their cry.

About the Author
Eda R. Uca has been immersed in the online eating disorder underground for over two years. She is trilled to be sharing her investigative work with the public and hopes that it will help break through the isolating misinformation which enshrouds the members of the online eating disorder community. In the future she looks forward to illuminating the position of other underrepresented groups as a means of bringing their cause to the forefront of mainstream society. She lives in Long Island, New York with her family.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1418437956
• ISBN-13: 978-1418437954
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #424,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a worthy read..., July 11, 2005

By	crazy4books (Midwest) - See all my reviews

I rarely hate a book, but this book was a total waste. It is written in a huge type - the actual content is nothing more then a short essay. It wastes a large section on "surveys" of girls that are on "pro-ana" websites that are meaningless and offer no insight. The information is nothing but a small bound collection of stuff you can read for free on the internet. It offers no insight on the "pro-ana" phenomenon - it merely takes from these websites and prints the information out. If someone is really curious about such websites, they can read them for free online. This book is nothing more then copies of posts and short "essays" from public websites - there is hardly any new or original information.

I'm not sure what this book's intended purpose was - was it to have a "guide to the internet" for anorexics? Or was it a portrayal of a potentially dangerous "club" for eating disordered people?

It's literally a 20 minute *very* amature read full of no new information and it's almost no original content.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Pro-Ana" In A Book, March 2, 2005

By	C. Shaw - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this book. It states on the back cover that "This book does not promote eating disorders", yet the contents are basically what you'd find on any pro-eating disorder website. It is perhaps a useful book for those studying the nature of anorexia, or who want to find out more about the "underground community" but it is definitely not for anyone trying to recover from an eating disorder because some of the information is very triggering.

The book is neatly divided up into sections including posts from a pro-ana email group, a "dictionary" of code words and the "ana Creed". There are also some detailed surveys and stories from pro-ana's.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awesome for anorexics, November 7, 2007

By	Olivia Quinn (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews

If you love to nurture your eating disorder, by all means get this book. It's completely triggering and delightfully helpful in encouraging you to hold on to habits which will pave the way to an early grave.