This Mean Disease: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Mother's Anorexia Nervosa - Softcover

Becker, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0936077506 ISBN 13: 9780936077505

Publisher: Gurze Books, 2005

Synopsis

In the first book written by the child of someone who died from an eating disorder, Daniel Becker shows us the heartbreaking details of his mother's anorexia nervosa her unrelenting obsession with food and her inability to nourish herself. His earliest memory of her is watching as she packs her suitcase for the first of numerous hospitalizations. From the observations of that confused child to his realization of helplessness as an adult, Daniel conveys the inner world of an anorectic and her family. He provides an intimate portrayal of how he, his father and his two brothers each struggled to balance their loyalty to Mom against the increasing awareness that only by separating from her could they ensure their own survival. In the end, Daniel must come to terms with his mother’s slow demise and begin to lead a life out from under the shadow of her illness.
Part cautionary tale and fully descriptive of how eating disorder effects family members.

About this title

About the Author:

Daniel BeckerContributor residences (San Francisco and Seattle):Daniel Becker was born in San Francisco. He attended Dartmouth College and received a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University. Career highlights include working as a Legislative Assistant to Representative Barbara Boxer in Washington D.C., working with the California Legislative Analyst's Office in Sacramento and working in several different policy positions with the City of Seattle. In 1998, Daniel spent four months living and working in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Daniel's writing experience includes earning two certificates in non - fiction writing from the University of Washington. He has also taught writing courses for the University of Phoenix. His work has been published in Salon.com and Backpacker Magazine. The first two chapters of This Mean Disease earned a finalist spot in the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association's annual literary contest.Recently married to Annette Elinger, Daniel is currently a Master's Candidate in Stanford University's Teacher's Education Program. His father, stepmother and two brothers continue to live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Review:

"An intimate peek at a rarely told story: what it means to grow up with an anorexic mother." -- Judith Ruskay-Rabinor, author of A Starving Madness

"Daniel Becker reveals what I wanted to scream when I was trapped in my own dark silence—it’s not about food!" -- Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed

"The only story told by the son of a mother with anorexia nervosa. The silence surrounding her illness is chilling." -- Richard Gordon, author of Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic

About this edition

• Publisher: Gurze Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0936077506
• ISBN 13: 9780936077505
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192