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Debbie Wiley
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Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1887) by Victor Vasnetsov


The Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Woodcut by Albrecht Dürer)
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Hunger
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
by Jackie Morse Kessler
   

 
Every calorie counts….

Lisabeth “Lisa” Lewis knows she isn’t thin. Her inner “Thin voice” reminds her constantly of just how fat she is. She’s already lost a best friend after she accused Lisa of being anorexic. Little does she realize what her dieting and exercise regime will lead to as Lisa is about to become Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Jackie Morse Kessler tackles the sensitive issue of eating disorders in a clever and imaginative fantasy. The idea of a girl with anorexia becoming Famine is nothing short of brilliant as it adds a new perspective to both the concepts of anorexia and famine, showing how food can control people in vastly different scenarios. Using the Four Horseman as a metaphor demonstrates the correlation and provides an excellent illustration of how a person with an eating disorder faces internal battles on a daily basis.

Lisa is an engaging heroine. It’s easy to fall into the thought processes that guide her anorexia. Her low self-esteem permeates the pages. Her relationship with Tammy is particularly intriguing as she bears witness to someone just like herself- controlled by food. Jackie Morse Kessler also does a phenomenal job at showing how Lisa’s support system fails despite the best of intentions by family and friends- and offers hope on how that support system can still make a difference. Most importantly, however, is point that a person can only change themselves- and HUNGER is a great resource to reach out to those who may be affected by an eating disorder. The Author’s Note at the end is powerful and I’m glad that Jackie Morse Kessler shares this with the reader.

HUNGER is a must read for teenagers, parents, and anyone who struggles with being controlled by food. The insights the book provides are invaluable as Jackie Morse Kessler avoids being preachy or condemning and allows the reader to see the correlations between Famine and anorexia. I only wish the book had been longer but perhaps, if so, the intensity might have been lessened. HUNGER is a short but deeply introspective tale in which reality and fantasy blur quite easily. Bravo to Jackie Morse Kessler for the guts to write this one!

Publisher:  Graphia/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Books (October 2010)

Reviewed by Debbie, Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
Courtesy of Amazon Vine

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