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Comments |
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Feast of Famine by Julie Coniglia |
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Original Article: |
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Response to Feast of Famine |
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From the outset Caniglia takes and extreme and unforgiving stance against �Wasted� by Marya Hornbacher and another book of the same genre by Elizabeth Wurtzel titled �Prozac Nation.� Labeling the two authors ��attractive twentysomething [memoirists] of misery� may be a catchy tagline but it is a misnomer (1). I cannot speak to Wurtzel�s work, as I am not familiar with it, though I can say that her opinion of Hornbacher is off base. The author made it poignantly clear, both in her book and during subsequent interviews, that the book was not a bid for pity, nor was it necessarily a memoir of her life. Hornbacher told People Magazine, �You can only whine for so long. Then you need to get your life back"(2), and in an interview with Beatrice, she stated, �It�s not even the memoir of a person; it�s a memoir of my disease�(3). Clearly, Hornbacher did not misrepresent her intentions nor did she wallow in self-pity like so many other books on the disorder, which ultimately came off as patronizing with their all too facile �miracle� recoveries and docile characters. Finally someone with nerve and a strong voice stood up and represented this group of women. |
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Yes, �Wasted� is a horrific account of one young woman�s struggle with eating disorders. Hornbacher makes no apologies for that and why should she? A large part of the problem with the literature concerning this subject has to do with this very issue. Hornbacher was the first to say, �This is what it looks like. It's gruesome, it's gory, it's not romantic, it�s not glamorous. Get a grip, get on with your life� (3). So many books before hers glossed over the real issues, hid the dangers, left out the unattractive aspects of the disease. This book is what so many young women have been searching for. As Hornbacher said in a Random House interview, ��when I was beginning the process of my own ongoing recovery, I needed a book like this. I needed the perspective of someone who had lived through an eating disorder, who would cut through the jargon and give me a kick in the pants, and who would ultimately attest to the fact that it was, indeed, possible to get something of a grip on my illness� (4). |
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Before reading �Wasted,� I personally was unaware of the lasting damage eating disorders leave in their wake and I consider myself fairly well versed in the subject. The general public is far worse off, only now are people realizing the seriousness of the disorder. With the average American tipping the scale on the heavy end we�ve become preoccupied with losing the extra �tonnage� as one friend put it, an active, healthy woman with no cause for concern I might add. We consume fat-free foods, live on Starbucks coffee, and spend every free moment obsessively running, biking, and climbing towards that non-existent ideal. While obesity is widely recognized as a contributing factor in cardiovascular disease and other health problems, anorexia and bulimia seem to be swept under the mat when it comes to discussions of deadly disorders. �Wasted� brought to light the very real fact that anorexia and bulimia DO kill. |
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Even more disturbing than public ignorance of anorexia and bulimia as fatal disorders, is the recent trend in gastric bypass surgery. This drastic measure is fast becoming the quick fix and latest craze for the overweight. I challenge you to find one in five people who don�t know someone signing up to go under the knife and in some cases risk further health complications. We need to keep things in perspective: being underweight is no better for your health than being overweight, and a quick fix, while easy, is not usually the answer. Furthermore, to sacrifice health in the name of fashion or society is ludicrous, yet if the driven, over-worked waifs that have become the next generation of career-oriented women are continually rewarded for these behaviors they�ll burn out before they hit 30. This generation is doing everything sooner, better, and faster, but at what cost? |
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I do agree with Caniglia when she writes, �[the] proximity to her ordeal also makes Wasted frequently seem less than fully formed.� It does seem as if the book lacks a formal structure but again, Hornbacher explains this. In the afterword of �Wasted� Hornbacher writes, �This is a book; it ought to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. I cannot give you an end�(5). The book does leave readers wondering how the story ends; remember though, the story�s not over, Hornbacher won�t be put under that easily. What�s more important than an ending, I believe, is the proximity to the experience that Caniglia spoke of. People who have not had experience with eating disorders, be it personally or having dealt with a friend or family member, are likely unable to fully comprehend the importance of Hornbacher�s timing. At the time she was writing the book, the author�s recovery was presumably bringing her back from the darker side of a distorted reality. But this metaphorical position between two worlds and the somewhat retained distorted perspective is what allowed the writer to communicate so effectively to her readers. Hornbacher wrote the truth and in doing so, reached an audience who had yet to be reached through such a medium, which should be considered an accomplishment. |
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Criticism is something I value both as a scientist and as a writer, but Caniglia seems to have conveniently left out the whole story. More than this she has grossly misinterpreted the reasons for which, as I understand them, the book was written. Among these, rectifying myths about the disorders and putting forth a more precise theory regarding the relationship between culture and the illnesses. The demand may be up for such �cult-of-pain� books as Caniglia dubs them, however, one would be wise to consider issues beyond big business and publishing houses� self-interest. The public demands such a product not for it�s shock value, but for it�s identifiable content. Listen to any number of Hornbacher�s readers and you�ll hear the majority of them say she told their story. |
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Works Cited
(1) Caniglia, J. (2001, December 9). Wausau City Pages: A Feast of Famine. URL:
http://www.citypages.com/databank/19/896/article4248.asp (visited December 9, 2001).
(2) Carlin, P.A. & Nelson, M. (1998, April 20). The Hunger: Marya Hornbacher's memoir of a
withering eating disorder feeds her reputation but can't heal her soul. People Magazine, pp. 121+.
(3) Hogan, R. (1998). Beatrice Interview: Marya Hornbacher. URL:
http://www.beatrice.com/interviews/hornbacher/ (visited 2001, December).
(4) March 1998. Random House: Bold Type Interview URL:
http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/0398/hornbacher/interview.html (visited 2002, September).
(5) Hornbacher, M. (1998). Wasted: A memoir of anorexia and bulimia. New York: Harper Collins. |
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