Thank you so much to the #KidLitExchange Network and Macmillian Press for a chance to read this book. All opinions are my own.
Good Enough. Do we ever feel good enough? Maybe some people do, but 12 year old Riley sure doesn’t. In this amazing, and sometimes painful book by Jen Petro-Roy, readers are shown into the mind of a 12 year old struggling with an eating disorder.
The power from this book comes from the fact that it is written in journal form while Riley is in an inpatient treatment center. Readers hear her voice and get her perspective as she documents what she is going through and how it all makes her feel. The battle that Riley goes through when she knows that there are rules she is supposed to follow, but that her roommate is breaking them and still exercising. We watch as she struggles to realize that starving herself and running to exhaustion are keeping her from living her best life.
Through Riley’s journal entries we are also introduced to other girls with similar problems. It was a very realistic portrayal of body dysmorphia and the thoughts of someone with the anxiety about food and weight that Riley suffers from. You know she is going to get better, though still struggle, but the roadblocks she faces help those who might know someone with anorexia or bulimia. Petro-Roy speaks from her own experiences.
For anyone suffering from disordered eating, or parents who might have concerns, Petro-Roy has also written a nonfiction companion that obviously can stand on its own. In You Are Enough, Petro-Roy explains what disordered eating is (LOVE that term) and the kind of anxieties people can suffer from. In a voice that teens can understand, she tries to help explain the illness, tools to help someone recover, and how to find your true voice. She also starts the book by talking about the medical professionals that you should include in your recovery.
As someone with “disordered eating,” I found both books spot on. I found that there were triggers in Good Enough, but I knew that was likely to happen before I started. There was a moment in the book that hit me like a ton of bricks. These books are important to help the people who know someone struggling with food as well as steps to take to get better.
If you know someone who might need help with an eating disorder, please talk to a medical professional.