[.ca] Stick Figure (ISBN 0425178900)

From Amazon.com:
In the image-conscious world of 1970s Beverly Hills, 11-year-old Lori knows she's different. Instead of trading clothes and dreaming of teen idols like most of her pre-adolescent friends, Lori prefers reading books, writing in her journal and making up her own creative homework assignments. Chronically disapproving of her parents' shallow lifestyle, she challenges their authority and chafes under their constant demands to curb her frank opinions and act more "ladylike." Feeling as though she has lost control over her rapidly changing world, Lori focuses all her concentration on one subject: dieting. Her life narrows to a single goal--to be "...the thinnest eleven year old on the entire planet." But once she achieves her "stick figure," Lori really sees herself for the first time in a restaurant bathroom mirror and decides then and there to bring herself back from the brink of starvation. Stick Figure is a surprisingly upbeat memoir, mainly due to Gottlieb's descriptions of her upper-crust parents: "Mom and I usually don't like the same movies. For example, she didn't like my favorite movie, Star Wars, probably because no one goes shopping...." But despite the sly humor, Lori comes to a sobering conclusion that is, sadly, still relevant today: "...you can be too thin and not even know it, because you spend so much time listening to everyone talk about how ladies are supposed to diet, and how something's wrong with you if you aren't worried about being thin, too." Culled from Gottlieb's pre-teen diaries, Stick Figure is a wry and engaging observation of an eating disorder and the society that contributed to it. --Jennifer Hubert

read Wasted instead:
it was entertaining, but not what i expected. i was so excited to buy it, then very disapointed. read Wasted instead.

THE REAL DEAL - Funny, Smart and Totally Honest:
This is one of the most honest and observant accounts of anorexia -- and of female adolescence -- that I've come across. Lori Gottlieb is smart, unbelievably funny, and like most young women, confused. She shares her confusion through her hilarious diary entries -- outrageous, precocious, and raw. Her powers of observation may make us laugh (she offers her take on everything from the media and her peer group to her teachers, parents and eventually, her team of doctors) but these diaries will also strike a chord with any woman -- of any age -- who struggles to figure out who she is in our media-saturated culture. I gave it to my mother, my sister, and even my boyfriend (who said it gave him an entirely new understanding of what women go through). Bravo to Lori Gottlieb! Her book should be read by mothers and daughters, teachers and students, boyfriends and girlfriends, and book clubs everywhere ... with a lively discussion group to follow.

Stick Figure Changes Minds:
1978 Lori Gottlieb has a new perspective on life. Every year she wishes to be thiner, usually on her birthday. Now her wish kicks into reality! She starts to get very skinny, too skinny. She gets a disease called anorexia and her parents start to worry. Her life goes down hill from there. I love this book because it taught me a couple of lessons. Don't judge people on the outside, judge people on the inside, and never try to change yourself. For readers like myself that only like to read real, deep, sad books, I recomand this to you. A girl just like you that really hits rock bottom.

Interesting, but this is not an authentic diary:
I defer to a previous reviewer who stated, "This book was no more written by an 11-year-old than it was written by my Himalayan cat." This book sounds like an adult desperately trying to sound 11. I also found the book lacking in any real or useful substance. It's more like a Juvenile Fiction book--interesting while reading it, but ultimately forgettable. In absolutely no WAY is this book as "amazing as Wasted!" (by Marya Hornbacher)!! For an infinitely better book than "Stick Figure," I highly recommend "Diary of an Anorexic Girl" by Morgan Menzie. Really insightful, funny at times, and beautifully written.

Almost a mockery.:
I have read many books on eating disorders. While I somewhat appreciated the lighter side of this book, as eating disorders are very serious issues, it almost seemed as though she was mocking people with eating disorders. That's just how it came across to me, and I'm not sure why. The story didn't seem to have a real ending- she shows no signs of complete recovery or destined to a life in hospitals. I feel like it was written just as a "me too" type of story- everyone wants credit for their own little story to share.