Thin

I loved the documentary, so I bought the book. The book has a lot more content than the documentary. The book is arranged by person, and it includes people who were and weren't in the documentary.I ended up with two copies because I live in various places, depending on where my work sends me, and also depending who lets me stay with them while I'm working in that area. For a few years I ended up going back and forth between two states, so I bought second copies of my favorite books so I wouldn't have to pack a box full of books every time I went back and forth. This book definitely made the list. (I don't think there's a need to explain why. Most people who are interested in this book will know why.)

I absolutely admire the HBO documentary. I have Amazon Prime and have watched the documentary for free numerous times. I had no idea there was a companion book until recently and I thought it would be interesting to delve into the secret lives behind the scenes. I am so glad I bought it. It is so interesting to read the back stories and read even more stories of Renfrew patients who were not featured. I always thought that, if I decided on a change of career, I'd become either a psychologist or social worker and specialize in eating disorders and addictions. I've always been interested in psychology and took several classes in college as electives. This book really shows the disorders of anorexia and bulimia as they truly are. They are not glorified or spun into "how-to" stories, which would be really dangerous. I got really interested in Shelly's story because I agreed with Adam that she was hiding something and it was manifesting itself as an eating disorder when she thought she had overcome the problem. The way she acted made me think it was some form of sexual abuse by a family member and she was afraid of retaliation. I haven't read the whole book yet so I don't know if it was ever revealed, but I'm glad she sought treatment and is steadily improving. I'm sorry to hear that Polly passed away in 2008, though. I'm glad the other girls in the documentary are doing well.

I read "Thin" a day or two after seeing the documentary, and it gave me a better sense of who the 4 women focused on in the documentary, especially of Brittany, the youngest of the four girls. Diary entries by Polly and a letter written by Brittany to her mother were honest and touching. The book also gives us a look at a number of other Renfrew patients who were not in the documentary except in the background. One of them is a woman whose eating disorder began in middle age. There are older women, women of color and a woman who is an overeater who was grateful that the underweight patients (the majority of the patients) were so welcoming to her (which I guess makes sense; it was their own bodies that tormented them). The photos are graphic, but not lurid or sensational; the photos are stark (some of them) but they are haunting as well; you won't forget these women soon. The text includes a lot of the statements made by the four patients who were the focus of the documentary, but it includes other stories told by residents that we don't get to meet in the film.

I went through some of this book after enjoying Lauren Greenfield's "Girl Culture," which included some subjects with eating disorders. I honestly didn't enjoy this book as much, because so much pain is expressed - but it is expressed very well, and it is interesting to see progressions in the four subjects chosen for Greenfield's film of the same name. As with "Girl Curlture," a narrative by the subject accompanies each photo. I don't feel that the photographs are as expressive or as revealing as those in "Girl Culture," but they are excellent. This book is more like a study of eating disorders, more scientific in its purpose. I have a niece with a severe eating disorder, and shall try to find a way to help her to experience either the book or the film. Just as Greenfield used an all-female crew for this project, I'll need to give the book and film to women in my family, who might be able to approach my niece.

Received a book with no cover and the first page or two ripped out. Very disappointed, but the rest of the pages are in good shape.

a much more realistic look into the long term effects of an ED and the reality of treatment to a degree. Though treatment seemed more a joke to most of these girls than a living nightmare which it is to so many of us. Maybe because the camera was following them? Treatment isn't funny in any way, treatment wasn't like 'summer camp' as so many people in many books describe it. it is very traumatic, both the physical refeeding and the emotional ripping open of wounds no therapy can ever seem to nurse to heal.

This book was a good mix of pictures, interviews and information. I devoured it in a day. There are many different girls in the book: teenagers, 20 somethings and eating disorder sufferers in their 40's & beyond. I bought it because I would say I have an e.d. All the other books about anorexia & bulimia I have read were memiors, this book actually gave me new information. It helped me to see how anorexia affects me alot more than I thought. I really want to get the documentary after reading this.

Good book

This book goes alongside the film THIN, which can be seen on youtube. The book version includes stories from patients who were not seen on the film, such as an obese woman whose story really touched me; I was also relieved to hear that she felt a sense of belonging and acceptance within the eating disorder clinic; the other girls did not have a problem with her weight as their fear of fat only applied to their own bodies.The photography Lauren uses to convey the pain of these girls at times made me close to tears. Especially the self harm pictures. However, the acknowledgement of self harm in the book made me feel less alone. In my treatment I have been treated as an anomaly because I self harm, and therefore they believe I will not respond to any treatment an Eating disorder service has to offer. This book, and many other books, show that self harm is common in eating disorders and it should be addressed with the ED, not separately. After-all, it is a symptom just like purging is; it is a way of dealing with the psychological pain of eating.Just a note on the price - I bought mine second hand on amazon for around £10. It was described accurately with the front cover being a bit worn in places when it arrived (which my cat then added to by biting it :P), but all the pages within the book were like new. I would recommend buying it second hand if you are short for money, as I found £20 to be a bit much.

I've suffered from anorexia swinging to and fro A-Typical bulimia for over 20 years I've read many books on the subject and this is one of my best ever reads, i highly recommend this to sufferers and their family / friends who are involved in their care.

Very interesting book, with a good insight in what's it like to be admitted to a hospital because of an eating disorder

,,Thin" von Lauren Greenfield kaufte ich mir, nach dem ich die gleichnamige Dokumentation gesehen hatte.Das Buch ist ein typischer ,,coffee table" Wälzer - riesig groß und eher einladend zum immer wieder durchblättern als zum konkreten Lesen.Wenn man die Doku gesehen hat, ist das Buch natürlich toll zum ,,mehr erfahren" über die gezeigten jungen Frauen und ihre Gedanken. Schön finde ich bei dem Buch auf jeden Fall, dass hier auch alte Patientinnen gezeigt werden. In der Doku wurde sich sehr auf die schönsten und/oder jüngsten Insassen der Renfrew Klinik konzentriert, was alle Vorurteile zum Thema Essstörung leider ungewollt untermauert und daher fragwürdig ist.Problematisch finde ich an ,,Thin", wie wenig da letztendlich eine Message mitschwingt. Wenn man ein dokumentarisches Buch ohne Begeleitaussagen herausbringen will, muss man die subtile Aussage kraftvoll genug gestalten. Es genügt nicht, elend einfach nur zu zeigen. Für essgestörte Menschen ist dieses Buch mehr Porno als alles andere. Manche Fotos in dem Buch sind ausdrucksstark, aber die meisten sind eher melancholisch ästhetisch und romantisieren das Thema ungewollt. Instabile Personen sollten dieses Buch letztendlich eher nicht lesen. Wer sich gefestigt genug fühlt und mehr über die in der Doku gezeigten Frauen wissen will, wird dieses Buch aber sicher mögen.Qualität des Buches ist gut - hochwertiges Papier, klarer Druck, farblich auch ein Eyecatcher.

I was expecting this book to be a more in depth look at the females from the documentary and others. Was also hoping for more pertinent pictures, but instead of it being its own entity, the book kind of relies on the assumption that you've seen the documentary instead of being a good standalone. It's not much of a read and the pictures aren't particularly gripping or informative. There's no story being told and it isn't as intimate as a book like this should be. I was disappointed and it has sat on my book shelf after breezing through it a few times. I wish it was as thought provoking/insightful as the documentary.