Food Fight : A Guide to Eating Disorders for Preteens and Their Parents

A complete resource for preteens and their parents candidly discusses the symptoms and possible causes of anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, and other eating disorders and includes interviews with children who suffer from them.

Grade 4-7. Food Fight was written in response to the increasing occurrence of anorexia and bulimia among children as young as eight or nine, even though much of the discussion may be beyond that target audience. The first section is directed at preteens; it describes and analyzes various eating disorders, often using interviews with young victims as examples. Bode's approach is highly readable and her tone is conversational. Sidebars, quotes, and charts are scattered throughout, often with quirky titles such as "Death's Door," "Starve and Stuff," and "Shamu the Whale." The presentation informs anorexic or bulimic children that they are not alone or unique in their struggles. Solid information is presented, albeit somewhat indirectly, in a nonthreatening manner often couched in offbeat humor, such as the chapter title, "Yum, Yum, Yum, Barf." The second part of the book, related in the same compassionate manner, is for adults. In it, Bode reveals her daughter's ongoing struggle with bulimia. She offers hope, direction, and companionship to her fellow travelers on a difficult and sometimes fatal journey. Clifford J. Sherry's Drugs and Eating Disorders (Rosen, 1994), which also includes the abuse of diet pills and appetite suppressants, and Ellen Erlanger's Eating Disorders (Lerner, 1988) are more straightforward presentations. Nancy J. Kolodny's When Food's a Foe (Little, Brown, 1992), Don Nardo's Eating Disorders (Lucent, 1991), and Ben Sonder's Eating Disorders (Watts, 1993) are more detailed treatments for YAs.?Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A number of books on eating disorders have been written for teenagers; Bode (Trust and Betrayal, 1995, etc.), acknowledging that these diseases are occurring among younger people--predominantly among preteen girls- -directs this book to that audience and their parents. It's clear from the opening pages that anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating are serious disorders with potentially fatal consequences; noting that the causes are rarely physiological, Bode discusses at length the psychological and social pressures that predispose children to begin the food fight that can destroy their lives and the lives of their parents and siblings, too. The tone of the book is compassionate but practical; Bode notes that families seeking help learn the hard way that many hospitalization plans do not cover therapy or treatment for bulimics or anorexics, even when hospitalization becomes necessary. With a useful list of organizations concerned with eating disorders, and a list of further reading, this solid and informative book should be made widely available to all those at risk. (notes) (Nonfiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 5-7 and adults. In a departure from her familiar collections of high-impact, issue-oriented first-person accounts (such as her 1996 book Hard Time, written with Stan Mack), Bode gives more space to advice and counsel than to the experiences of individuals with eating disorders. Those who do speak, however, paint a vivid picture of the physical, psychological, and social ramifications of anorexia and bulimia. Like Kolodny's When Food's a Foe (1992), Food Fight includes not only facts but also actual self-help information--checklists of triggers, practical suggestions for helping individuals regain control of their eating habits, and nutritional information. There's lots for her preteen and young adolescent target audience to think about. But the tightly packed format and language speak less to 10-and 11-year-olds than to older kids, and Bode complicates things by including a significant section for parents. Granted, part of the book is a sensitive, conscientious explanation of eating disorders that will be a boon to adults; however, given the secretive nature of eating disorders and the likelihood that the book will be shelved in the children's collection, the question is, will adults ever get to see it unless an alert librarian or counselor lets them know it's there? Perhaps Bode might want to write a book just for parents. Her combination of frankness and compassion will be of great help to adults who want to understand the complicated issues their children are facing. Stephanie Zvirin