Thin

by Michael Strober, Lauren Greenfield, Joan Jacobs Brumberg, et al.

Book Overview

Critically acclaimed for Girl Culture and Fast Forward , Lauren Greenfield continues her exploration of contemporary female culture with Thin , a groundbreaking book about eating disorders. Greenfield's photographs are paired with extensive interviews and journal entries from twenty girls and women who are suffering from various afflictions. We meet 15-year-old Brittany, who is convinced that being thin is the only way to gain acceptance among her...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081185633X
• ISBN13: 9780811856331
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Good read

This was the first book I've ever read on a topic like this, and I think it could have been a little bit more informative about the different kinds of eating disorders and general information about the subject, but I think it was more personal and easier to read and really try to understand with the stories and inner feelings of people who suffer from it. It was interesting to see points of view from different people but the pictures and journal entries are what really kept my attention and being able to put a face to their stories really made it a more intimate reading experience, it also helped me to relate to parts of some of their stories more and have a deeper understanding. I would definitely reccomend

Realistic Look at the Mental and Physical Ravages of EDs

As a former anorexic (purging type--in recovery for ten years and two months exactly!), I bought this book partially expecting to be triggered by the graphic pictures of women who reached weights that I never "achieved." Instead I found an honest, raw and, ultimately, tragic portrait of what it's like to still be in the grips of an eating disorder. I didn't expect this book to make me feel this way, but I'm so grateful to be recovered--even when I think my stomach sticks out and that I have thunder thighs! Thanks Lauren, for reminding me of what it's like to be embroiled in an all-consuming obsession with food and weight and worth--of never being good enough, of letting an inanimate object (food) determine my value. I'm happy to be free, even though I never got deathly "thin." I was thin and am thin . . . enough.

Any health library, especially those with a few standard texts on the subject, must have this unique

Photographer Lauren Greenfield has produced other projects capturing youth in color, but THIN is one of her most ambitious projects yet, capturing the faces and results of eating disorders in all ages. The Renfrew Center in Florida serves as the source of her inspiration, with chapter profiling four patients at Renfrew ages 15 to 30, and including some fifteen others. Her interviews with these women supplement their own art and journal entries and provide a strong visual testimony to the unhappiness and power of eating disorders. Any health library, especially those with a few standard texts on the subject, must have this unique visual approach.

Impressively done and very graphic

As someone recovering from an eating disorder, I have noticed that there is a continuing problem with much of the eating disorder literature and media available today; while it effectively serves as an educational tool for those trying to understand the dark world of eating disorders, it can often serve as a trigger for those trying to recover from an eating disorder. However I have found that Lauren Greenfield's work, both on her Thin documentary and book, does not do this. In fact, Greenfield's work is the first piece of information on eating disorders that has truly repulsed me from the very condition of having an eating disorder. This is the first time I have ever felt this way, and that is very significant, because the difficult part of breaking away from disordered eating is actually seeing that it is a repulsive act. For this reason, I highly recommend both the book and the documentary for those who actively want to recover, and need inspiration, and to those who are having a difficult time understanding why a friend or loved one is going through it. Greenfield pulls no punches and does not sugar coat any aspect of the girls recovering at the Renfrew Center in Florida (to my knowledge there are no males shown at this facility when the filming occurs, despite the fact that there are men with eating disorders too) Be warned the footage is graphic - there is a lot of vulgar language, views of these women throwing up (one even literally tosses her small dog out of the bathroom, then locks the dog in a crate just so she can have privacy while she vomits), and both the book and the DVD show women's scarred bodies both from self-mutilation and from suicide attempts. All in all, I am very impressed with Greenfield's work. Well done.

Heartbreaking and Beautiful

'Thin' was written as a companion to the documentary with the same name. I saw the documentary, which is just as noteworthy as the book, but I find the book to be a lot more intriguing. While the doc. only follows four girls the book holds the stories of numerous girls staying at the Renfrew Clinic in Flordia. The book is informative and has the girls stories along with pictures. While I find the book to be informative and captivating it is also very triggering. The pictures and stories may cause ill feelings for those suffering from the disorder. At the same time it may help someone cope with the disease if they know someone suffering from Anorexia, Bulimia, Complusive Exercising, etc. I highly recommend this book and all the knowledge that it holds.

Amazing.

This book is beautifully put together. Like a picture story book, this documentary of women struggling with/recovering from eating disorders is an eye opening look at how quickly and deeply someone can lose themselves and become a hollow shell of who they once were. It's an honest portrayal of a serious disease and its sufferers. The photographs, as all of Lauren Greenfield's photography I've seen, are beautiful and haunting. **Possible trigger for those in recovery. ** I highly recommend this book.