The Thawing After Winter

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     Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson is in no way an easy book to digest. Not because it's poorly written or it has a bad story, but because Anderson takes no time in sugarcoating the very real subject of this book: Anorexia. The main character, Lia, began counting calories and restricting her diet in just eighth grade along with her, now dead, friend, Cassie. 

    I think what Anderson does amazingly in this novel is portray the mentality behind eating disorders. It may start with wanting to be skinny because skinny equals pretty, but it can quickly move past being pretty. Early in the book, we find the statement, "Yesterday's dirt and mistakes have moved through me. I am shiny and pink inside. Empty is good. Empty is strong" (Anderson, 7). Her mentality has nothing to do with attracting guys. She genuinely believes that being thin is good for her; that it makes her stronger. She enjoys knowing that she's the thinnest person in the room. "I measure myself. I can't play soccer, and most of them have better grades than me. But I am the thinnest girl in the room, hands down" (Anderson, 78). People who have eating disorders often don't even register that they have one because they think that what they are doing is what will keep them healthy. Their entire mentality is shifted and they've convinced themselves so well that their thoughts are correct that it can be difficult to help them see what is wrong or to even listen to you without writing you off as someone who has no idea what they are talking about.

    While I personally wasn't a huge fan of this book due to it's frequent use of metaphors and poetic descriptions, I absolutely think that this book or at least it's topic needs to be introduced in schools apart from a health class. As I stated earlier, Lia began this behavior in eighth grade. This starts early and our preventative measures should reflect that. Showing this book to a class could also help a student realize that they have the same thoughts and ideas that Lia does and, ultimately, see a glimpse of how dangerous anorexia is. The lack of information given to young adolescents is doing more harm than good and having a text like this, even if it is just taught in small sections, could make a large difference.

Comments

  1. Olivia BennettOctober 16, 2020 at 4:02 PM

    Hey Nalayna,
    This book sounds like it could be really beneficial to teach in a classroom. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character has an eating disorder. I definitely have not touched on the topic of eating disorders inside a classroom other than health class. I like the fact that you pointed out how the main character isn’t starving herself for male attention. I feel like that is a misconception that people often have. That young girls feel like they have to be skinny in order to feel attractive. I feel like based off of your blogpost this novel goes into the psychology and emotional aspects of anorexia along with the physical components. I definitely will be considering giving this book a read.
    Olivia Bennett

    ReplyDelete

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