Reference Reviews

Doug's Student Reference Room

Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Eating Disorders. Edited by Lorraine Savage. 144 p. Detroit, MI: Thomson Gale, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7377-3872-8. $34.95.

Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Eating Disorders The cover of this volume features a young woman’s torso wrapped several times in a body measuring tape, suggesting a focus on anorexia, bulimia, and the body image issues associated with those disorders. In fact, this book delivers far more than the cover promises, providing not only current information about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of these two disorders, but offering ample coverage of what has become the most common eating disorder in the United States: binge eating. The opening section does a good job of unpacking the complexities associated with the causes—and consequently the treatments—of eating disorders. In addition to anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating, this section also touches on other less common eating disorders and notes the growing number of afflicted males. The second section, “The Controversial Side of Eating Disorders,” further probes possible contributing factors, including mental illness, genetics, dysfunctional families, and the fashion industry. The concluding essays in this section look at the double-edged sword of the Internet. On one hand, pro-mia (pro-bulimia) and pro-ana (pro-anorexia) sites offer a community of support for individuals who desire to continue engaging in the destructive actions of these disorders as a lifestyle choice. On the other hand, the Internet has proven to be a valuable resource for raising awareness and even providing effective treatment to those with eating disorders. The personal accounts in the final section offer the reflections of a woman who lives with anorexia into her late thirties before reaching a crisis stage; another essay recounts a woman’s battle with bulimia that began in high school; a third essay recounts a teenage girl’s descent into anorexia on the heels of her father’s death and her subsequent decision to seek treatment. This volume will make a worthy addition to any middle school, high school or public library seeking to improve its resources on eating disorders.

—Doug Achterman