REVIEW for Purge

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book directly from the author: Sarah Darer Littman! Thank you so much - we need to hear your story!!!!

TITLE: PURGE

AUTHOR: Sarah Darer Littman

GENRE: Memoir - Recovery

DATE: April 2009

RATING: 5 Stars

This subject is so close to my heart! When I was a teen, Eating Disorders were not discussed (I doubt they were really ever recognized) and yet, this disease is so prevalent in people of EVERY age. This is one of the reasons I am so grateful for books such as Purge, written by Sarah Darer Littman.There are a few things that make Purge different from the other ED books.

First off, this is written as a novel, with the voice of Janie basically taking us through her stay at an ED clinic. The second thing that I thought was quite different is that Littman puts Anorexia, Bulimia and binge eating into the same novel - it is extremely fascinating to see how all three groups (although the binge eaters are less represented) interact, but also how they each view so differently the almost same situation (i.e. mealtime).

I loved, loved this book. It is obvious that Littman has gotten some firsthand knowledge of this disease - this book is extremely difficult to read and I found that I could not read more than 5 or so pages at a time.The voice of Janie who is in complete denial as she enters the clinic - is clear, scared and a joy to read about. It is fascinating to see her slowly come to understand that 'maybe she does belong here'.

This book treats ED with the sensitivity and seriousness it deserves. Never talks down to the reader and yet, manages to educate and inform.I thought this book was heartwarming, tough, honest and beautiful.I recommend this book for ALL adults and for the YA adult out there