Wintergirls

How is it possible that 2 years have gone by since my last post? I'll never catch up, but I'll try to post reviews more regularly. Really!

Here goes:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. Wow. This book is intense.

Lia and Cassie have been best friends since they were 9, and they vowed to be the skinniest girls in the school. Now they're 15, Lia's anorexic, and Cassie's body was just found in a motel room. Although they hadn't really been friends for a few months, the night she died, Cassie phoned Lia 33 times. Lia didn't answer. Now Lia's trying to stay strong, which for her means get skinnier.

The horror of an eating disorder is clearly portrayed in this book, and it's already been banned by paranoid folk who are convinced it will turn teens into anorexics. LHA consulted with eating disorder specialists, who told her that yes, her book might be a trigger for anorexics, but so could TV, a magazine, a poster, a cereal box, or just about anything else. She certainly doesn't shy away from the tough stuff. I thought Speak was fantastic too, of course.