Bibliography: Kessler, Jackie Morse. (2010). Hunger. New York: Graphia. ISBN: 978-0547341248

Plot Summary: Lisbeth is dealing with her own set of problems–battling with food and hiding it from the people who care about her when she is visited by Death.  When he hands her a set of scales and informs her that she has been appointed Famine she figures it must be a hallucination.  But even she can’t ignore the giant black horse nibbling on the bushes in her front yard.  As Famine, she rides her horse across the planet and when she sees real hunger and devastation starts to change on the inside.

Critical Analysis: While I find the idea of someone with an eating disorder becoming Famine interesting and perhaps almost too obvious in a way, what really works here is Lisbeth’s voice.  It is like you are inside the head and mind and actions of an anorexic.  And nothing about it is easy and nothing about it is glamorous or fun.  Even her bulimic friend, partner in supporting and hiding their mutual problems, comes off as weird and strange and not a real friend at all.  This book belongs in public and school libraries everywhere and would make a great companion to a discussion with tweens and teens on eating disorders.  It is a bonus that it is such a compelling read.

Review Excerpts: “The storytelling is both realistic and compassionate. If the metaphor…is obvious, the writing is never preachy…. This book has an excellent hook and is short enough to recommend to reluctant readers.”–School Library Journal

“Kessler has written an unusual allegory about eating disorders, one that works on several levels….Kessler offers a refreshingly new approach to the YA eating-disorder genre that reinforces the difficulty of conquering these diseases.”–Booklist

“Kessler realistically conveys the vicious nature of the girls’ eating disorders, providing graphic depictions of their binging, purging, and starvation.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Adult author Kessler’s concept and characters may not be wholly original, as she indicates in her author’s note, but her ear for dialogue, fluid prose and dark humor elevate this brief novel above other ‘issue books.’”–Kirkus Reviews

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