Thursday, August 6, 2020

Emancipated Love Junkie: Liberating Myself From Anorexia

Book: Emancipated Love Junkie: Liberating Myself from Anorexia
Author: Rachel Wilshusen

Are you trapped inside an eating disorder? Is biting into a slice of banana bread or simply an apple challenging? If so, Rachel will guide you towards a liberated and beautiful life! In her inspiring memoir, Rachel shares her twenty-year battle with anorexia as she travels the planet as an executive assistant, rock musician, teacher, playwright, and cookie company owner.
Interspersed with humorous anecdotes and raw moments are fresh insights to pin feelings of hope onto your heart. As you replace negative thoughts with positive truths, you’ll feel empowered to join Rachel as an Emancipated Love Junkie—radiating your best self and flooding your world with joy.

Remember when you were a tiny human, gleefully running half-naked through a sprinkler with an ice cream cone in one sticky fist? This book will help you embrace that healthy goodness today, tomorrow, and the rest of your life.-Amazon

Review: Rachel Wilshusen shares her life with us, taking us from her childhood to mid-30's. Born into a loving family who moved often growing up (her father is a military doctor), Rachel was a type-A perfectionist who moved from disordered eating into anorexia as she got older. 

I have only read one previous memoir about an eating disorder and it was filled with caloric intakes and specific weights. It almost read like a 'how to' for anorexia. I like Rachel's method much better-she really shares her childhood, family and life with us, including her disease, but she does it in a way where she doesn't need to constantly talk about weights, measurements or calories. I think a big 'reveal' moment for me was that most people's vision of anorexia (including mine before reading this) is an "emaciated person." This is not always the case and Rachel is a perfect example. While anorexic for years, Rachel, while thin, did not fit into that "emaciated" mold. That is extremely frightening because people can hide their disease for years without friends and families catching on. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Rachel's journey. I love the connection she has with her family and so proud that she was able to seek help. If you are struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder or know someone who is, this would be a good book for them. 


Grade: 4/5