Appetites: On the Search for True Nourishment

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Summary: Wanted: Less Fluff, More Stuff
Review: Although there were some interesting and enlightening concepts hidden within the pages of this book - most of it was entirely too autobiographical and boring to be of much use to me. I kept waiting for her stories to tie into the condition of being overweight and/or unsatisfied. She starts on several different veins that I feel could have been interesting and much more deeply explored, but dissapointingly, they weren't.

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Summary: Disapointed
Review: Buy the books instead. Her screechy voice is hard to listen to.

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Summary: Appetites will warm your heart and help you search your soul
Review: Geneen shares with us her continuing journey of self discovery. For those who have read her previous books, you will have even greater admiration for Geneen's ability to cut to the quick even if it means questioning her own deeply held beliefs. If you haven't read her previous books, you can jump right in although you will "hunger" for more of her excellent writing when you are done

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Summary: G. Roth's self-involvement is getting boring.
Review: I learned a lot from Ms. Roth's previous books, but except for a few select chapters (the best was about her first editor), this book was incredibly narcissistic. I don't care to hear how many fireplaces Ms. Roth has in her new house, the tiffs she has with a friend (another well educated, got everything YUPPIE), and if she does decide to have a baby after decades of blathering about the reasons to not have one, PLEASE DON'T WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT! Enough. Ms. Roth is starting to remind me of an incredibly self-absorbed 5-year-old. The people who inhabit her world are only there to compliment her existence. I'm glad I don't know her personally. Being around her must be an energy draining trial.

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Summary: The Audio Cassettes
Review: I read the book and have listened repeatedly to the audiotapes. Some topics are expanded upon in the tapes, and the set concludes with an interview with Geneen Roth which is probing and fascinating to those of us struggling with body issues, the victim stance, and what we are here in this life to "do". She addresses the first reviewer's concern about her credibility as someone who has had many dreams come true and to whom the talk comes easily...I truly think that is not the point. Rather, it is the "hollowness" of having any dream come true and we can all relate to that! What are we looking for beyond the things that we dream about? The has been an important sounding board for me in my own search for meaning.

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Summary: True nourishment
Review: My first encounter with Geneen Roth's books was with this well-titled book, Appetites, which reflects upon but also goes well beyond her earlier focus on why women overeat and how to deal with their daily struggle. I was wary of a book of this genre, but enraptured by the insights Roth has evolved over a number of years, and with her often beautiful writing, as they emerge from her personal stories. A true friendship is virtually as valuable as true love, she relates, but true nourishment is ultimately deeply personal. Anyone who has at least partially overcome addiction's silent takeovers by evolving her own understanding of her misfocused longings will be inspired by Roth's personal yet widely relevant story.

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Summary: A must read for anyone who struggles with dieting!
Review: Reading this book and exploring the issues addressed helped to lead me back to the time before I worried so much about my body. Geneen expertly uncovers our tendencies to use food as a substitute and a weapon for punishment. I feel more relaxed about myself and my weight than I have since junior high school! I am finally reaching my normal weight naturally and it is like a dream!

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Summary: An interesting commentary on women's relationships with food
Review: This book is meaningful not only for women who have or are recovering from eating disorders, but for any woman who struggles with body image and our society's ideal of feminine beauty. (You may even want to give this book to the men in your life so they can better understand women's issues w/ food.) Food isn't the sole focus of this book--she discusses friendships, significant others, even her relationship with her cat. While Roth's writing is sincere and honest, she tends to lapse into cliched psychobabble and New Age-y talk. (I found the analogy of her cat's body image vis-a-vis her body image to be a bit of a leap.) Overall, this book is very well-written, and it stayed with me long after I read it. I recommended it to several friends, and for me that's the mark of a worthwhile read.

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Summary: Nourishment for the soul!!
Review: To say this book can change a life is an understatement. Geneen Roth helps us (overweight or not) make sense of the emptiness in the pit of our stomachs. With her insight we can start the process of not only understanding but accepting ourselves. I think one of the hardest things to learn is how to love oneself unconditionally. Our society tells us how to look, act, and feel. Geneen helps teach us how to accept what we see in the mirror and not to hold our happiness for the day when we are ...beautiful ...rich ...famous ...loved or whatever your hang up is. Thank You Geneen!!