Product Description

Winner of four major awards, this updated edition of Joan Jacobs Brumberg's Fasting Girls, presents a history of women's food-refusal dating back as far as the sixteenth century. Here is a tableau of female self-denial: medieval martyrs who used starvation to demonstrate religious devotion, "wonders of science" whose families capitalized on their ability to survive on flower petals and air, silent screen stars whose strict "slimming" regimens inspired a generation. Here, too, is a fascinating look at how the cultural ramifications of the Industrial Revolution produced a disorder that continues to render privileged young women helpless. Incisive, compassionate, illuminating, Fasting Girls offers real understanding to victims and their families, clinicians, and all women who are interested in the origins and future of this complex, modern and characteristically female disease.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #137724 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-10
• Released on: 2000-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
"Full of fascinating cases, from medieval saints and Victorian spiritualists to contemporary college students and media celebrities."--Alison Lurie

"Brilliant--. A masterful blend of history and contemporary issues."--Journal of Social History

Review
"Full of fascinating cases, from medieval saints and Victorian spiritualists to contemporary college students and media celebrities."--Alison Lurie

"Brilliant--. A masterful blend of history and contemporary issues."--Journal of Social History

From the Inside Flap
Winner of four major awards, this updated edition of Joan Jacobs Brumberg's Fasting Girls, presents a history of women's food-refusal dating back as far as the sixteenth century. Here is a tableau of female self-denial: medieval martyrs who used starvation to demonstrate religious devotion, "wonders of science" whose families capitalized on their ability to survive on flower petals and air, silent screen stars whose strict "slimming" regimens inspired a generation. Here, too, is a fascinating look at how the cultural ramifications of the Industrial Revolution produced a disorder that continues to render privileged young women helpless. Incisive, compassionate, illuminating, Fasting Girls offers real understanding to victims and their families, clinicians, and all women who are interested in the origins and future of this complex, modern and characteristically female disease.

Customer Reviews

great
This book has a lot of great info in it. I enjoyed reading it and found a lot of it to be new information.

Necessary Reading
The obvious strength of this book as a history of the development of Anorexia Nervosa comes from its unbiased approach. As a historian, the author has walked brilliantly the fine line between simply retelling the past and critically evaluating it. (Sometimes stupid ideas need to be called stupid ideas!) It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in eating disorders or nutrition.

The subtle strength of this book is its format for discussing disease development in a social and political context. Anyone interested in disease etiology beyond simply the biochemical approach should also read this book, as a guide to how to put disease in a realistic context.

Brilliant all round!

Fun Informational Read

This book was very well done.

I had previously read a book like it called "From Fasting Saints to Anorexic Girls" which was written in the manner of a stuffy academic. At first I was afraid this book might turn out to be the same but thankfully I read the reviews on it and decided to give it a try.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an eating disorder or interested in the history of the relationship between women and their bodies.