There are many texts that deal with eating disorders, but this is one of the more comprehensive ones. The author not only covers the basics (symptoms, consequences, treatment) of anorexia and bulimia; she also addresses lesser-known types of disordered eating, such as binge eating disorder and unclassified eating disorders. There are chapters that thoroughly discuss the possible causes of eating disorders and relate them to addiction. Most interesting are the sections that focus on the history of starving and on those who knowingly have starved themselves, be it for piety, politics, or entertainment, and the parts that highlight society’s ever-changing ideals of beauty, femininity, and thinness. The book notes some correlation between eating disorders and society’s near-impossible body image ideals. Each chapter begins with thought-provoking questions to be addressed in the text and ends with a copious section of multimedia resources that can be used for further exploration. Readers will appreciate the many personal accounts from those who have dealt with eating disorders, as well as opinions from experts in the field. Contact information for these individuals is included, too, such as Twitter handles, email addresses, and websites, further enhancing students’ ability to delve deeper in the subject. There are a few photos throughout, along with some satisfactory text boxes. The text can be somewhat dry at times and some of the statistics complicated, but overall this is a strong resource for teens doing research that goes beyond basic report writing.

Library Journal

Eating Disorders: The Ultimate Teen Guide is designed with the high school age student in mind who wants a broad overview of the physical and emotional issues associated with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and other eating disorders. While the teenage years are a time of great emotional and psychological change, there are many issues that may arise for the teen dealing with eating disorders. The work focuses on the psychological issues of young adults with eating disorders, the anxieties they have around food, the origins of extreme eating, the physical effects of eating disorders, and interventions and treatments. Information in this work is presented through the personal stories of teens and young adults who have lived through the experience of eating disorders; most of the stories focus on teenagers who have experienced eating disorders first-hand. The volume includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter to help teens verbalize their questions, up-to-date statistics, and first-hand advice from professionals. Teens who are experiencing issues with eating disorders first-hand, either themselves or with a parent or friend, will find this guide useful. The personal experiences shared in this book will appeal to this target audience and could be useful for students this age researching this topic.

American Reference Books Annual