.::Books on Self Harm and Eating Disorders::.

EATING DISORDERS

Recovery

Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating by Peter Cooper

A cognitive-behavioural self-help [although it can be used with others like a friend or therapist] guide for people with bulimia or binge eating disorder. Very useful if you want to get better from one of these disorders, but you'll need to be motivated. But then if you are motivated enough then you can recover without this book. It might make it easier though. Otherwise it's also got some important information and warnings about the disorders. Like about brushing your teeth after vomiting and the instant death with bulimia thing.

Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e) by Ulrike Schmidt and Janet Treasure

As above, this book would be very useful if you used it to recover and you had a lot of motivation. In fact it is very good on the problem solving front, so could help anyone, eating disordered or not. Gives good advice about having a healthy body and healthy mind to give a wonderful book which I think could help a great many people. If you have the desire to recover then go for it! :)

Fat is a Feminist Issue by Susie Orbach

You have to read this book because it is a classic more than anything else. Pretty much a self-help book for overeating but makes some interesting points and may also help to build up self esteem, some good visualisation techniques for recovery.

The Secret Language of Eating Disorders by Maggie Claude-Pierre

Claude-Pierre has had a lot of success in working with eating disordered people, including her two daughters. This book gives an account of her daughters' illnesses and and recovery before going into theories and how to help a loved one suffering from eating disorder.Claude-Pierre talks about a 'negative mind' which almost possesses the person to give an eating disorders. It is good and it does make some important points about eating them disorders raises some issues for consideration. But on the other hand it is idealistic and , and perhaps a little farfetched as well as making people with eating disorders sound almost like poor tortured saints.

Autobiography and Fiction

Wasted by Marya Hornbacher

Absolutely the best eating disorder book ever. Marya's autobiography of her childhood and her time with eating disorders (although the two overlap quite considerably). Beautifully written and enthralling. Some people think that this book is too raw and emotional but it describes eating disorder, tells the reader what it actually feels like to have an eating disorder.

My Body, My Enemy by Claire Beeken

This is also a good book, it is Claire's autobiography of her abuse and subsequent eating disorders. It has been written by a ghost writer Rosanna Greenstreet which is perhaps why it lacks the power of Hornbacher's Wasted.

The Best Little Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron

A nice 'pure' story of a girl with anorexia nervosa; very idealistic but well, it does get across the superiority and obsessive purity and cleanliness felt when you are anorexic. Also shows how dangerous eating disorders are; and how people can be prepared to risk everything, indluding their lives.

Eve's Apple by Jonathon Rosen

A novel looking at an eating disorder from the point of view of the boyfriend of a sufferer. Gives an interesting account of eating disorders from another perspective as well as giving interesting information on eating disorders. More of a nice little story built around eating disorders than on them.

SELF HARM BOOKS

A Bright Red Scream by Marilee Strong

Verrrry good. Strong (a journalist) has interviewed lots of people in writing this book and gives us their stories which I found most interesting. She also dispels some popular myths surrounding self-harm and gives a good idea of issues such as self-harm and eating disorders and self-harm and abuse. Some helpful stuff particularly for someone on the outside who may be unsure about a loved one's self-harming behaviour. But mainly it is the real life experiences as well as Strong's insight and empathy which make this book so good.

The Luckiest Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron

Fictional tale about a girl who self-harms. That's it really. Lets just say that it becomes even more obvious here than it does in The Best Little Girl in the World that Dr Levenkron sees himself as a God and a saviour of young women. Not surprisingly there are lots of issues surrounding self-harm which aren't evident here, but perhaps that's not his fault, perhaps he just had to limit it.

Cutting by Steven Levenkron

And here he is again. Talk about a monopoly huh? Knows what he's talking about but to me the true life things are most interesting. Read around the 'Look at me, I'm so great' stuff and you might find something helpful. I guess this book could be useful for someone on the outside but really I'd recommend Strong's A Bright Red Scream (above).

Women Who Hurt Themselves by Dusty Miller

To be completely honest I have not really read this book...can tell you more when I actually read it! Flicking through it however, I can see that it is very comprehensive, and is full of personal accounts of self-harms which in my opinion always makes a book much easier to read. Her outlook on self-harm is very interesting as under that umbrella term of self-inflicted violence Miller includes self-mutilation, compulsive cosmetic surgeries and eating disorders.Overall it seems to be very touching as well as giving a good account of the issues behind the various forms of self harm and then the second part of the book focusses on the healing journey}