On "Going Hungry"

As promised on instagram (if you don't already follow me, my handle is: @emmadayledemar), I'm going to be writing a reaction to the book "Going Hungry," edited by Kate Taylor. This book is comprised of a number of short vignettes by different authors about their own struggles with ED's, namely Anorexia but also Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder. I'll start off by saying that I highly recommend this book to anyone who has underwent and recovered (or are still recovering from) an ED, to friends and family of a sufferer or just anyone who wants to learn more about the topic. 

Since the book is comprised of a bunch of different individual stories, you are able to see a variety of takes and perspectives on ED's from people who lived it. The author's were mostly women, but there were a few men, and they all ranged in backgrounds and ethnicities. although there were common threads throughout the book, each story was unique and shined a light on a different aspect of ED's. The idea is that there are a plethora of reasons that one can develop an ED, but at the same time, there are many common factors among people who develop the disorder. 

One of these common factors that was highlighted throughout the book was the idea of wanting to have a defined identity. Many people who develop an ED want to stand out from the crowd in a significant way, and thus they look towards something they can control that will guarantee they are different in some way.. I.e. starving themselves and losing a bunch of weight for an Anorexic. The underlying factor here is that the person feels lost in some sense, and they want something to hold on to, some form of solidarity. They want to know and feel that they have something that others do not or cannot have (like the fact that they have trained themselves to not need food.. An essential aspect of anyone's daily life). They are looking for something to make them feel unique and special, because somehow they've overlooked their other plethora of talents and successes and put that extra pressure on themselves to "achieve" even more (or controlling their weight, which they view as an achievement).

Another aspect of the book I loved was that not only did it discuss in depth how and why one might develop an ED, but what the experience of recovery is like. In other words, the book does a great job of showing that recovery can look different on any one person. For some, and for many, their brains recover at a faster rate than their bodies.. As in, they know intellectually that they want to get better and have done the ground work.. But they still have a very challenging time breaking their old habits and letting go of the behavioral aspects of the disorder (starving, over-exercising, whatever that may be). I think that the book does a wonderful job of providing a very realistic view of recovery. That recovery is a journey. That it doesn't happen overnight. That it may include various setbacks. 

But time and time again in the story, you can see that every author did recover and are here to tell their stories. And what an inspiration that is. If you haven't read this book and you are interested, definitely do. It's a page-turner for sure!

ED