Good Reads

Eating Disorders/Weight Control

Fiction titles  /  Nonfiction titles   /  Websites

FICTION

The following books can be found in the Fiction collection, shelved by the first three letters of the author's last name, e.g., F BAR .

Bennett, Cherie.  LIFE IN THE FAT LANE.

Sixteen year old Lara, winner of beauty pagents and Homecoming Queen, is distressed and bewildered when she starts gaining weight and becomes overwieght.

Block, Francesca Lia. The Hanged Man

Having stopped eating after the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Laurel feels hrself losing control of her life in the hot, magical world of Los Angeles.

Holland, Isabelle.  DINAH AND THE GREEN FAT KINGDOM.

Dinah is tired of her family and friends always nagging her to be thinner.  She dreams up the Green Kingdom, where the most beautiful people, including the King, Queen, and Prince, are the fattest.  She finally decides that she has to make people stop treating her like a freak.  And when she does, she won't be "good," she'll be Dinah.

Holland, Isabelle.  HEADS YOU WIN, TAILS I LOSE.

Melissa Hammond is overweight and wants desperately for Teddy to like her.  When she steals her mother's diet pills, her weight begins to decrease, but her "need" for the pills begins to increase.

Johnson, Kathleen Jeffrie.  Target.

After being brutally raped, Grady finally goes to a new high school where he meets an outgoing African American and several other students who try to help him deal with the horrible secret that is robbing him of his life.

Kim : empty inside : the diary of an anonymous teenager.

Seventeen-year-old Kim, feeling the pressure of maintaining an A average to stay on her college gymnastics team, becomes obsessive about her weight and develops anorexia.

Levenkron, Steven.  THE BEST LITTLE GIRL IN THE WORLD.

Francesca, whose alias is Kessa, is a 15 year old girl who almost entirely stops eating.  Kessa thinks she's grotesquely overweight even though she is only five-foot-four and 98 pounds.  She saves pictures of the thinnest models from fashion magazines and chants, "Soon I'll be thinner than all you.  The thinner is the winner."  The novel accurately details what a person goes through who suffers from anorexia nervosa and is a good read for anyone with a penchant for dieting too much.

Lipstye, Robert.  ONE FAT SUMMER.

Bobby Marks hates hot weather.  It's the time when most people are happy to take off their heavy jackets and long pants.  But for Bobby, who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes, spending the summer at Rumson Lake is pure torture.  But there's more to Bobby than his two hundred pounds.  He's about to find out just how terrifying and exhilarating, how dangerous and wonderful, one fat summer can be.

Lynch, Chris.  EXTREME ELVIN.

As he enters high school 14 year old Elvin continues to deal with his weight problem as he tries to find his place among his peers.

_____________.  Slot Machine.

 When overweight thirteen-year-old Elvin Bishop is sent to camp at Christian Brothers Academy Retreat Center, he and his two best friends are forced to try various sports in order to find out where they belong.

McNicoll, Sylvia.  WALKING A THIN LINE.

Lauren knows if she looses twenty pounds Jay will finally notice her.  And it can't be hard, can it?  Andrea lost 10 pounds in less than a month.  But Andrea's starting to act weird.  Today she even fainted in class.  Andrea says she's dying to be thin...but just how far will she go?

Newman, Leslea.  Fat Chance.

Judi "knows" that if she were thinner, life would be perfect.

Plum-Ucci, Carol.  What happened to Lani Garver.

Sixteen-year-old Claire is unable to face her fears about a recurrence of her leukemia, her eating disorder, her need to fit in with the popular crowd on Hackett Island, and her mother's alcoholism until the enigmatic Lani  Garver helps her get control of her life at the risk of his own. 

Rostoff, Meg  How I live now.

To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating the land.

Tokio, Marnelle.  More than you can chew.

Marty faces the greatest challenge of her life when she is pulled out of high school and placed in the eating disorder unit of a hospital.

Wilson, Jacqueline.  Girls under pressure.

(Girls trilogy; bk. 2)  Ellie learns to deal with her self-image as she battles anorexia.

NONFICTION

Bartell, Susan S. Dr. Susan's girls-only weight loss guide : the easy, fun way to look and feel good! 613.2508 BAR

Describes strategies for adolescent girls wishing to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Explains how emotions can affect eating habits, what dangers are associated with "yo-yo dieting," and how to eat healthy in a variety of situations. Explores eating disorders, exercising, and developing a healthy body image. Also discusses the genetic reasons for weight gain and how to change patterns when eating with one's family.

Bellenir, Karen. Diet information for teens : health tips about diet and nutrition.  REF 613.2 DRA 

Provides diet and nutrition information for people in middle school and high school, discussing food fundamentals, such as vitamins and minerals, calcium, fiber, and cholesterol; presenting dietary guidelines, and advice on making healthy food choices; and discussing meal planning, weight control, and eating disorders.

Eating disorders.  AV VHS 616.85 EAT 

Why appearance is important, the difference between anorexia and bulimia, why eating disorders are dangerous, what to do if you suspect an eating disorder, why diet pills and fads are dangerous, good nutrition for teens, and where to turn for help with eating disorders.

Hurley, Jennifer A. Eating disorders : opposing viewpoints.  616.85 EAT 

Presents twenty-one articles that provide opposing viewpoints on issues related to eating disorders, debating the seriousness of the problem, the causes of eating disorders, treatments, prevention, and who is at risk.

Kolodny, Nancy J. When food's a foe: how you can confront and conquer your eating disorder. 616.85 KOL 

Examines the causes and effects of bulimia and anorexia and discusses ways in which these disorders can be prevented.

Monroe, Judy. Understanding weight-loss programs. 613.7 MON 

Discusses the weight-loss industry, including why it is thriving, the many products and services offered, and the pros and cons of various weight-loss methods.

Stanley, Debbie. Understanding bulimia nervosa. 616.85 STA 

Discusses bulimia, an eating disorder which is characterized by alternating episodes of binge eating and purging.

__________. Understanding anorexia nervosa. 616.85262 STA 

Discusses the causes and consequences of anorexia nervosa, as well as ways to treat and prevent this condition.

Tattersall, Clare. Understanding food and your family. 616.85 TAT 

Describes how eating patterns and attitudes about food are partly determined by one's family and discusses eating disorders and how to deal with them.

Ward, Christie. Compulsive eating: the struggle to feed the hunger inside.  616.85 WAR