Book Review- Elena Vanishing

Good morning readers!

Today I'm doing a review on a non-fiction book. I've been into reading memoirs this summer. Since this review isn't able to follow my typical rating scale, I had to create a new one. 

I would also like to note, if anyone has sensitivities to eating disorders, self harm, miscarriage or depression, please be cautious of the review portion of this post.

Elena Vanishing by Elena & Clare Dunkle

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Title: Elena Vanishing

Author: Elena & Clare Dunkle

Published: 2015

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Genre: Non Fition, Memoir

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Emotion: ♥♥♥♥♥

Synopsis:

  Seventeen-year-old Elena is vanishing. Every day means renewed determination, so every day means fewer calories. This is the story of a girl whose armor against anxiety becomes artillery against herself as she battles on both sides of a lose-lose war in a struggle with anorexia. 

  Told entirely from Elena's perspective over a five-year period and co-written with her mother, award-winning author Clare B. Dunkle, Elena's memoir is a fascinating and intimate look at a deadly disease, and a must read for anyone who knows someone suffering from an eating disorder.

Review*:

   I do not having an eating disorder and I don't know anyone who has experienced one. As far as an accurate representation, I cannot comment on the methods used for recovery or relate to the eating disorder itself. What I can relate to is Elena's clear depression, anxiety, and self loathing as those are things I have also suffered from.
   The book starts off with High school aged Elena in Germany. She is determined, she is driven, and she is in denial about her condition. As far as self-image; she links the compliments she receives to her weight for that day, she visually dissects her face into sections rather than face the entire image, and has her "conscience" telling her how much of a fat stupid bitch she is.
  I went through my moments on not liking Elena and relating to her for the same reasons. I became annoyed with the harsh, angry parts of her brain that would guide her to her harmful decisions. Having grown up with a similar issue of bad self image, I think what annoyed me was that I was able to over-come it and it was hard to see someone else still suffering from it. 
  I found myself crying a few times, specifically when Elena was on a very downward spiral after her second attempt at a treatment facility was a failure. Reading about her feeling detached from life and turning inward with her pain was very relatable from my own experience with depression. I think it takes that determination and drive that ultimately drove Elena to this low point to pull herself back out of it. Instead of relying on herself, she was able to find assistance in others that really opened her eyes to the larger issues at hand.
   After reading the author's notes, I know the book was written by her mother but I found parts of it a little jarred. I'm not sure if it was the writing, the way the events were portrayed or if it was the way Elena remembered it but I found myself trying to re-read these sections to make more sense. 
  Over-all I would say if you love reading about mental health issues in books, I would recommend this. It was an easy read to get through, I think it accurate portrayed depression and self-loathing aswell. If you are looking to start reading more about mental health or eating disorders, this book would be a good starting point. 

Non-fiction books are harder for me to give an educated review on, but I wanted to share my feelings on this book in particular. For all of my readers who have mental disorders or illnesses, please know that you are not alone and there are a lot of resources for everyone. If you find yourself being harmful to yourself, feel free to reach out to the suicide prevention number or website. 

* There may be spoilers in this section of the review. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please stop reading.