Rating: Summary: Insatiable Review:
Anorexia, bulimia, constant overeating --- INSATIABLE covers the ABCs of eating disorders. Through four teens, Eve Eliot shows real teens the trials and tribulations of these diseases.
First there's Samantha who starves herself to be in control. Her boyfriend Brian has dumped her, and according to her, it was because she was too fat. She vacuums her room up to five times daily, getting rid of the piles of dust that accumulate between cleanings. Is there anything wrong with this? Apparently Samantha doesn't yet realize there is.
Next comes Hannah. The death of her mother causes her to turn to bingeing and purging, which she knows is wrong, but she can't help herself. Often confused about friendships, Hannah decides that it is time to make a change in her life and chooses to "come out of the closet." She now feels even more alone in her plight, alienated from family and friends, and must deal with her teenage troubles alone. How will she fare in the vicious teenage world?
Then there's Jessica. She lives for fashion, always paying attention to the latest styles. She is a normal teen --- except for her starvation problem. Diet Coke and coffee are all she allows herself. She doesn't attend English class after a while, because it's on the second floor, and she isn't strong enough to walk up the stairs. One of Jessica's biggest fears is becoming overweight, like her best friend Phoebe, even as she finds comfort in her friend's obesity.
Phoebe finds comfort in food. She promises herself to diet, but it never happens. She often sneaks down to the kitchen to "have a little snack," but that turns into a three course meal. Her father repeatedly tells her to lose weight, but her fight against food is never ending.
These four teens are engaged in a constant struggle against the one thing that every human needs to live --- food. Will they win or lose? INSATIABLE exposes the dangers involved with eating disorders. Within the stories, Eliot adds important facts that teens need to know about anorexia and bulimia, making the novel both informative and interesting. Pick up this novel to learn more about the world of eating disorders, and how four teenagers fared with their own personal battles.
--- Reviewed by Lisa Marx
Rating: Summary: Insatiable: I Just can't get enough Review: I read Insatiable last year (2002) on a camping trip and it made my trip 10x more interesting. This book really made me think about how unconfident and unsatisfied these girls are with their bodies. It was quite sad, but it is reality. I could feel my stomach turn while I was reading this book. It was so real that it scared me.I would like to also point out that for this book, the way it was written was a good idea. Even though the author jumped around, it made sense since all their lives were happening at the same time, but they hadn't the chance to intertwine themselves with each other! A fantastic book
Rating: Summary: Very Good Book Review: I think this book is a great book to smack reality into young teens about how eating disorders are. And it makes young teens who have eating disorders feel as if they are not alone and its ok to get help and at the same time tells you the dangers of eating disorders. I think it is a great book and i would recommend it to anyone i know.
Rating: Summary: Hi Review: I thought the book was really great. As I was reading it I saw a lot of me throught the book. I would recommend anyone to read it.
Rating: Summary: Realistic view of eating disorders Review: I'm glad this book was written. I couldn't put it down, and it was really moving. It's obvious that someone who really understands eating disorders wrote this. My only complaint is that it could have been written better. The scenes are choppy, jumping from scene to scene - character to character - every 2-3 pages or so. The writing style just seemed kind of plain and boring to me too. And even though the accounts of the eating disorders seemed so very real, the characters didn't come to life at all. Still, I would recomend this book to anybody who has an eating disorder or even is just unhappy with their weight. I wish I'd had this book to read when I was 12.
Rating: Summary: Real fiction Review: Jessica barely eats and admires her thin body, but then she ends up in hospital. Can she see the danger signs before it is too late? Samantha is always in control - including what she puts into her body - sometimes she cuts herself and feels better, but for how long? Phoebe overeats because she wants to be thin - can her new doctor help her? Hannah eats until she feels the pain go away and then purges all the pain. Will she get the helps she needs? Four girls with four serious issues with food - will they be able to help themselves get better? Eating disorders are one of the scariest things you can deal with - either for yourself, or watching someone else goes through it. This book is brilliant because it loos at four of the most "common" forms of eating disorder and shows how it destroys the lives of the people suffering from them. If you have never known anyone with an eating disorder, or if you want someone to know about eating disorders then get them to read this book. Boys who have girlfriends/sisters/friends with eating disorders (or who they suspect have an eating dsorder)should check this book out because it goes to show how even the smallest joke can lead to a teenager starving herself to death (or eating too much instead). I have to add one word of warning though - as other reviewers have pointed out this book is not the best written. The style of jumping between characters after a short time is distracting and frustrating at times as it can be hard to keep who is who straight in the beginning - but it does get better, don't get frustrated and give up. This is one of the most emotional books that I have read in the past six months, and I recommend it highly.
Rating: Summary: Real fiction Review: Jessica barely eats and admires her thin body, but then she ends up in hospital. Can she see the danger signs before it is too late? Samantha is always in control - including what she puts into her body - sometimes she cuts herself and feels better, but for how long? Phoebe overeats because she wants to be thin - can her new doctor help her? Hannah eats until she feels the pain go away and then purges all the pain. Will she get the helps she needs? Four girls with four serious issues with food - will they be able to help themselves get better? Eating disorders are one of the scariest things you can deal with - either for yourself, or watching someone else goes through it. This book is brilliant because it loos at four of the most "common" forms of eating disorder and shows how it destroys the lives of the people suffering from them. If you have never known anyone with an eating disorder, or if you want someone to know about eating disorders then get them to read this book. Boys who have girlfriends/sisters/friends with eating disorders (or who they suspect have an eating dsorder)should check this book out because it goes to show how even the smallest joke can lead to a teenager starving herself to death (or eating too much instead). I have to add one word of warning though - as other reviewers have pointed out this book is not the best written. The style of jumping between characters after a short time is distracting and frustrating at times as it can be hard to keep who is who straight in the beginning - but it does get better, don't get frustrated and give up. This is one of the most emotional books that I have read in the past six months, and I recommend it highly.
Rating: Summary: Insatiable Review: The only reason I give this one star is because I don't think Amazon will let me do zero stars.
First, the book introduces 4 characters, then seems to focus on all but one. The next time we hear from the 4th character, she's all of a sudden found dead. None of it seems realistic at all. The author makes the counselor in the story the "savior," but this supposed counselor gives HORRIBLE advice. For example, when someone cries, one of the people in the group hands the crying person tissues, which (as I'm taught, since I grew up with a cemetery background) tells the crying person, "Shut up, we don't want to hear you." Also, she gives false statistics- one school counselor in this book tells a girl that 10% of the population is gay, which is completely false, taken from a very inaccurate survey. Finally, the book has no climax and no resolve. None of the characters are better, or worse, by the end of the book. Each has the same story: they have an eating disorder, go to this dumb group, cry and moan, and then continue with their eating disorder.
It's a horrible, horrible book. Don't bother wasting your time. I wish I didn't. Then again, I don't really like books directed at teens. They always end up childish and lacking in something, and this book lacks in A LOT.
Rating: Summary: Serious stuff Review: The reason I liked this book so much is that it was incredibly realistic. Eating disorders are a major problem in today's society and this author tells the truth in a fiction novel. She has had some experience with eating disorders which is one of the main reasons this book is bound to have an impact on a lot of teenagers and people who read it. I would reccomend this book to anyone, no matter what age, gender, or race.
Rating: Summary: A Wonderful Book Review: This book is a definate must read for anyone who has every struggled with or even only wondered about an eating disorder. It very realistically portrays the horrors that a teenager with an eating disorder must face every day. This is one of the best books I have every read, every time I have read it.
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