Letting Ana Go
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4.6 • 154 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
In the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Lucy in the Sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction.
She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. But below the surface, she felt like she could never be good enough. Like she could never live up to the expectations that surrounded her. Like she couldn’t do anything to make a change.
But there was one thing she could control completely: how much she ate. The less she ate, the better—stronger—she felt.
But it’s a dangerous game, and there is such a thing as going too far…
Her innermost thoughts and feelings are chronicled in the diary she left behind.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This harrowing cautionary tale (in the vein of 2012's Lucy in the Sky) demonstrates the inability of family and friends to rescue a loved one from the disease that has become her "best friend," as an athletic high school sophomore with a healthy attitude toward food is gradually overtaken by anorexia. Ana narrates in diary form (ironically begun as a food journal assigned by the track coach to ensure adequate caloric intake), and each entry begins with her current weight. Her parents' breakup, which Ana attributes to her mother's inability to maintain her figure, becomes a catalyst for her determination to "take control." Encouraged by her friend Jill's desire for dieting company and Jill's picture-perfect but almost diabolical mother, who buys them clothing in too-small sizes and says things like, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels," Ana records her increasingly distorted perceptions about her body, friends, parents, and self-worth. This story provides disturbing insight into the online world of "thinspiration" (anorexics encouraging each other), the limited health care resources available to treat this illness, and the mortal risk of those afflicted. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Letting ana go
I’m very disappointed by these reviews honestly, one literally saying that the main character ate too much to have anorexia and could eat when she was told too?? Like are we reading the same book lol.
I thought for the most part this was very accurate depiction of anorexia, and I liked the inclusion of the struggle of getting treatment if you have normal insurance and income. I also liked how the main character was a runner, which was something I could relate too. I knew this book would be sad, but the end totally gets me tearing up even after multiple reads. The only problem I have with this book is including the girls weight in every chapter and her height as well, I guess I just feel like that’s unnecessary information and obviously people reading this might have eating disorders and want to copy her weight.
This destroyed me
This book broke my heart and opened my eyes. Definitely suggest to anyone who wants to have a new point of view of anorexia and the struggles people endure.
From a Recovering Ana
This book is so poignant. It shows that anorexia is a journey and if you aren’t careful, it will drag you into the depths and you may never come back. So sobering.