Yesterday, I was reading a post from Laure Halse Anderson’s blog, one of my favorites. She had mentioned that her latest book, Wintergirls, had been reviewed in the NY Times.
Now it seems it has created a conversation about if this book, which is about anorexia, will trigger eating disorders in young girls.
I read Wintergirls earlier this year, and although I haven’t been a “girl” in a minute, I think if anything it gives a realistic portrayal of what can happen when you have an eating disorder. For me, I took it as a cautionary tale. This is the kind of book that needs to be read in the light of day—not hidden in the dark.
When I was a young girl taking ballet, I saw first hand accounts of girls trying to get to a certain weight, only to find that weight was still “too fat” for them. It’s a vicious cycle, so I definitely know that it’s an issue. But I’m sure this book will not become a “primer” for anorexia.
I love what the Jezebel blog had to say:
While obviously educators or librarians have a responsibility to acquaint themselves with the materials kids are accessing on their watch, it seems ironic that we should be troubled by the appearance of a smart, uncondescending book for young women. It is not good books, however realistic their subject matter, that are causing problems of image and self-esteem. It is not intelligenced, nuanced discussions that are provoking distortion.
As Laurie states in her blog post, it comes down to the basic question: Will our children act in a dangerous manner if they read about dangerous behaviors in books?
I was reading the comments on the NY Times blog about this and one comment struck me saying something to the effect of, while Wintergirls does display the crazed mental state of someone with an eating disorder and is not glamorous at all people who do have eating disorders are also in that same mental state so they are reading the book differently and could see it as some sort of trigger or challenge or inspiration or guide… whatever.
Of course they put it more eloquently but I took that point to heart.
Everyone is going to interpret a book in a different way. I don’t think people will be influenced negatively by the book if they weren’t already pre-disposed to developing an eating disorder. I think not to talk about it or read about it or wonder about it or try to understand it is a mistake.
Summer, I know exactly the NY times response you are referring to. Sometimes I wonder if people realize how many “triggers” teens experience just walking around in the world today. It’s never ending. I also think by talking about these types of issues is how we address them. You can only change what is acknowledged. The ironic thing is that by sheltering teens from “bad” things makes them more vulnerable when they are exposed to them. And in this world–it’s only a matter of time for the exposure.