Thin

the long version

This work chronicles an emotional journey that follows four patients through the Renfrew Center, a residential facility in Florida dedicated to the treatment of eating disorders, and includes portraits of fifteen other residents of diverse ages and backgrounds. Critically acclaimed for Girl Culture and Fast Forward, the author continues her exploration of contemporary female culture with this work, a book about eating disorders. The photographs are paired with extensive interviews and journal entries from twenty girls and women who are suffering from various afflictions. We meet 15-year-old Brittany, who is convinced that being thin is the only way to gain acceptance among her peers; Alisa, a divorced mother of two whose hatred of her body is manifested in her relentless compulsion to purge; Shelly, who has been battling anorexia for six years and has had a feeding tube surgically implanted in her stomach; as well as many others. Alongside these personal stories are essays on the sociology and science of eating disorders by renowned researchers Joan Jacobs Brumberg, Dr. David Herzog, and Dr. Michael Strober. These intimate photographs, frank voices, and thoughtful discussions combine to make the book a portrait of profound understanding.