Slim to None : A Journey Through the Wasteland of Anorexia Treatment

Rating:
Summary: Good For a First-Person Account
Review: The best thing about Slim to None is its detailed and honest first-person account of an eating disorder. It does a good job of chronicling Jenny's emotional pain, and her father's comments make it clear that he loved her very much and make the book pretty heart-wrenching. It's also somewhat unusual among eating disorder books in that it talks much more about Jenny's emotions than her eating behaviors, and it probably wouldn't be too triggering for those in recovery. However, in terms of providing a clear overall picture of Jenny's anorexia, the book is not terribly successful - the only two people we hear from are Jenny and her father, and neither of them is able to offer any coherent explanations or theories about why Jenny got sick or what might have made her better. At the end of the book I felt sadder than when I began, but still just as much in the dark about what actually happened, and it's a lot of pages to read to gain so little psychological insight. As the title suggests, the book definitely makes its point that current treatments are unsuccessful, but it doesn't really explain why they don't work or offer any suggestions or solutions.

Rating:
Summary: Better then 'Wasted'
Review: This book struck a real chord with me. I am overcome with sadness and sympathy for this poor girl and her father-who obviously would have done anything in the world to save her. You get the feeling reading it that she couldn't be saved, and it seemed to me one of her doctors, who may have been able to save her early on-ruined any chance she had at recovery.
Another thing that seemed evident to me is that the right treatment must be sought early on-because things become more hopeless the longer it goes. I would have liked to have had a section with photos of Jenny and her family. A sad but amazing book.