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Rating: Summary: Excellent for beginners, not so useful for researchers Review: "Am I thin Enough Yet?" is a very well-written book, and I strongly recommend it to women (and men!) living in the Western World, where thinness is what defines a woman's self-worth. The author's interviews with college women are fascinating and useful in terms of showing how common subclinical levels of eating disorders are in this particular population. But if you are a therapist/scholar (e.g., eating disorders is my primary research area), or have read books on sociocultural aspects of eating disorders, this book will not add much to your knowledge.
Rating: Summary: wonderfully informative Review: Dr. Hesse-Biber was my professor for a course I took, and we read this book for the class. I found the book to be personal, yet objective, and very informative. Hesse-Biber clearly outlines the causes of the 'cult of thinness' and does so in an organized manner. I recommend this book to ANY woman/mother/sister/daughter, etc....I also highly recommend MEN to read this book, and for everyone to be aware that the cult of thinness is not just a woman's issue.
Rating: Summary: Praise for Sharlene Hesse-Biber Review: Hesse-Biber's book does an amazing job outlining the issues surrounding our cultures destructive preoccupation with women and weight. The combination of pre-existing literature and empirical research emphasizes how and why so many become a part of the cult of thiness. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in opening their eyes to the reality and attempt to break free from the cult.
Rating: Summary: Let's all whine "suppression" of women Review: Hesser-Biber uses the subject of women and their body image to give her opinion on how "evil" capitalism is. The first four or so chapters are all about how the horrible, terrible, capitalist pigs who just want money are responsible for eating disorders, low self esteem, and everything else. The rest of the book she spent time telling stories, as though we didn't get the point all ready that people are unsatisfied with how they look.
Then she goes on and on about how women are just objects while men are looked at for their intelligence. Oh, but she ignores the fact that there are TONS of shirts out there for girls that say "Boys make great pets" and "Boys are stupid," etc., yet not ONE about girls. Not to mention the negative advertising about men (I saw one ad about a minivan- "Gets more done than your husband ever will").
Don't bother with this book. It's worthless and only got in my way of reading other books that are actually worth my time.
Rating: Summary: Just the tool for my first step in healing! Review: I found that "Am I Thin Enough" was just the thing i needed to bring my disorder out into the open. I read passages out of this book and thought, "Oh my gosh! That's what i am feeling!" I knew that others felt like this, but i had never seen it on paper. This book has helped me understand my problem and now i am seeking help. I know I can't do it on my own, but with God's help I plan to overcome my battle. I know you can too!!! Goodluck!
Rating: Summary: Concise and to the point. Review: I found this book to be both interesting and helpful with regard to my own struggles with "the cult of thinness">
Rating: Summary: Not fair, too cluttered Review: Not very imformative, keeps on making references to other books, and I hated the "personal" stories, all they did was brag and all. The people who told their "personal" stories sounded like blond bimbos, oh sure, yeah...that one girl never heard of a guy say a girl was smart and intelligent, uh huh.....sure. I hated the way it was written. It was what the author thought, and pushes you to believe that one this was one way, the way she thinks it is. The author doesn't let you decide, she just gives one side of the issue, not fair! I like the cover-art, though.
Rating: Summary: women responsible for grrrl power Review: Once you get past the rhetoric of victimization from the late 80s/early 90s feminist school, the book offers much information and insight from various studies on how an idea has been sold to us by men...and women.
Rating: Summary: Honest book on the creation of preoccupation with thinness Review: One of the few books I have read on the preoccupation with thinness in our society which admits thinness is encouraged and being overweight is stigmatized. If you are interested in the obsession with weight and beauty you will most likely enjoy this book
Rating: Summary: Tells It Like It Is Review: What's most interesting about this book is that it's written not by a medical professional or feminist or person recovering from an eating disorder with the usual agendas to pursue, but by a social scientist who maintains a surprisingly objective view of the phenomenon she analyzes. As mentioned below, the population she surveys is predominantly white and advantaged, but as she herself notes, this is verifiably the population involved in "the cult of thinness." What I find most interesting is that rather than advocate a fight-the-system approach as writers like Mary Phifer and Terry Poulton do in their books on the same subject, the author simply notes that, as long as sacrificing health and emotional well-being for staying thin really does provide these women with the rewards they seek (the choicest mates, more opportunities for advancement in business, a feeling of self-worth and accomplishment), there is in truth not a lot of incentive for these women to change their disordered behavior.
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