Feed Me!

January 22, 2009
Verdict: Writers reflect on their relationships with food in these uneven essays. The best accounts offer engrossing stories and insightful commentary, while others simply feel too familiar. A solid but not essential collection on a much-discussed topic. Background: Brown (journalism, Syracuse Univ.) compiles ruminations on writers' relationships with food, weight, and body image. The essays include an account of a flight attendant required to attend weigh-in sessions, a child literally hand-fed by relatives, an overdose of Flintstones vitamins, and a spokeswoman for those who fall off the diet wagon.-Amelia Brunskill, Dickison Coll., Carlisle, PA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2008
This collection of essays by women addresses food, fat, and body image, issues challenging so many women in todays media-dominated, appearance-obsessed society, forever judging those whose bodies arent perfect and fall short of some ever-shifting ideal. Magali Amadei recalls the bulimia that plagued her rise to a top model. Diana Abu-Jaber, raised in a large Jordanian American family, tells the story of her uncle, who encouraged young girls to overeat. Harriet Brown reworks the biblical 10 plagues into a list of 10 foods she relishes to excess. Laurie Notaro registers embarrassment at being unable to shop for clothes in the trendiest boutiques. In one of the most moving essays, Caroline Leavittwrites about how food helped deal with her grief at the death of her fianc' and served as a warning sign in her subsequent toxic relationship. A worthwhile read for both women and those who love them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)