Corrigan, now in her 20s, recounts her experiences as a teenager with an eating disorder in a series of poems distinguished more by the shock value of their contents than by their insight or literary merit. Along with the graphic details of the adolescent Corrigan's secret stockpiles of sealed plastic bags containing her regurgitated meals and her ruses in feigning weight gain, topics include her high school boyfriend Daniel, who shoots himself between the eyes only to have the bullet ricochet out of an eye socket, leaving him alive and, eventually, able to function. Corrigan, still severely anorexic, is with another boyfriend, Ben, when the suicide attempt takes place, but she rushes to Daniel's bedside, aids in his slow recovery and realizes she wants to recover, too. (At some point Ben fatally drives his car into a tree.) Frequent attempts at irony don't deflect from the writer's absorption in her symptoms. Various incidents are rehashed repeatedly, even aggrandized (e.g., comparisons of herself and Daniel to Orpheus and Eurydice), but more fundamental narrative questions receive little attention: why, after all, do these individuals suffer in these particular ways? Corrigan acknowledges that her illness includes elements of competitiveness (as an inpatient, she and her fellows envy the clavicle of a particularly skeletal girl) and exhibitionism ("I wore sleeveless dresses even with scars on my wrists"); both these elements seem fully exploited here.--Publishers Weekly, March 4th 2002In this eloquent and moving poetic memoir, Corrigan recounts her descent into anorexia. In and out of hospitals and treatment facilities for several years, she was unconvinced that her life was worth sustaining despite the frantic efforts of her family and boyfriend. She hid her vomit in plastic bags and buried them in the yard, and took dramatic measures to falsify her progress during weigh-ins. Corrigan was dancing with one boyfriend when another one unsuccessfully attempted suicide and when she read the newspaper detailing the event, she rushed to Daniel's bedside. She then bargained for his life-she would eat if he would live, and he did. Their slow recoveries parallel their growing deep love for one another, and they clung to one another for support, and comfort, and in sexual intimacy. The author's prose poetry is interspersed with interviews between herself and an unnamed therapist. The unusual and effective format sharpens each word, making readers savor and thoughtfully examine each poetic piece. They will also have to hold each puzzlelike entry into open space before judging which piece describes which point in time, given the loose, nonlinear framework. Overall, this book strongly complements the many fiction and nonfiction works on the topic.--School Library JournalStory poems are becoming increasingly popular, and this one will have tremendous appeal for mature teens. High school student Corrigan recounts her experiences as she suffers through several hospitalizations because of her eating disorder. The skinnier she graduates from high school, her ex- boyfriend attempts suicide. Each poem can stand alone, but when read consecutively, all will lead the reader along Corrigan's emotional roller coaster as she deals with her own guilt, shame, fear, and eventual recovery. The reader does not need to know the name of the school she attends, the hospitals she goes to, or even what her family is like. Through her poetry readers will learn to recognize her and understand her world all too well. These poems uncover the raw emotions and the gut feelings that Corrigan struggles with. What is it like when Heather's lunch tray sits untouched and the nurse erases her name from the board without a word? What is it like to sit at the foot of the bed when your ex- boyfriend is in a coma? What is it like to want to be so small that you could disappear? These poems describe a young woman's effort to discover herself and find meaning out of experience. Although the subject matter is depressing, Corrigan manages to find humor and poignancy, in her struggle to survive and heal from these life-altering events.-Lois Parker-Hennion.--Voice of Youth Advocates, October 2002 This book gives a clear idea of what goes on in the mind of a teenager. It portrays the mixed emotions that we, as teenagers, face each day. It is a bit depressing, but unfortunately, speaks the truth. Teenagers face problems that no author can portray better than Corrigan because she is young. In a way, it made me feel that she is talking to every teenager I know who faces issues--not only issues such as dealing with eating disorders and suicide, but others having do with school, family, friends, and boyfriends or girlfriends. These are problems that we all face every day.--Beverley Annan, Teen Reviewer, Voice of Youth Advocates, October 2002
