Wintergirls

Laurie Halse Anderson
Published 2009
278 Pages
Rating: B+

Synopsis:
Lia and Cassie were best friends. Wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps going this way - thin, thinner, thinnest - maybe she will disappear all together.
(from inside flap of book jacket)

Lia and Cassie had an oath to be the skinniest girls at their school. They became bulimic and sometimes resorted to never eating at all. After a car accident leaves Lia in a hospital and Cassie walks away with no injuries, things change. The doctors found Lia's body after the accident frail and small. They quickly admitted her to a special hospital for the "sick".

Lia and Cassie's friendship soon ended. Cassie had gotten better and wasnt "sick" anymore. Lia was still recovering from her eating disorder, but she wasnt any better. Then one night Cassie dies. And now Lia is haunted by her voice and presence.

Again, Lia is heading toward a downward spiral and losing weight fast. She sets goals for herself that she thinks will make her better, but they only make her worse and threaten her life everyday.

This book is a great example of the scary lives that young women everywhere face. Its a sad book but it teaches a great lesson. I hope that anyone battling an eating disorder will have the courage to get help and save their lives.

-A.