Food and Loathing : A Life Measured Out in Calories

Author: Betsy Lerner
List Price: $12.00
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ISBN: 074325550X
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Paper) (23 February, 2004)
Sales Rank: 15,656
Average Customer Rating: 3.52 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5
A very compelling account.
I couldn't put this book down. Lerner writes extremely well, and with a deliciously mordant sense of humor. As someone who has suffered from compulsive overeating and binge-eating, I can tell you that Lerner's account is deadly accurate as to what life is like for people like us. This is a story that I have lived in many respects, yet Lerner puts it into words in a way that I never could. This is not just about the obese or overweight person; it is also about the multitudes of us who are consumed by calories and the struggle to lose weight, whether it be 100 pounds or 10 pounds. A very good read.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Funny, Smart, Compulsively Readable
This is a terrific read. Lerner has such a light touch, and such a delightfully wicked sense of humor, that anyone will empathize with her story: she's not just a fat girl looking for love and attention, but an extremely intelligent and self-aware person struggling with questions of meaning and worth. Her shocking swings up and down the scale are, for Lerner, swings between life and death, and between meaning and meaninglessness, hope and hopelessness. This memoir is one of the best I've read.

I can think of about five people I want to buy this book for -- it would make a wonderful gift for anyone who's struggled with weight, depression, or any kind of existential angst.

Rating: 1 out of 5
Don't waste your time
While the text was interesting, the writere never really tells how she solves her problems and merely wraps it up quickly. If you are considering reading this to try to work on your own eating issues, don't bother. The author really uses the book to complain about her shrink and never tells how she conquered her food demons. In fact, while she does recover from her severe depression after going on drugs, she never really conquers her eating issues at all.

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