A Very Hungry Girl: How I Filled up on Life...and How You Can, Too!
- Book Review,
by Jessica Weiner
From Publishers Weekly
Twenty-eight can be a bit young to write a successful memoir, and, in this case, the author, a performer and motivational speaker, would have done well to get more life experience before attempting it. Although her parents were very supportive of her, she was picked on by classmates who disrupted her elementary school years and eroded her self-esteem. By the time she was 12, Weiner had become dissatisfied with her body and quickly developed an eating disorder that led to a seesaw of starving, bingeing and getting sick. She attended a performing arts high school where she enjoyed acting, but spent her free time with girlfriends who binged together in order to maintain the ideal body Weiner felt society demanded of females. She describes her relationships with boyfriends in college, including one that turned briefly abusive. Therapy helped with the eating disorder, and Weiner began performing theatrical pieces that dealt with body image and violence toward women. In 1995, Weiner created the ACT Out national theater company, performing these pieces for several years at colleges across the country, and she details the feedback sessions held with troubled students after the show. Weiner's personal story comes from the heart and may help others with eating and self-esteem problems. Her writing, however, is often unfocused, and the many testimonials from students included throughout the narrative smack of self-promotion. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
We’re all hungry—hungry to look good, feel worthy, be loved, and fit in. Our hungers are deep and insatiable. We try to feel full by using food, alcohol, drugs, sex, relationships, careers, or money. No matter what we look like or where we came from, we all share the same intense need to fill up on life, but not many of us know how. A Very Hungry Girl chronicles the journey of Jessica Weiner, who spent most of her life hungering to be someone else. She was so desperate to be accepted and valued that she spiraled into an eating disorder, experiencing the attendant lack of self-esteem that ruled—and almost ruined—her life. This compelling book relates Jessica’s very personal story, and also captures her unique persona as she travels the country as a performer and motivational speaker listening to thousands of other people’s stories. It also presents valuable and concrete tools that you can use to fill up on life . . . and enjoy the full, meaningful existence you deserve!
About the Author
Jessica Weiner is a motivational speaker, author, talk show host, and human being who has dedicated her life to creating work that lifts and upholds the human spirit. She is president of Parallax Entertainment, a multimedia company that produces theater, television, and films based on a wide range of topical issues such as eating disorders, body image, relationships, addiction, school violence, hate crimes, and personable empowerment. While her topics are widely varied, her message is the same: We have the power to change our lives-every second of the day! Jessica is the author of ten plays and numerous magazine articles, and her work has been featured by The Washington Post, Teen People, MTV, and CNN. At the age of 21, she founded her first company, The ACT OUT Ensemble, a nationally touring theater company servicing schools and community groups. Jessica plans on launching a talk show in the next year, as well as a clothing line for plus-sized teens and adults entitled CURVY GIRL. Jessica has reached more than 1,000,000 people with her creative message of hope, strength, and action.
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