Biting the Hand that Starves You: Inspiring Resistance to Anorexia/Bulimia (Norton Professional Books)

This is just an awesome book. As a recovering anorexic, i have found this book not only hopeful and inspiring, but helpful and fascinating. It has made me think of my eating disorder in a whole new way. Instead of talking about afflicted people as "sick," it refers to "insiders" and discusses a way of thinking where one views their disorder as separate from themself, rather than who they are. It's fascinating and i highly reccommend it for people suffering from an eating disorder, those who are recovered, friends and family of sufferers, and just anyone who has an interest. great!

As someone who has struggled with anorexia for over half my life, I have often found myself reading anything on anorexia I could lay my hands on; desperately searching for the reassurance that comes from knowing one is not alone in one's experiences, as well as for some elusive insight that might assist me in resisting anorexia's stranglehold over my life. Yet frequently I have come away from such reading feeling dissatisfied and disheartened. Not so with 'Biting the Hand that Starves You'; in this book I found so much of what I had been searching for and a whole lot more. While the authors are not the first professionals to draw on `insider knowledges' (the knowledges of people with first-hand experiences of anorexia/bulimia), the prominence and the respect accorded to such knowledges is unprecedented. The result is a book that speaks compellingly of anorexia/bulimia, and crucially, does so in a manner that is never patronising, pathologising or didactical. Providing exciting new ways of thinking and speaking about anorexia/bulimia, the book engenders a sense of hope - a 'commodity' that is often desperately lacking, yet so vital when it comes to resisting anorexia/bulimia. I highly recommend the book to all readers, from those struggling with anorexia/bulimia, to their family and friends, and health professionals.

I only wish that Rick, David, and Ali had written this book years ago! Because Biting the Hand that Starves You would have been an incredible source of information, motivation, and hope when I was desperately struggling in the depths of my eating disorder. I was thrilled to see that the book vividly illustrates the vicious dialogue that occurs between the eating disorder and the individual who suffers with it. Throughout my recovery, psychotherapist and author Thom Rutledge encouraged me to practice this very dialogue between my true self (Jenni) and my eating disorder (`Ed') over and over again, which was crucial to my finding the amazing freedom I experience today. Biting the Hand that Starves You includes many uplifting, inspirational personal accounts that reveal people can and do beat anorexia/bulimia! Within the book, the authors compassionately share how you can really make practical steps to join the ranks of those who already walk that path of independence. Unlike many other books, Biting the Hand that Starves You goes a step beyond just focusing on how to recover from specific eating disordered behaviors. It also talks about moving on and reclaiming your life --- providing great insight on overcoming perfectionism, taking risks, and even pursuing dreams and passions. This is one book that I am glad I came across on the shelves of eating disorder literature. I just wish it would have appeared a little bit sooner! Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too (McGraw-Hill)

Biting the Hand that Starves You is a very special book that it likely to change the way you view eating disorders. It contains many first hand accounts of women's struggles to free themselves from the ways bulimia and anorexia control their lives. And it maps out the nature of this control, which is beyond the attempt to control food and weight--it's tied to societial messages about how women should behave (take care of others, be nice to everyone, perform well in many arenas, etc.). The book is primarily written for therapists but will be helpful to others affected by bulimia and anorexia.

I liked that the book doesn't discriminate against eating disorder patients. It doesn't blame the patient for the problem. This book scared me and exposed anorexia as something outside myself and as an out of body voice that has influenced my thoughts since childhood.