<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Another depression memoir
Review: But for some reason I can't get enough of these. Lerner has a light touch, a sympathetic spirit. She's a manic depressive whose self-loathing takes the form of compulsive eating. For many years she thinks all she needs to do is stick to the strictures of Overeater's Anonymous and she'll be fine, only to figure out much later that she's suicidal and needs serious psychiatric care. Her story has a happy ending -- she accepts her illness, the medication it requires, she gets married, has a career, a baby, etc. -- and yet one feels she wouldn't have arrived here if it hadn't been for her parents' money. One could have asked for more details here and there, but this is a painful story, well rendered, and a must read for other depression memoir junkies. So many people are (or have been) worse off than we.
Rating: 
Summary: More than just a girl with an eating disorder
Review: I loved this book. I chose this book to read not really knowing what to expect. Possibly the trials and tribulations of a woman with an eating disorder. But this book is more than that. This is a struggle for self acceptance. This book deals with what lies behind someones continous attempts of what they feel is perfection. Lerner is painfully honest and has no problem revealing herself. Whether you have had similar experiences or not she will drag you through the times in your life that you wondered if everyone else thought you were good enough.
Rating:
Summary: funny and insightful
Review: I was excited to read this book based on the description. A book about success over the struggle of compulsive eating, self-loathing, and being overweight? Sounds interesting and helpful, bring it on! And, with the clever title, I was sure it would be fun to read.Well, it was fairly interesting, but not at all helpful. Certainly I now understand what Ms. Lerner went through as far as self-loathing and depression. I caught a glimpse into how that manifested itself in her eating. That's all well and good. There was a lot of focus on the "Loathing" part of the title - her bipolarism, her mental states, finding solutions to the chemical imbalances. What was missing was the "Food" half of the title. There were little scraps of the eating disorder and how the depression affected that, but very little deep discussion of any of those issyes. I didn't find out HOW she made progress, grew, and changed. Sure, the anti-depressants helped and the mental health experts (and hospital stay) had influence... but HOW? What changed in her mind? How did she change her relationship with food? It's a fine memoir with a misleading title. I wanted what the title promised, not what I got. If you're wanting to explore the mental side of weight, food, or eating issues, don't be fooled by the cover. This isn't that book.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of Loathing, not so much Food.
Review: I was excited to read this book based on the description. A book about success over the struggle of compulsive eating, self-loathing, and being overweight? Sounds interesting and helpful, bring it on! And, with the clever title, I was sure it would be fun to read. Well, it was fairly interesting, but not at all helpful. Certainly I now understand what Ms. Lerner went through as far as self-loathing and depression. I caught a glimpse into how that manifested itself in her eating. That's all well and good. There was a lot of focus on the "Loathing" part of the title - her bipolarism, her mental states, finding solutions to the chemical imbalances. What was missing was the "Food" half of the title. There were little scraps of the eating disorder and how the depression affected that, but very little deep discussion of any of those issyes. I didn't find out HOW she made progress, grew, and changed. Sure, the anti-depressants helped and the mental health experts (and hospital stay) had influence... but HOW? What changed in her mind? How did she change her relationship with food? It's a fine memoir with a misleading title. I wanted what the title promised, not what I got. If you're wanting to explore the mental side of weight, food, or eating issues, don't be fooled by the cover. This isn't that book.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: It took quite a while to get my hands on this book. Then, it sort of sat in my "to read" pile for a few more months before I picked it up. I read Camryn Manheim's book, "Wake up, I'm fat" and thought it was so amazing that I didn't need to read another book with this sort of theme. Fortunately, I picked it up one day and read it all in one shot. I knew that Lerner had done some good "how-to" sort of books, but was surprised at how easy the prose seemed to flow. It was easy to imagine being her at all of those painful stages and "Aha" moments. Even if you have never had a weight problem, this is a great book to read. As the mom of a 12-going on 20 year old girl, I am going to keep my copy in case I can get my daughter to read it.
Rating:
Summary: funny and insightful
Review: Lerner opens the book with an amazing evocative description of getting weighed in gym class. She so well conveys the sense of shame a young girl would feel in that situation, that it is a bit disappointing that tone is not sustained throughout the entire book. However, it is not hard to find yourself mirrored in the book, at least if you are a white American woman like me. I have never been overweight, but I could totally relate to Lerner's struggle to reach what this culture perceives as a presentable weight. I cheered when Lerner finally took control of her life (helped by having a mood disorder properly diagnosed and treated) and stood up to an insensitive writing lecturer. Although the book is short on solutions for a reader hoping to conquer her own food demons, it is still a funny and fascinating, if painful, read.
Rating:
Summary: What makes us
Review: Reading this book is an awakening experience to the life, mind and feelings of anyone every struggling with weight issues. The very poignant life history of Betsy written with such a light sarcasm and delightful humor allows the reader to identify with their own everyday struggles and gives them the needed courage. I truly enjoyed this book and I hope others will too.
Rating: 
Summary: LESS TO DO WITH FOOD...MORE TO DO WITH LOATHING...
Review: This is a book that gets off to a promising start, as the author discusses her lifelong compulsion to over-indulge with respect to food and the self-loathing that accompanied her compulsion. While the author writes well, the book begins to head south as the author's self-absorption begins to cast a pall. She is a woman whose weight begins to dominate her every thought and her entire life. Who would have thought that one hundred and seventy pounds of avoirdupois on a five foot two frame would be so tragic for someone?
When the author is diagnosed with a mental disorder that simply requires her to medicate herself, the reader is relieved that the author's ordeal is over, as is that of the reader. While the author writes with a certain self-deprecating sense of humor, it is not enough to disguise the self-absorption throughout. Therein lies her true gluttony.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: While the text was interesting, the writere never really tells how she solves her problems and merely wraps it up quickly. If you are considering reading this to try to work on your own eating issues, don't bother. The author really uses the book to complain about her shrink and never tells how she conquered her food demons. In fact, while she does recover from her severe depression after going on drugs, she never really conquers her eating issues at all.
<< 1 >>
| 
