This Mean Disease

Klappentext The impact of anorexia nervosa on families can be devastating. Daniel Becker combines the innocent recollections of his childhood with the insightful observations of a mature adult in this story of his mother's 30-year obsession with food and her eventual death from anorexia nervosa. He provides an intimate portrayal of how he, his father, and his two brothers each struggled to balance their loyalty to Mom against the increasing awareness that only by separating from her could they ensure their own survival.Beginning with his earliest memory of her packing a suitcase to leave for the first of many hospitalizations, Daniel must reconcile his love for her with her repeated absences and bizarre behaviors. Part cautionary tale and part exploration of how a person with an eating disorder affects their family members, this biography is valuable reading for individual sufferers, their families, and those who treat them. Zusammenfassung In the first book written by the child of someone who died from an eating disorder, Daniel Becker shows us the heartbreaking details of his mother's anorexia nervosaher unrelenting obsession with food and her inability to nourish herself. His earliest memory of her is watching as she packs her suitcase for the first of numerous hospitalizations. From the observations of that confused child to his realization of helplessness as an adult, Daniel conveys the inner world of an anorectic and her family. He provides an intimate portrayal of how he, his father and his two brothers each struggled to balance their loyalty to Mom against the increasing awareness that only by separating from her could they ensure their own survival. In the end, Daniel must come to terms with his mother's slow demise and begin to lead a life out from under the shadow of her illness. Part cautionary tale and fully descriptive of how eating disorder effects family members.

Résumé
In the first book written by the child of someone who died from an eating disorder, Daniel Becker shows us the heartbreaking details of his mother's anorexia nervosa—her unrelenting obsession with food and her inability to nourish herself. His earliest memory of her is watching as she packs her suitcase for the first of numerous hospitalizations. From the observations of that confused child to his realization of helplessness as an adult, Daniel conveys the inner world of an anorectic and her family. He provides an intimate portrayal of how he, his father and his two brothers each struggled to balance their loyalty to Mom against the increasing awareness that only by separating from her could they ensure their own survival. In the end, Daniel must come to terms with his mother’s slow demise and begin to lead a life out from under the shadow of her illness.
Part cautionary tale and fully descriptive of how eating disorder effects family members.