Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: "It took three weeks for my body to shut down. When I was close to the end, I couldn't see very well and could talk only in hoarse whispers because my mouth was so dry. I slept most of the time. But I didn't feel sick. I felt at peace, finally emptied of all the mind and body filth. No more terrifying flashbacks. No more disgust with my body . . . with me. Nothing hurt. I wasn't even hungry. And I didn't have to worry about how guilty I feel when I eat and throw up, and even worse, how anguished I feel when I eat and don't throw up."
--Jennifer Hendricks, age twenty-five
Great Book..everyone should read it if they like memoirs of anorexia.
Rating: 
Summary: A compelling but very troubling book
Review: "Slim to None" is a very compelling read, but should also be a very disturbing one for anyone involved with the treatment of eating disorders. Jennifer's diaries, interspersed with commentary from her father and narrative history of some of her treatment experiences, provide a fascinating glimpse into the inner life of a young woman caught up in the throes of a serious, and eventually fatal, eating disorder. They also provide a clear insight into how far off-track the treatment for these complex and difficult disorders can get, and how devastating the results can be. Doubtless a useful warning for many. However, the book also poses, indirectly, many important ethical questions which would probably in some cases apply to many mental disorders. Chief among them is the whole issue of when a patient should be allowed to refuse treatment, even if that refusal is tantamount to a slow suicide. Unfortunately the book never addresses the question directly, leaving the reader hanging in mid-air on this issue. I also would have liked to have read some of the views of the doctors and therapists who tried to work with Jennifer during her illness. The insights of the patient and family are valuable, but it would have been interesting to read how the professionals viewed her illness and the treatment available to her.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who works with those suffering from eating disorders. Unlike some other customer-reviewers, however, I would strongly discourage anyone currently in the throes of an eating disorder from reading it. I think the many emotional triggers it contains could actually harm some sufferers.
Rating:
Summary: A book that all Teenage girls should read
Review: Anorexia is a disease that affects teenagers in every high school. Slim to None helps us to understand this terrible disease. It gives us ideas of some of alternative treatments that could help young girls overcome their obsession with food. Unlike the other books on eating disorders, Slim to None tells the reader exactly how she feels at the time of her deepest sorrows. This gives the reader a real idea of what this terrible disease is about and how it affects an individual both physically and mentally. This book is clearly going to educate readers in a way that no other book will be able to. Slim to None should be read by not only those directly involved with eating disorders, but by everyone. All high school libraries should have a copy available at all times.
Rating:
Summary: A parent's point of view
Review: As the parent of an anorexic teen I commend the author of this book for his courageous exploration of the nightmare world of eating disorders. Slim to None is a devastating story of family and personal trauma that makes real an illness that is often dismissed as silly and superficial. This book provides meaningful insight into the family interactions surrounding the disease and validates my own personal experience. Many of my friends who read this book found it difficult and disturbing. For me, it describes the reality I face on a day to day basis. I found most compelling the father's acceptance of his daughter's choice and fate. The author has defined with compassion the very difficult position of a parent in letting go with love. Ultimately, this book gives me hope.
I recommend this book to anyone who faces the crisis of a family member with an eating disorder and for those intimately connected with the issue. It is impossible to get inside the head of an eating disordered individual. I think Slim to None provides that insight and an opportunity for understanding as well.
Rating:
Summary: A book about anorexia I can relate to
Review: As tragic as this story is, I was completely moved by its power to inspire and educate. I learned so much about eating disorders that I've never read before, and perhaps that is because there is a book finally written by someone who is telling us the truth about it -- instead of some Lifetime movie that always turns out happy in the end. Jennifer Hendricks was a beautiful writer and I feel I got to know her really well and connect with her, which I haven't done with an author in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Inside the tormented anorexic mind...
