Anna Patterson - Anorexic

[palomita]

Has anyone read this book and found it helpful? If so, I'm really sorry for trashing it like this - but I HATED this book. It was so, so badly written, the author oversimplifies everything - stating that her grandmothers abuse is to blame - full stop, end of story, its just THAT easy. Also - she meets a guy and falls in love and is basically cured?????? I know its not quite that easy, but she does say that this man saves her life (which, ok, may be true), but the implication is that finding love, or a boyfriend is the answer to an eating disorder....SO not a good message for people struggling!!! The one good thing I would say about this book is that it does not glamourise eating disorders - though it does perpetrate the 'little girl lost' stereotype of anorexia and sort of glosss over the really gruesome details of the disorder. I don't think it is really triggering either, though she does talk about weight a whole lot. I don't know though, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, as it just frustrated me - but I would be interested to know what other people opinions are, or if this book helped them at all?
lots of love

[MongrelCat]

I haven't read the book, but I feel your frustration. A LOT of ED books have these crazy, unrealistic endings where the sufferer either "finds Jesus" or finds love and is magically cured. It pisses me off like crazy. I DO think that falling in love has HELPED me w/ my recovery. My boyfriend is my fucking ROCK. :lubdub But these books are like, And then I met my husband and we lived happily ever after."

WHAT'S WORSE is when basically, the main character just decides....that they don't want to have an ED anymore. And then they get better. It just reminds of all the idiots in the world who go, I used to have anorexia, but then I ate a steak and got over it!

[happy_panda]

I ABSOLUTELY HATED this book, i thought it was terrible. It was SO melodramatic, self-indulgent and over simplified. I thought it was utterly unbelievable and unrealistic. Gosh I sound really cruel but i couldn't stand this book one bit...

[harriet]

I totally agree with you. I read this book a few weeks ago and found it annoying :mad - like she wouldn't accept any responsibility for the illness herself. It was all her grandmother's fault. I hate those 'poor me' kind of stories. I felt that buying this book was a waste of money :sad

[Mildred]

Couldn't agree more! Badly written, unengaging, oversimplistic rubbish! Sorry to be so blunt, but when I finished the book I wondered why I had wasted my time reading it. Oh dear.

[Angeldust]

Wow!
Having met Anna, I really don't believe that she was magically cured when she met her husband. She put an awful lot of work into getting to that place. It's been a long time since I read the book, but I don't recall having such negative reactions to it! Maybe it's time for a reread!

[Mildred]

Just wanted to add that it was the book I didn't really like, nothing against the person who wrote it! I hope Anna Patterson is keeping well and has genuinely found peace and happiness.

x

[Geneveive]

I haven't read the book but I have been to Anna's website and read her story there and other things she has on her website, and just from that I got a weird vibe from all of it. After I read what she has of her story there, I was like that's it?? That's all?? I thought it strange there was no if any (? can't recall for sure) mention of actual professional treatment. And now she has this website and people emailing her for advice and everything. I really don't think she's qualified.
The impression she gives of recovery is like it's a flighty-fairy deal or something.
SO not reality. I have no desire to read the whole book.

Geneveive

[Jali]

I read the book quite a few years ago and I'd have to agree it's very poorly written and lacks depth. It is written simply as her tale, with no claim to any broader understanding of EDs, or of life.
I guess it just goes to show that everyone's story is different. For some people there may be just one missing piece of jigsaw - and for Anna it was mostly about finding love and understanding. For others it's much more complex and/or difficult to pin down.
It probably speaks to some people with anorexia, which is all any one book can do.