Revell, 2006, 208 pp., $12.99,
revellbooks.com
Christie Pettit started her freshman year of college as a bright and promising student-athlete. She had become a Christian in high school, achieving success in relationships, sports and academics. She would spend her first nine months of college pursuing that same level of excellence while spiraling into the self-destructive behaviors of anorexia. She kept a journal as a part of her quiet time with God. These entries chronicle her negative body image and her long battle for recovery. Christie’s original regimen for health and fitness in college included eating healthy foods and exercising. Quickly, these became rigid rules for reduced-calorie intake and obsessive exercising. With the help of her faith and some professional counseling, Christie found healing. She later became a counselor and includes practical advice for teen readers. Youth workers should be aware of students like Christie. They might be high functioning and full of life but secretly hungry and “empty.”
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Review by: Mary Springston, youth worker, Colorado Springs, Colorado
