Amazon.co.uk Review
Beginning with her own autobiography, sociology lecturer Catherine Garrett considers the development of anorexia focusing particularly on the recovery period.
She also draws upon the experiences of other sufferers, who in the main have conquered some form of eating disorder. For Australian Garrett, her disease was linked to spirituality and her upbringing as the daughter of a religious minister. Many of the other stories also show a strong religious or spiritual influence.
The book is well researched and comprehensive, backed up by empirical evidence and narratives of former sufferers. Some of the accounts are incredibly positive--only six of the 34 participants are still struggling with the disease.
Also welcome are the stories of several men with the disease, which is often thought to be exclusively female. The writer's academic background is evident throughout the book and while this adds to the authoritative nature of the book, it also prevents the reader from feeling empathy with the subjects.
This book would be a good choice for those wanting to learn the facts surrounding recovery from eating disorders. However, at times the reader may well feel some detachment from what the author is trying to convey. --Carole Butterworth
Review
"Catherine Garrett has made a bold new departure in the approach to anorexia, strikingly original in its interweaving of psychological insight, narrative skill and theoretical depth. Beyond Anorexia is genuinely inspiring, because by displacing the center of the problem from the clinical to the spiritual, and from illness to recovery, it gives hope as well as instruction." Joel Kovel, Alger Hiss Professor of Social Science, Bard College, New York
"In this unconventional look at eating disorders, Garrett addresses the existential and spiritual questions surrounding anorexia nervosa." Choice
