Description

"An unsparing, terrifying, razor-edged self-portrait that cuts right into the heart of this most paradoxical of psychological disorders.” — Patricia Chao author of Monkey King

A classic of psychology and eating disorders, now reissued with an important, and perhaps controversial, new afterword by the author, Wasted is New York Times bestselling author Marya Hornbacher’s highly acclaimed memoir that chronicles her battle with anorexia and bulimia.

Vivid, honest, and emotionally wrenching, Wasted is the memoir of how Marya Hornbacher willingly embraced hunger, drugs, sex, and death—until a particularly horrifying bout with anorexia and bulimia in college forever ended the romance of wasting away.

In this updated edition, Hornbacher, an authority in the field of eating disorders, argues that recovery is not only possible, it is necessary. But the journey is not easy or guaranteed. With a different ending to her story that adds a contemporary edge, Wasted continues to be timely and relevant.

About the Author

Marya Hornbacher is an award-winning journalist and bestselling writer. Her books include the memoirs Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, which has been published in twelve languages, and the New York Times bestseller Madness: A Bipolar Life; the recovery books Sane: Mental Illness, Addiction, and the Twelve Steps, and Waiting: A Nonbeliever's Higher Power; and the novel The Center of Winter. She teaches in the graduate creative writing program at Northwestern University and lives in Chicago.

Praise For…

“An unsparing, terrifying, razor-edged self-portrait that cuts right into the heart of this most paradoxical of psychological disorders.” — Patricia Chao author of Monkey King

“A gritty, unflinching look at eating disorders....written from the raw, disintegrated center of young pain....Hornbacher describes [such phenomena] with a stark candor that captures both their pain and underlying purposes....She is wise beyond her years.” — New York Times Book Review

“A scary but tentatively triumphant memoir....Told with grace, sharp humor, and candor.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“A scary but tentatively triumphant memoir...[Told] with grace, sharp humor and candor.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“A memoir that resonates with unflinching candor and ironic wit, Wasted is a book that can save lives. The courage that prompted it awes me. Yes, this one is not to be missed.” — Dorothy Allison

“A scary but tentatively triumphant memoir....[Told] with grace, sharp humor and candor.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Her book will be value not only to fellow sufferers: Any woman who has ever been made gleeful by the diminishing of her physical self will gain from reading this painful and sharp-boned account. ” — Newsday

“Hornbacher writes like an artist, shaping her themes without self-pity or self-importance, wondering with intelligence why the dissatisfaction everyone feels with life is so often blamed on the female body.” — Village Voice

“Powerful, compelling, intelligent....A memoir that has the tension and movement of a well-paced novel. You simply cannot put Wasted down.” — San Diego Union Tribune

“Startlingly frank, breathtakingly emotive.” — Elle

“Stunning...A tortured-yet-compelling account of a life spent bingeing, purging, and starving...A primal scream of a story sure to resonate even with those who possess a healthy attitude toward food and weight.” — Glamour

“This is a terrifically well-written book, completely devoid of self-pity.” — Entertainment Weekly

“An unsparing, terrifying, razor-edged self-portrait that cuts right into the heart of this most paradoxical of psychological disorders.” — Patricia Chao