Whether it was my personal lack of
awareness or just the time I grew up in, the specter of anorexia and other
eating disorders barely registered during the years I went to high school.
Looking back now, I remember a classmate who wore her puffy down coat well past
the coldest days of winter—when the rest of us were shedding as many layers as
possible—and another whose bony wrists looked as if they might snap if they
were grasped too tightly. I wonder if anyone knew that these girls needed help.
I hope that they found it
Since that time, the amount of
literature and other media on eating disorders has increased many times over
and I find it hard to imagine an American girl who wouldn’t recognize at least
some of the more obvious signs of these disorders in a classmate. The very
modest silver lining of our preoccupation with weight, body image, and achieving
physical “perfection” may be that we’re all more aware of the dark side of
this focus for girls. Boys, however, are another story.
Research indicates that boys now comprise up to 10% of all cases of anorexia in this
country. But public perception may not be keeping pace with the dimensions of
this growing public health problem. While much remains to be said on the
sociology and science of this phenomenon, a new book by YA author Lois Metzger provides
some haunting insight into the personal toll the disease takes on both patients and those who love them. A Trick of the Light tells the story of Mike, a 15-year-old boy who develops an
eating disorder, and his struggle to regain control of his life. This moving and informative book is available
today at bookstores and online.
Ms. Metzger, who is the author of three
other novels, (as well as being my sister-in-law), talks about the process of
writing the book here and
here.
Thanks for this review! The continued rise of eating disorders among youth AND adults is so discouraging. I fear attention to EDs has been lost, or at least buried, by the obsession with the supposed obesity "epidemic". I'm glad to see a new YA novel exploring EDs among boys. And congrats to Lois!
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