Rating: 
Summary: exceptional exceptional exceptional
Review: I found this book to be utterly inspiring. My suffering of ED has gotten better, but the way she spoke about how she is now is so touching. I felt/feel the same way. I will always have this disorder. I recommend this book to everyone wanting and desiring to get well as well as those who do not wish for wellness. It's a great way to visualize a pathway to hell through ED. This has been one of my favorite reads this year. I think that Marya is an exceptional woman full of strength and determination. I'm so glad I chose this book to read. (thank you marya, for writing your memoir).
Rating:
Summary: Honest and Raw
Review: I first read this book as part of my theology class on human suffering. It was so honestly written and without embellishing the truth, that I was skaken into my own past and the need to be honest about the beginning of my eating disorder. I was no longer ashamed to speak boldly about my struggle. For anyone wanting a raw portrayal of someone struggling/interested in understanding and/or overcoming an eating disorder, this book is a must. It is powerful and moving.
Rating: 
Summary: AP Psychology Review: Mr. Waltman's Class- Wasted
Review: All and all, we thought Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher, was especially well written because Hornbacher created the book with the intentions of being completely honest and frank. She made no attempts to hold back on her true thoughts and feelings, which gave the reader more than just a glimpse into her unspeakable world of self-control and starvation. Hornbacher blatantly reveals to her readers the inexorable plunge she made towards death, and then her desperate ascend back to reality. She conveys her ideas with such effortless words, baffling no reader. Yet at the same time, Hornbacher throws in a sufficient amount of medicinal terms to keep the attention of any reader with a background in psychology. We recommend this book to anyone interested in enlightening themselves with the real world of anoretics and bulimics.
Rating:
Summary: For Every Girl Out There
Review: This is the book for any girl out there. Any girl who's ever looked at herself in the mirror and thought she was ugly, and doesn't see what other people see. Every girl who's turned to her boyfriend/husband and asked "Does my bum look big in this?" (There is no right answer to this! You say "yes", you get slapped or possibly worse. You say "no", you're lying. If I ever ask this, hit me.) Every girl, who's gone on a diet. And most importantly, every girl who has had anorexic/bulimia and not survived.I still don't know why I bought this book. I got recommended it on Amazon, and I thought "Aha, this looks good". This is not a book I would normally read. I bought another book, about cutting your arms, but I didn't enjoy it. This took me at least 3 weeks to read, but I enjoyed it. And hated putting it down. Marya brings you into her world. It makes you think about what you eat - or don't eat, as the case may be. My mum asked why I was reading this book, when it was something I had never experienced. True, I have never been through bulimia, or anorexia, but ... It's strange to explain, when your mum is actually telling you while you're reading this book, that you have an eating disorder, and you can see that if anyone has a very obvious eating disorder, it's Marya! Not you! I'm just a faddy eater, Mum - surely she should know that by now?! Marya announces at 4 to her friend, that she is now on a diet. At 4?! Hell, I was still talking gibberish at that age. At 9, she becomes bulimic - for no apparent reason. She just decides to throw up her lunch. What was I doing? Playing with Barbies?! At 15, she gets tired of throwing up all the time, so she cuts out eating completely and becomes anorexic/anoretic, whatever you want to call it. She ends the book at 23, saying that there is no happy ending to this story, and saying that she asks a barman how old he thinks she is, and he says 36. What is shocking is she goes down to 4 stone - she starts counting down the pounds towards this point, from 60lbs, to 52lbs, when she promptly collapses. And at the end of the book, she says she's still underweight. The one thing I didn't like about this book was the constant mention of her parents. In parts, it is needed. Marya says she doesn't know why she became bulimic or anorexic - but anyone reading this, can see she obviously picked up her mother's eating habits and took it one step further. Her parents were royally messed up, and got even more messed up when their daughter rebelled, started sleeping around, and doing all sorts of other things. I got to the end of this book, and kept on turning the pages. She says she's happily married, to a guy who actually appears in the book, and supports her. She goes on, after the book finishes, to thank her friends, who have been and gone, and everyone else who helped her write the book. And boy, is this a lot of people! What would have been nice with this book, would have been to see Marya now, and then? Like a before and after picture? I would have loved to seen that. But unfortunately not. (Stephen King is on the back inside cover of his books, but not Marya?! There's something WELL wrong with that, talk about scary!) I would even go as far as to recommend this book to guys. Yes, this is really what goes through our heads sometimes. We think we're that fat, even when we can count our ribs (ugh). No one's perfect, and as Marya says, she wanted to be blonde & perfect. Not going to happen - so she starves herself. She's wrecked her life for good, and will no doubt suffer many relapses later on life - but she's had the courage to let the world read about her experiences. Not everyone has the courage to do that.
