Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa by Joan Jacobs Brumberg

 

Hello my lovely readers!

I recently finished Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa by Joan Jacobs Brumberg and while it was a good and informational book, I don't think I'll keep it on my shelf. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but it just didn't WOW me enough to keep it.

I actually bought this book while I was in Costa Rica, so let me give you a quick travelogue about my time there.

BACKGROUND
Nico and I went to Costa Rica in August 2021 for my birthday. I've never been too interested in the outdoors and all of those nature activities, but we had a great time! We went whitewater rafting, which was terribly frightening, but I'm glad that I did it.

Me trying not to get my hair wet since I just spent three days braiding it

We were in the La Fortuna/Arenal area for the majority of the trip and stayed at this cute boutique hotel that had an AMAZING view of the Arenal volcano. We also went on an UNBELIEVABLY grueling hike up and down, all the way around the Arenal volcano. I mean, great views, but I was not ready for that in the slightest.

We went back to San Jose (which is about 3 hours from La Fortuna) to catch our plane back to the States at the end of our trip, but of course, I had to stop at a bookstore!

Hello from San Jose, Costa Rica!

We visited La Mora bookstore which is this independent bookstore and has books from floor to ceiling. It's small, crowded and smells of old books, but I loved it. The owner was lovely as well and I ended up finding this book! Let's get into it!

SUMMARY
This book came out in the 1980s and takes a look at how women throughout the years stopped eating for various reasons. In the medieval times, some did it to demonstrate their religious devotion. Years later, some women did it to gain notoriety. Whatever the reason, Fasting Girls offered a complex understanding to the victims of this disease as well as the origin and future of it.

MY THOUGHTS
Here's a fun fact about me: I was OBSESSED with eating disorders as a middle schooler. Don't ask me why. I would watch any movies I could about it, I'd read about it. I just took a strong interest in anorexia and bulimia. I was a very strange child.

So when I saw this book, it was right up my alley.

I really enjoyed learning about the Victorian girls and medieval saints who fasted. It was particularly interesting to learn about the women who fasted for notoriety as we moved into the 19th century. However, while it was all very informative and I still believe it's an extremely important book to read, I was left wanting more. I didn't feel that strong connection like I did when I read Wasted by Marya Hornbacher, which is a memoir about her eating disorder.

Fasting Girls, again is extremely informative, but will I keep it on my shelf? I don't know. If I had to rate the book, I'd give it a C. Just in the middle. Maybe I need to try reading it again in a few years....