The Predatory Lies of Anorexia

June 1, 2014

In this well-written and compelling account, Kelly, a Christian author and blogger, tells the story of her 14-year battle with anorexia, beginning when she was just 14. She provides understanding into the ways the disorder warped her thinking and dominated her life, as it replaced normal routines with rituals of counting calories, overexercising, and obsessing about food. She also portrays unflinchingly the effect of the disease on her family, especially her long-suffering parents and sisters. Though the book is fascinating, a few issues may limit the its appeal. The pervasive evangelical Christian perspective may be off-putting to some readers, and the many typos and punctuation errors are distracting. Most disappointing, though, is what's missing. After providing so much rich detail about living with her disease, Kelly gives almost no insight into how she recovered--a disservice to anorexia sufferers who may look to her story as a source of inspiration and guidance. VERDICT Kelly's account will help patients and their loved ones better understand this insidious disease. Recommended with reservations for readers interested in the experience of anorexia from an evangelical Christian patient's perspective.--Janet Crum, Northern Arizona Univ. Lib., Flagstaff

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.