Perfect, by Natasha Friend

Title:Perfect
Author:Natasha Friend
Publish Date:September 16, 2004
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Pages:232 pages
ISBN:1571316515
Classification:
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $7.95
Annotation: After a family tragedy Isabella is discovered purging her dinner and is sent to recover in a clinic. There she meets the most popular girl in school, and together they travel a destructive path...

Summary: With her family still coming to grips with the death of her father, Isabelle's little sister walks in on her throwing up her dinner. Though Isabelle Isabelle gets sent to a recovery group. When she goes to her new group she is floored to find Ashley, the most beautiful & popular girl in school (and also object of her crushes affection), is bulimic too. They become unlikely friends when Ashley takes her as a disciple and they begin a destructive path to perfection.

Evaluation: Whether you struggle with an eating disorder or not, every girl deals with the pressures of how they look. This book does a beautiful job of making you empathetic to her while at the same time educating you on eating disorders. It was good, especially when I was having a hard time finding complimentary titles to Wintergirls.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Eating Disorders, Toxic Friendships, Loss of a Parent

Reason this book was chosen: Anorexia is more widely covered then bulimia, but just as lethal and widespread.

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publish Date: February 23, 2010
Publisher: Speak
Pages: (Paperback) 288
ISBN: 014241557X
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult

Price: Paperback $9.99

Annotation: After the death of her best friend, Lia is forced to deal with her own struggle with an eating disorder, or else face a similar fate.

Summary: Lia and Cassie have been friends since childhood. They make a pact to be "the skinniest girls in school" but both have different yet equally dangerous ways of reaching that goal. After going separate ways as friends, Cassie passes away and Lia is forced to face the loss of her best friend, the reality of her sickness (anorexia and cutting), and the relationships she has with her broken family and people around her. With the ghost of Cassie following her around, will Lia be able to break the cycle of self-destruction and save herself from the only path that lays in front of her: death?

Evaluation: A triumph worthy of textbook status for people dealing with or knowing people with eating or cutting disorders.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bulimia, Anorexia, Cutting, Broken Families

Reason this Book was Chosen: Though chalk full of "tips" it's supersedes being a manual for girls looking for a how to guide by shear worth and relatable content for girls who really need help and not wanting to feel alone. It gets inside the head of a girl stricken by a disease that is often misunderstood. It's beautifully emotional and a definite page turner!

Book Trailer: Official

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