The Anorexia Diaries: A Mother and Daughter's Triumph Over Teenage Eating Disorders

I thought this mother/daughter story was very accurate and sincere. How wonderful that they kept such a telling record of thier struggles for others to read. Many other reviewers have said that this is too "easy, boring, and worhtless", I think those may be the readers who are reading eating disorder books to feed thier own eating issues...like "Wasted", which many have called a handbook for how to have an eating disorder. I think this story is not as graphic as some, but it is a true account of a mother and daughter and thier struggles with a deadly disease. Also, the commentary by Dr. Craig Johnson was very interesting to read. He is very well known in this field, and he covers many issues in a very easy-to-understand way in this book. Remember, not all eating disorder books are going to be as graphic as books such as "Wasted", but then again, not all eating disorders are that graphic either.

I found this book to be refreshingly real and raw. Beyond the scope of eating disorders it addressed everyday issues I think many teen girls are battling with. As a woman in my mid-twenties, I related to much of Tara's thoughts while also gaining a sense of empathy for the struggles I put my own mother through.I think every woman will relate to at least some aspect of the Rio's story. As a recovered bulimic, I've read MANY books about eating disorders. However, few have touched me the way this one has. I'm tired of reading books from a clinical point of view. This one read like a soap opera and kept my interest to the very end.

I was attracted to this book when I saw it on the "New Releases" shelf at the library. I could tell it hadn't been read, and the title appealed to the voyeuristic part of me that enjoys peering into people's (published) diaries. I found the book to be extremely insightful and interesting, as it beautifully and honestly depicted the inner workings of a teenage daughter and her mother. I loved how the book was frank and blunt, (as I suppose it had to be, being a real diary) and it truly opened my eyes to the trials and tribulations that a mother faces while watching her daughter go through sickness and coming of age.I would recommend this book to any female I know.