Reading Response, Purge Rehab Diaries

This week, I went back to reading Purge Rehab Diaries. I had stopped reading it last week, because I felt as if the topic was too depressing. The book revolves around eating disorders with the two main characters being impacted by a certain eating disorder. I was interested in reading it, initially, because I occasionally encounter conversations about eating disorders but am not informed about it much. I went back to it since I I didn't really have another book to read. But so far, it has been a fascinating book. The author drags me into the book as she guides me through the lives of people who have been affected by anorexia and bulimia.

            I used to think that anorexia was just a term for a disease where people refused to eat anything. I didn’t even know what bulimia was. As I read the book, I realized how off I was about anorexia. There are different types of anorexic people, some being anorexic as well as bulimic. I never really thought much about all of the health issues that evolve from eating disorders. The only problem I knew about was an early death. Reading each page, my mind processed over how little they eat and about their messed up eating schedules/cycles. I was amazed reading each page. It's a shame how weight is such an obsession to people with eating disorders. I learned about binging and purging, where people eat heavily in a very short amount of time and throw it all up afterwards. I feel terrible inside of me as I read through these diaries. My eyes have opened to a whole other level of perfectionism and how serious the media plays a role on our society. The media persuades our society into thinking: Skinny is the new pretty, and fat is ugly.

Nicole Johns, Purge Rehab Diaries

10/31 - 15 min., 11/1 - 15 min., 11/2 - 60 min. 11/3 - 60 min.

Total: 150 min. pages 129-180