5 Books You Need To Read If You’re Struggling With An Eating Disorder

Find hope in between the pages.

Struggling with any kind of addiction or disorder can feel isolating— an eating disorder is no different. But hope can be found through other’s experiences, and these five books describe just that. From poignant poetry to memorable memoirs, here’s five of the best books on eating disorders.

Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too

“Inspiring, compassionate, and filled with practical exercises to help you break up with your own personal E.D., Life Without Ed provides hope to the millions of people plagued by eating disorders. This supportive, lifesaving book combines a patient’s insights and experiences with a therapist’s prescriptions for success to help you live a healthier, happier life without an eating disorder.”

I hope this finds you well

“I hope this finds you well is a collection of poetry derived from eating disorders, addiction, heartbreak and emotional healing. The author compels the reader to understand you are where you are supposed to be; there is no timeline. Encompassing the metaphor of a vase, it is divided into five sections: the molding, the painting, the shattering, the rebuilding and the revealing. ”

Brave Girl Eating: A Family’s Struggle with Anorexia 

“In Brave Girl Eating, the chronicle of a family’s struggle with anorexia nervosa, journalist, professor, and author Harriet Brown recounts in mesmerizing and horrifying detail her daughter Kitty’s journey from near-starvation to renewed health. Brave Girl Eating is an intimate, shocking, compelling, and ultimately uplifting look at the ravages of a mental illness that affects more than 18 million Americans.”

8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience 

“This is no ordinary book on how to overcome an eating disorder. The authors bravely share their unique stories of suffering from and eventually overcoming their own severe eating disorders. Interweaving personal narrative with the perspective of their own therapist-client relationship, their insights bring an unparalleled depth of awareness into just what it takes to successfully beat this challenging and seemingly intractable clinical issue.”

Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa

“Joan Jacobs Brumberg’s Fasting Girls presents a history of women’s food-refusal dating back as far as the sixteenth century. Here is a tableau of female self-denial: medieval martyrs who used starvation to demonstrate religious devotion, “wonders of science” whose families capitalized on their ability to survive on flower petals and air, silent screen stars whose strict “slimming” regimens inspired a generation.”