Laurie Halse Anderson is not one to shy away from difficult topics. Her debut novel SPEAK deals with the issue of teen rape was lets just say it was incredible. In her latest, WINTERGIRLS, Anderson addresses the devastating effects of eating disorders. WINTERGIRLS is the story of Lia who daily fights a battle between herself and food. She's already been hospitalized twice for her eating disorder where she played the 'recovery game' until doctors and parents were satisfied and gave her enough breathing room to go back to her old habits. It's the one thing Lia constantly concentrates on in the midst of parents who are too busy to notice her and school that doesn't really matter. How many calories (or lack there of) each day. How much she exercises. But then Lia begins to face the realities of her choices when she finds out that her (ex)best friend, Cassie, who also had an eating disorder, has died. As she stumbles deeper into grief, Lia tries to determine not the reason why Cassie killed herself, but why not?What amazes me is how accurately Anderson is able to portray a teenager who feels constantly at odds with her family, herself and especially food. She is so isolated, so alone with the pain and destructive feelings in her head it seems to the reader she'll never be able to pull herself out. Lia's isolation is underscored by her nightly visits to supersecret and honestly so competely depressing online chat groups for anorexic/bulimic girls who discuss their struggle to lose that last 10, 15, even 25 pounds. Nameless girls who like Lia try to control the chaos of their lives by controlling their body.WINTERGIRLS was not an easy read nor was it easy to put down. I alternated between pity, depression and down right horror at the things Lia put herself and consequently, her family through. Though this is a teen novel, I would hesitate to give it to just any teen girl - it's something that needs to be digested with a little bit of maturity and sensitivity. But was it a heartbreaking beautiful novel that will stick with me a long time? Absolutely. ( )

Probably the best book about eating disorders I have ever read.(okay so I've probably started more than I've finished)
It reads like the truth. ( )

This gripping, true-to-life story about anorexian, cutting and feeling lost will appeal to teens of all ages. L.H. Anderson researched these disorders and gave accurate descriptions of the physical and psychological deterioration of the individual suffering from the disease. Teens who suffer from eating disorders and cutting will identify with the main characters, Lia and Cassie, and may glean some tips on how to end this downward spiral. ( )

When I was real girl…This book was so beautiful, authentic, elegantly written. Such a sad depiction of girls who have learned to hate themselves, and are trying to disappear, pound by pound, and their families struggle and denial. My hesitation is that the book is definitely rooted in language. It has a particular style that, though graceful and poetic, is not accessible to every reader. It requires a stretch for readers who like to have a story carry them, rather than a deeply introspective character who is trying to fool her family, herself, and, at times, her readers. Maybe that’s a good thing. ( )

The inside front jacket calls this Andersons' "most lyrically written book since Speak". And it certainly is lyrically written. I suppose this isn't a bad thing because it makes the story fast and easy to read; this lyricality "softens" the story/message in that it makes it less real, and more dream-like. I suppose given the subject matter (eating disorders) and the target audience (young adults) this is a good thing. They don't really want to see the "facts" of an eating disorder, they want to see the downward spiraling it causes.

Or do young adults want to see this at all? If one has/had an eaten disorder, they won't want to read this because it doesn't really try to deter one from this destructive way of life (sure, the main character is a mess, but so are those with this disorder, so will they see this as a mess, or as just how it is?). If one doesn't have an eating disorder, this book is just a heart-wrenching look at a self-destructive young woman... one that you can't help because you don't understand the nature of her illness.

In fact, the reader is never told the nature of her illness. Is she just hallucinatory? Is she insane? Which came first, the insanity or the disorder? What are the chances of 2 girls living so close to each other having similar (but different) eating disorders that are bad enough that they both (nearly) die? Seems convenient... but then again, I'm not the target audience nor am I familiar with the subject matter. ( )