Review: As you read from the journal of Jenny Hendricks, a victim of an illness often seen as a matter of choice, you actually feel the gut-wrenching frustration and torment that victims and their families suffer. Jenny's is a story that allows outsiders into the mind of a tortured and very brave girl fighting for her life. Writing without reservation in her private journals, we are brought into her life-or-death, tug-of-war battles between: wanting to live/wanting to die; wanting to eat/wanting to starve; wanting to be pretty/wanting to be unattractive; wanting to be independent/wanting to be taken care of; yearning for love and compassion/her inescapable desire to run away from it. The frustrations & lack of understanding with this illness - from everyone in the medical community, her family, and even herself- are painfully demonstrated throughout Jenny's fight. Hope becomes hopelessness, fear becomes terror and confusion, anger becomes rage as she wages war with a disease everyone sought to cure with control - NO PRIVILEGES unless she eats/gains weight, CONFRONTATION when she is "bad," RESTRAINTS if she feels suicidal, and ultimately ABANDONMENT by many of her doctors and caretakers. Told with gentle compassion by Jenny's father, we see how little understanding there is for this illness, and how one family coped. If you've ever wanted to tell an anorexic to "JUST EAT," you may find yourself more frustrated than ever. Why was Jenny destined to starve herself to death seemingly, at times, against her own will? There are no easy answers here. Just a story of hope, courage, and love. And the clear message that we must keep fighting every day until we find a way for everyone to recover from anorexia.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous but Heart Wrenching Story
Review: Before reading this I thought "Wasted" was the best book on eating disorders. Now I have found its' match.
Jenny starts dieting at a young age, never suspecting that it will lead her down a road of misery and hopeless treatment. She deals with hospital after hospital, treatment after treatment approach, none of their attempts helping Jenny in her road to recovery. She never gives up, and faces her eating disorder with a determined mind set. However, no matter how hard she tries, Jenny cannot seem to pick herself up long enough to accomplish long term health, and slowly becomes more and more ill, devastating and puzzling all those around her, until eventually everyone gives up and decides to let her die.
This story had me in tears. It exposes the raw truth of anorexia and what its' victim goes through. I related to much of Jenny's story and would recommend it to anyone who suffers from an eating disorder or has experienced seeing a friend or loved one deal with one.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous but Heart Wrenching Story
Review: Before reading this I thought "Wasted" was the best book on eating disorders. Now I have found its' match.
Jenny starts dieting at a young age, never suspecting that it will lead her down a road of misery and hopeless treatment. She deals with hospital after hospital, treatment after treatment approach, none of their attempts helping Jenny in her road to recovery. She never gives up, and faces her eating disorder with a determined mind set. However, no matter how hard she tries, Jenny cannot seem to pick herself up long enough to accomplish long term health, and slowly becomes more and more ill, devastating and puzzling all those around her, until eventually everyone gives up and decides to let her die.
This story had me in tears. It exposes the raw truth of anorexia and what its' victim goes through. I related to much of Jenny's story and would recommend it to anyone who suffers from an eating disorder or has experienced seeing a friend or loved one deal with one.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip this one and read "Wasted" instead!
Review: I actually bought this book in hardback, expecting it to be an important contribution to eating disorders literature. However, after three chapters, I put it down and never picked it up again. I wanted to read Jennifer's story; wanted to experience real words from real diaries, to see inside the mind of an anorexic girl in the way I did in Marya Hornbacher's excellent "Wasted." But what I got instead was a stiff, two-dimensional portrait of what seemed like a sappy composite of eating disordered patients. The dialogue was largely expository, and I simply didn't believe that any real human being had ever spoken that way. For a very real and unflinching look inside the mind of an anorexic, I still feel that "Wasted" is the best book around. I hope someday another manuscript can equal it, but this is not the one.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! An Incredible Story
Review: I honestly could not put this book down. As a former anorexic, I really related to the thoughts, expectations, and actions that Jennifer had when she was going through her life battle. I thank her family and especially her father for sticking by their daughter in such an extreme time and continuing to show care, love and attention. I pray that males and females alike will never have to go through this struggle, so read this book in awareness of the constant struggle and hold that an eating disorder has over your entire life!
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