Behind the Broken Image

by Debra M. Cooper and Remuda Ranch

Alexa, Abby, and Robin are all sharing the same shameful secret that has already compromised the health, endangered the future, and devastated the families of all three. They now stand at the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932124756
• ISBN13: 9781932124750
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: ACW Press
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Debra M. Cooper crafts an insider look at recovery

Debra M. Cooper's book, Behind the Broken Image, captures what it is like to be entering the first stages of recovery from an eating disorder. With compassion, she tells the story of three eating disordered females- 2 teen girls and one adult woman. She also captures the reactions of the families-- their pain, anguish, and frustration at not being able to "fix" the people they love. Highly recommended.

An Inside Look at Anorexia, Bulemia, and Remuda Ranch

If you want to gain a deeper insight into the complex and puzzling issue of anorexia and bulimia, you can hunt for a boring psychological text, or you could read this extremely engaging novel by someone who works for the world's premiere treatment center for eating disorders. This novel is gripping, fast paced, and extremely informational. The author tracks three females, a little girl, a teenager, and a young socialite as they each struggle with an eating disorder. She does a masterful job of making these people so real it is as if you are invisible and standing in the room with them. It is clear that she has a great depth of experience. She explores how the eating disorders affect the patient as well as the rest of the family. There are no quick and easy answers, no platitudes, and one size does not fit all. Early in the book the author drops a bomb that will make your jaw drop--and will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can. As a novel, this is an excellent read. It is extremely well written. But even more than that, it also shines in "fleshing out" the diseases of anorexia and bulimia in a very visceral way. You will feel the despair, the hopelessness, the anger, the joy, the elation, the darkness. That is true for family members as well as patients. This novel answered countless questions I had about anorexia, and it was so good I gave a copy to a pastor who has an anorexic relative. I also had my daughter, who is in nursing school, read it. (She then procured her own copy!) There are some difficult parts of this book because the "fictional" cases are actually collages drawn from the experience of real patients. This is more than a novel. At times it will break your heart. Other times it explores the magnificence of the human spirit and God's ability to heal. But that is part of what makes it both realistic and educational. There is probably no better introduction to anorexia and bulimia than "Behind the Broken Image."

Insightful book

This is a fictional story about 3 cases at Remuda Ranch eating disorder center. My daughter has been there twice, so I had an interest in the subject. It was interesting, real, and insightful. Each person's experience is so different, but she did an excellent job developing each girl/woman. Having been to the ranch many times, it gave you a peek into life at Remuda.