Rating:
Summary: Wasted...
Review: Although, I do not struggle with those very disorder's described in Marya's life I feel as though I made a connection to her and her family. This particular book was good, however there were some contradictory points in there as well. Such that, it was almost confusing at times. However, it did open up my mind to the eating disorders and really forced me to realize to what extent that they harm someone. Reading the book for the first time can be confusing, because you don't know what is to happen next, but don't put it down! That's about the worst thing to do with this book. You can read one section that kind of implies that having an eating disorder keeps a person in control, but if you didn't read past that then you would think that eating disorders are helpful. However, in the end, Marya's real reaction to it is being in control of her dying day, and choosing whether to live or die. Being 52 pounds, and hundreds of binges and purges later, Marya's life was at stake. So many people these days look at the outside rather than the inside. However, when placed in an eating disordered world, the inside becomes altered as well. For anyone that may have an eating disorder currently, think again about what you are doing to yourself, and read this book for an actual account of what can happen. Also, for anyone that just wants to read this book, be prepared for some eye - opening realizations into the disorganized world of eating disorders.
Rating:
Summary: A stagering work of heartbreaking genius
Review: Although I agree that this is a fantastic book, thorough, and vividly and skillfully written by an amazingly clever, educated and strong woman (particularly after managing to start to get through such a horrific experience.) i still find a point on which to object to it.
It's honest and comprehensive description and exploration of the experience of and issues surrounding eating disorders really touched me as someone who has been through a similar but much less extreme experience. I found it remarkabley releasing in one sense, because of the feeling of not being alone, and because I felt i wasn't just being melodramatic about the suffering and isolation that are caused by the eating disorder (as opposed to the thought that it comes out of suffering and once you're cured you should be fine.)
However, although it is admirable that she didn't end the book 'happily ever after' in contrast to her experiences, or imply that the idealised loving husband and marriage would be the end to all anxiety and 'cure' her, I think that any reader should be wary of the fact that her judgement is severly tainted by the pain and confusion that she is still going through. I was left personally feeling as though the difficulties and isolation of life coming out of an eating disorder, were something that was doomed to be a permanent fixture in the lives of sufferers or ex-sufferers. As I was feeling a bit down at the time when I read it, I was totally consumed by the idea that I would basically never feel right again, and that the gradually increasing feelings of well being and belonging over the past couple of years were just some vain illusion, and that I would never really feel right again. I know that she is not responsible for my thoughts, but it can be difficult for many ex-sufferers to trust their own instincts and emotions, particularly on issues like this, because of their previous complete confidence in a world view which they now reject, and which was so harmful to them and those around them.
I think for her personally it will be exceptionally hard not to feel empty because of the sheer duration and extremity of her experience, and maybe for her for now accepting the emptiness inside her is the best thing to do, but I guess my gripe is that she doesn't seem to realise that this may not be the same for all ex-sufferers, and maybe not even for her further down the line when she might have resolved some of her psychological conflicts about herself and the world around her, and no longer feels so isolated and despairing. Although she doesn't know beyond where she is now (which I know there is) I think that there should have been more emphasis in the book (particularly the 'present day' sections) on the fact that she was writing from the perspective of someone still in recovery, because I remember feeling the same as her for quite a long time, but things have changed quite a lot for me since then. I realise that this book was written in an attempt to deter people from embarking on behaviour which could lead to eating disorders, but the amount I have heard it recommended as a wonderful book for those who have been through similar experiences seems as if it should come with more of a disclaimer than simply saying that you shouldn't let people who could be looking to adopt her 'tactics' to help them loose more weight.
They say it's not about food it's about feelings, and I think that the feeling that this book left me with was an entirely disparaging one, that seemed to tell me that no matter what I thought now, I could never be happy, which I know not to be true. This book is good for people, in that I should imagine it could help them to understand the experience of an eating disorder, but although she obviously has the determination to keep on living and keep on fighting I found that this book actually detracted from mine in the short term. Unfortunately I don't know of any more positive books that quite reach the depth and bleak unflinching reality that this one does, nor one that discusses the issue as it has been interpreted by such a variety of sources. Hopefully if we hear anything from her again it might be from a less despondent and pessimistic perspective.
