Rating: 
Summary: A funny take on a serious subject
Review: Ms. Gottlieb has written a terrific book about her bout with anorexia nervosa as a child. It certainly brings up some interesting ideas about the intersection of cultural values, self-image issues and parenting styles. But don't get me wrong - it is not in any way a ponderous or depressing book. It may seem weird to describe it so, but I found it to be a poignant, yet laugh-out-loud funny account of a serious subject; and the fact that it's a true story, not fiction, makes it all the more compelling. This is a great book for all kinds of people: teen and pre-teen girls who may recognize some of their own thoughts in young Lori's musings; parents who may be concerned with how their daughters might be viewing themselves; and anyone who enjoys humorous and insightful literature.
Rating: 
Summary: A Shallow Look at a Disturbing Subject
Review: I was quite disturbed by this book, not because of the subject matter, but by the cavalier treatment of it. The final resolution was scripted enough for a sitcom; does such a terrible disorder really just go away from one look in a mirror? I also was a little put off by Lori Gottlieb's self-aggrandizing attitude toward her intelligence. And the life-sized portrait on the back cover did nothing to dissuade my opinion of her as a self-absorbed Beverly Hills brat.
Rating: 
Summary: better read as fiction
Review: The author of Stick Figure tells us at the end of her story that she had packed away her diary which is the basis of the book and forgotten it, finding it later and using it for this non-fiction narrative. This admission struck one of many false notes. The tidy narrative asks the reader to believe that eating disorders are quickly acquired and discarded, even forgotten. The young girl's resolution, following a dazed suicide attempt, is shallow, easy, and final. Her observations about her mother are wry, even detached, which is in striking contrast to the heat, anger, passion, and need that most preadolescent girls express about their mothers. Her disgust with her body seems similarly analytical, without the self-hatred and fever pitch that haunt those who are obsessed. As a non-fiction diary, I quite simply did not believe it. However, the book is a quick and enjoyable read, like much Young Adult (YA) fiction, and for this reason could be an interesting book for a mother and daughter to read together and then discuss. However, it would serve best as a companion piece to other readings about eating disorders. As the author herself notes, the book is not intended to be a sophisticated nor complete look at anorexia nervosa.
Rating:
Summary: A Painful, Yet Readable, Book
Review: When I read about this book in one of my Biography magazines, I immediately decided to buy it. This is because I am a fourteen-year-old (that's right, only eighth grade) girl who is a recovering anorexic. I am barely older than the main charecter herself, and so I could relate to her story entirely when I read it. I finished 'Stick Figure' in two teary hours, and by the end I had already developed a deep sense of admiration for Lori in so many ways. With a situation like hers, growing up in Beverly Hills, with a shallow airhead for a mother and insolent teenybopper friends, I think an eating disorder was almost inevitable. Yet, she fought it and emerged from it with a strength that has personally inspired me in my own situation. This book is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Stick Figure- A Diary of my Former Self
Review: Stick Figure is a great book. It is about a girl who was once a anorexic when she was eleven. She was surrounded by people who were concerned about their weight. She started to think that she was not mormal and to be a real women she had to look like all the supermodels that are on TV. At first she was just concerned about her weight and watched what she was eating. She thought that wasn't working so she decided to just not eat at all. She went to a lot of doctors to talk about her problem. When she didn't follow their directions she was put into the hospital. You'll have to read it to find out the rest!
Rating:
Summary: So True
Review: I loved it, and I find it amazing how similar Lori's eleven year old thoughts and experiences were to mine (at eleven). I wish this book had been around when I was growing up and I'm glad it exists for other teen and pre-teen girls today.
Rating:
Summary: A realistic and honest portrayal
Review: Having struggle for six years with anorexia, I have read many books on the subject. No other book has ever captured, in such simple honesty, the pain, and confusion, and at the same time hope that I could never quite describe. Reading "Stick Figure" was like reading my own thoughts and feelings. I recommend this book to anyone who has felt the loneliness of eating disorders and feeling like no one understands. I also recommend the book to friends and family trying to understand their loved ones' struggle.
Rating:
Summary: THE TRUEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ABOUT GROWING UP IN OUR CULTURE
Review: This is one of the TRUEST and most hilarious books I've ever read about growing up in our culture. Even though I was never diagnosed with anorexia, I spent all of my teen years dieting and exercising and comparing my body to everyone else's much as Gottlieb writes about in her diaries. I didn't like obsessing about my body, but I felt I had no choice if I wanted to look good, or just fit in with my friends, or be liked by guys in high school and college. Even after college, all the women at work seemed to be on diets or skipping lunch or talking constantly about their bodies. And these women were supposed to be my mentors! I felt like I was reading my OWN diaires, I related to this book so much! Gottlieb really points out the ridiculous messages our culture sends women, and the danger in following all the "rules." Reading the actual words of a teenager trying to sort out her body image is much more powerful than any memoir I've read on this subject. I've recommended this book to all my friends, co-workers, my sister, my mother, and I recommend it to EVERYONE who has ever been a teenager in our society!
Rating:
Summary: amusing yet quite disappointing
Review: I found this book very amusing, yet i agree with one of the prior commentors that it was a little too similar to Life-Size. Stick Figure was absolutely hilarious but at the same time very gripping and reasonably realistic. I read it while in a children's hospital (yes, a hospital for people under 20 years of age) and it was said to have 'disrupted my recovery' - as my eating disorders doctor put it(which i interprut as more of a sign of its strength). Nevertheless, Stick Figure was a well-written and original book; and i do recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of anorexia but who is not quite willing to investigate its more chilling side (and someone who loves witty writing).
Rating:
Summary: Gloss over story
Review: The book is a dismissive attempt to address a very serious subject matter. One day, Lori decides to become anorexic, another day, she decides to eat again. Along the way, she verbally assaulted doctors, nutritionists, school counselors, friends and her family. The most offensive aspect of the book is this 11 year old's personality. I am sure there are many young adolescents that deal with serious eating disorders, hopefully they are not as mean spirited as Lori was. The author may like to believe she was "persecuted" because she liked math more than shopping, but this girl was "left out" and "unpopular" because she made it difficult to like her.
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