Elena Vanishing

I wasn’t pulled in immediately. I’m accustomed to reading novels, so reading a memoir takes a bit of time to adjust to. But after chapter one, I began to enjoy it.

This book chronicles Elena’s life with anorexia. It doesn’t sugarcoat the disease, and it doesn’t glorify it. This book is raw and sad, but illuminating. I urge anyone who is dealing with body image issues, self-esteem problems, anorexia, or bulimia to read this. Loved ones who are concerned should also do so.

There really isn’t a happy ending in regards to eating disorders, but you can manage how you deal with them. That’s the other good aspect Elena Vanishing. It gives hope to the struggles that come with those disorders.

Overall, an excellent book.

I found the book interesting at first, but was constantly annoyed with the author, every minute, talking about how beautiful she is. Get over yourself and quit being such a whining baby. I think the author is just trying to draw attention to herself by over doing the, “I’m anorexic,” thing and making a mountain out of a molehill.

The book itself was very well written and worth the read. Most of it was absolutely excruciating to read, but even the highs were still laden with grief. The authors tell the stories in such a way that you feel like you’re in them, but when you talk out loud, Elena can’t hear you – which is what it must have felt like for the people who were actually there.

I gave five stars because the book was worth every minute, but there is so much more hope to be found than she has, and I’m still wishing she could hear it…

I’ve suffered from an eating disorder for 6 years now, and I really felt a connection to the author through her writing. It was really great to read a book about a fellow sufferer’s journey that stayed focused on her journey to getting well, rather than the moments that kept her in her illness. I found this to be a very interesting story filled with astute analogies and metaphors that paint an accurate picture of what it feels like to live with, and recover from, an eating disorder.

Elena Vanishing is a memoir written by Elena Dunkle and her mother Clare. Readers follow Elena’s journey with her eating disorder from high school to college and after. She is her own worst enemy as the voice in her head pushes her to be perfect, thin, and beautiful. She is hospitalized and institutionalized a number of times, but nothing would stop her on her destructive quest to perfection. After a tragic event leads her into an even deeper, darker downward spiral, she decides to finally seek treatment. It’s not an easy road for her and she never shies away from the truth.

I really enjoyed reading about Elena’s struggles and how it affected not only her, but the people that surround her as well. I can only imagine how difficult that time in her life must have been and appreciate her open honesty in her memoir. It was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to young adults looking for a good non-fiction book.

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