Wintergirls takes you into the mind of Lia, deep, deep within her mind. It is so easy to get lost in it. Her self-loathing, her hateful self-talk, and her false rationalizations about emptiness are overwhelming...but I couldn't stop reading this book! I'm one of those girls who was raised to clean her plate at a meal and if I didn't, I'd get the starving kids around the world speech and I would sit at the table until I was done. Anorexia is a foreign concept to me, very scary, very lonely. The whisperquiet blog is Lia's only link to communicating about her problem and all she does is read what other girls are writing. The wintergirls concept is very poetic and is a running theme throughout the book. Lia cannot get warm, no matter what she does. Anderson is very cautious when writing this book; she has consulted many doctors, laypeople, and girls who have had this disease. The story also revolves around how Lia deals with her friend Cassie's sudden death, that she thinks may be related to Cassie's bulemia, but no one will tell her what really happened in that hotel room where Cassie died, alone. Lia blames herself for not answering the phone when Cassie calls that night, but they hadn't spoken to one another for months. Lia didn't know what was going on in Cassie's life. Anderson also has this crossing out word device that reveals what Lia is actually thinking, but denying to others. I would recommend this to any high school student who is familiar with anorexia, is studying it, or even those who may have a friend who perceives food in caloric numbers as opposed to nourishment. Cheers my friends. Audrey
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