Purge: Rehab Diaries
Purge is a beautifully crafted memoir that has a Girl, Interrupted feel. In this raw and engaging account of her months in rehab, Nicole Johns documents her stay in a residential treatment facility for eating disorders. Her prose is lucid and vivid, as she seamlessly switches verb tenses and moves through time. She unearths several important themes: body image and sexuality, sexual assault and relationships, and the struggle to piece together one’s path in life. While other books about eating disorders and treatment may sugarcoat the harsh realities of living with and recovering from an eating disorder, Purge does not hold back. The author presents an honest, detailed account of her experience with treatment, avoiding the clichéd happily-ever-after ending while still offering hope to those who struggle with eating disorders, as well as anyone who has watched a loved one fight to recover from an eating disorder. Purge sends a message: though the road may be rough, ultimately there is hope.
Review
In her twenties, Ph.D. candidate Johns had an eating disorder not otherwise specified, both purging and restricting food. Readers go inside the treatment center that saved her life, experiencing therapy and the field trips with the author. If you could handle Girl, Interrupted, you can handle this unflinching work rooted in feminist self-reflection. –Library Journal, March 10, 2009
This book was amazing. If you currently suffer or have suffered from an eating disorder, chances are you will feel like it was written for you. The perspective that Nicole Johns shares is so real, genuine, and honest. I could relate to nearly everything she was saying, which made it impossible to put the book down. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who currently suffers, has suffered, or wants to know more about what it’s like to suffer from an eating disorder. It doesn’t get much better than this.