Rating:
Summary: A book for any women who eats
Review: Even though I've never had the disorders that the author lived through (and continues to struggle with), this book struck such a cord with me. So many of us obsess over our size to the point of self-destructiveness in thought and behavior. The author freely admits she doesn't know what precisely started her on this path, only that one day at a painfully young age she began to purge her meals. This led to years of bulimia that eventually led way to anorexia. Although it doesn't sound that interesting, Hornbacher is a greatly talented writer (in the midst of her illness in her teens, she won a scholarship to Interlochen, a prestigious private school for young artists and later attended American University as a journalism major.) As Hornbacher explains, this illness seems to find so many young women because our culture prizes thinness in women and everything that it implies-not only a beauty standard but the idea that you possess self-discipline and an ascetic conquering of the body's wants. As her illness progresses, what was most disturbing for me was to observe the positive feedback she got from people such as her grandmother who obsesses so much about weight that she chastises Hornbacher's 10 year old skinny cousin over her eating to the point of tears. Later a boyfriend of hers pinches her arm and comments on how much he likes it that he can't pinch any fat on her body. As it stands now, the author's life expectancy is highly truncated and she struggles to emerge from sleep each morning because her pulse grows erratic and dips into the 30's during the night. She deglamorizes eating disorders the way Jerry Stahl deglamorized drug use in Permananent Midnight. Hornbacher's hard won perspective seems beyond her 23 years and is worth listening to.
Rating:
Summary: What a book!
Review: I remember walking through our local librairy, trying to find a new book. Looking through the shelves, picking some books, putting others back... Then, this book caught my eyes. I picked it up read the synopsis. Right on, I "knew" this book was a must! I've read some critics about "Wasted" in which people were saying it was a "how-to" manual. I'm sorry. I strongly disagree with that. It's a condition that develops on its own! This book had quite of an impact on me. It incredibly well written, with such honesty and truth! I haven't read any other book that describes eating disorders which such accuracy.Marya Hornbacher did an awesome job. She had to courage to tell about her experience. Many people have written about what they've been through but very little have, that way:sharing stuff you've kept secret, to the world, all the "gory" details included. This is rather unusual, but, that's what makes "Wasted" unique. She takes the reader to another level, often using, "you". It kind of puts you, literally, in the shoes of an eating disorder sufferer. I don't believe this book was a way to say, "Hey, look how SICK I got". No. According to me, this book was made so that, those who think that EDs are simply "a phase" that people go through or it's about vanity and pride and "oh-look-at-me!" disease, could think again. It deglamourizes this aspect that eating disorders have in the media ~ yes, finally!~ The author explores the underlying issues and cultural aspects that may, which I personally believe, contribute to the development of eating disorders.She examines in depth the internal factors, from serotonin that goes up when you're starving -making you feel okay- as well as the heave that comes from throwing up, which rare candor. I think this book is definetly THE book to read. It can be some kind of a trigger for some people. But for an outsider looking in, it might be good. Families, friends, living with someone with an eating disorder, I have one thing to say: GO GET IT! This book really hit me hard, made me cry at times while peeing myself out at others. I was,for me, a real kick in the [...], and I hope it's going to wake up people...the way it make ME up. Thanks!
Cath
Rating:
Summary: Stunning & Brilliant
Review: I have a lot of difficulty expressing my feelings about Ms. Hornbacher's book aside from the words "stunning" and "brilliant." Reading it brought back flashes of my childhood, when I too looked in the mirror and hated what I saw; for years I tried not to eat, continually trying to prove that I was so much better than actually NEEDING FOOD. Ms. Hornbacher strips this myth totally bare and shows it for the vicious demon it really is. I re-read it periodically and each time I do, I send her a mental "thank-you" for having the courage to write it. Take her warning to heart - don't live your life like this. Every woman should read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Your health is not Hornbacher's responsibility.
Review: I've read many complaints about this book [] - that Hornbacher's book is sets a bad example and instigates eating disorders in others, that it provides dangerous how-to details, and that it's not a book for children (?). Let me tell you that I had an eating disorder for 13 years and I also found this book quite disturbing, but that's MY issue and not something I can blame on an author or the quality of her writing (to the contrary, the fact that most people are disturbed should be a testament to how well she conveys the insanity of the sickness). I don't think the author set out to do anything noble with her book - it's a MEMOIR. She doesn't claim to have fully recovered, she hasn't tried to write a thoughtful treatment on anorexia written to replace therapy, and she's not saying her experiences are shared by everyone. This is the story of her life and includes all the harrowing, grisly, selfish details. If you have an eating disorder yourself, don't blame Hornbacher for "triggering" destructive behavior in you - stay away from these kinds of books until you're strong enough to deal with them. Keeping you healthy is not her responsibility. As for the author being a narcissist, isn't anyone who writes a personal memoir a little self-absorbed? She seems pretentious and egotistical, and not like someone I'd enjoy hanging out with. But what's that got to do with her writing? You may have found her story repetitive, lacking a critical eye, or disappointing from a literary perspective, but don't criticize it for setting a bad example or for telling a story that you, as a bulimic or anoretic, don't agree with. It's HER story, nothing else. Good grief.
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