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Bones: Anorexia, Anxiety and My Path to Self-Love
"...an engaging, humorous, purposefully educational, and deeply enlightening memoir. 5 Stars."
—Reader Views
Bones is the tragicomic, roller coaster story of Robyn Shumer’s lifelong battle with—and triumph over—a crippling eating disorder. It’s an honest, first-person account that takes the reader inside the emotional, mental, physical, and social world of an anorexic from childhood to adulthood, through four decades of a changing society whose message to girls and women remained stubbornly the “thinner is the winner.”
With humor, Shumer paints a memoir of self-hatred, self-love, loss, anger, determination, and acceptance that is relatable to anyone who has suffered the ramifications of our food-and-body-obsessed culture.
Sprinkled with wisdom from experts, this personal diary will both engage and inform the reader. Shumer’s goal is to help those who suffer from anorexia, and their loved ones, too. She hopes to show the world that mental illness doesn’t define us, or prevent us from living successful, fulfilling lives. Bones is a living example of fearlessly sharing the stories that shape us.
—Reader Views
Bones is the tragicomic, roller coaster story of Robyn Shumer’s lifelong battle with—and triumph over—a crippling eating disorder. It’s an honest, first-person account that takes the reader inside the emotional, mental, physical, and social world of an anorexic from childhood to adulthood, through four decades of a changing society whose message to girls and women remained stubbornly the “thinner is the winner.”
With humor, Shumer paints a memoir of self-hatred, self-love, loss, anger, determination, and acceptance that is relatable to anyone who has suffered the ramifications of our food-and-body-obsessed culture.
Sprinkled with wisdom from experts, this personal diary will both engage and inform the reader. Shumer’s goal is to help those who suffer from anorexia, and their loved ones, too. She hopes to show the world that mental illness doesn’t define us, or prevent us from living successful, fulfilling lives. Bones is a living example of fearlessly sharing the stories that shape us.
- GenresNonfiction
277 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2024
8 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 21, 2024
✍️ BOOK REVIEW ✍️
Thank you @dartfrogbooks for the gifted book copy
TITLE: BONES: Anorexia, Anxiety, and My Path to Self Love
AUTHOR: Robyn Shumer
PUB DATE: 08.13.2024
BONES by Robyn Shumer is a beautifully written memoir about Shumer’s life and her first memory of her developing anorexia well before the medical community even understood the condition. This memoir was really more than about anorexia - it’s about a young woman who loves her parents unconditionally despite her challenging relationship with her mother, and the ever-loving support and understanding from her father. What I loved are the beautiful poetry dispersed throughout and the sessions with her therapists, but even more is the story of hope and strength through this that inspired me.
This is truly a fantastic memoir - a story of strength, resilience, and love of self.
Thank you @dartfrogbooks for the gifted book copy
TITLE: BONES: Anorexia, Anxiety, and My Path to Self Love
AUTHOR: Robyn Shumer
PUB DATE: 08.13.2024
BONES by Robyn Shumer is a beautifully written memoir about Shumer’s life and her first memory of her developing anorexia well before the medical community even understood the condition. This memoir was really more than about anorexia - it’s about a young woman who loves her parents unconditionally despite her challenging relationship with her mother, and the ever-loving support and understanding from her father. What I loved are the beautiful poetry dispersed throughout and the sessions with her therapists, but even more is the story of hope and strength through this that inspired me.
This is truly a fantastic memoir - a story of strength, resilience, and love of self.
August 13, 2024
This incredible book tells Robyn Shumer's story about her on-going battle with an eating disorder and her experiences getting the help she needed to find the way to recovery. She writes about her challenging relationship with her mother and how thoughtless comments and other difficult situations contributed to her unhealthy thoughts about food and her body as a child on up to adulthood.
I loved the relaxed candid feel of the writing style and the way it drew me in like a conversation with a friend. There is an underlying sense of humor to offset the dark topic and the author gets her point across while entertaining the reader at the same time. It's a book I couldn't put down and I read it from start to finish in one sitting. Her journey is eye-opening and learning more about the thought processes behind an eating disorder was enlightening.
Robyn's commitment to a healthy lifestyle for herself and her children, and the desire to help others achieve the same is admirable. It takes a lot of courage to share such a personal story, but the way she uses her past to bring hope and positivity to those in need shines a light on just how far you can go on your own journey.
I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the relaxed candid feel of the writing style and the way it drew me in like a conversation with a friend. There is an underlying sense of humor to offset the dark topic and the author gets her point across while entertaining the reader at the same time. It's a book I couldn't put down and I read it from start to finish in one sitting. Her journey is eye-opening and learning more about the thought processes behind an eating disorder was enlightening.
Robyn's commitment to a healthy lifestyle for herself and her children, and the desire to help others achieve the same is admirable. It takes a lot of courage to share such a personal story, but the way she uses her past to bring hope and positivity to those in need shines a light on just how far you can go on your own journey.
I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 4, 2025
Robyn Shumer’s compelling memoir “Bones: Anorexia, Anxiety, and My Path to Self-Love” explores the subtleties of family dynamics while revealing the author’s deepest emotional and physical struggles, which arose from a skewed perception of adding weight which she saw as the ultimate “kiss of death.”
Shumer’s concern about gaining weight at the age of eight was heightened by her father’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and the pictures of Brooke Shields and Heather Locklear on her brother’s bedroom wall. Her legs were becoming thicker, and she was getting the impression that she did not belong since she thought only women with stick-thin thighs counted. One day, her teacher labeled her legs “elephant legs,” which made her reevaluate her eating patterns. She started to act strangely, chewing meals several times before swallowing them to burn more calories and sometimes flushing them down the toilet. As her anxiety rose, she requested that her parents get her a small trampoline so she could exercise around the clock.
In Shumer’s family, outward looks were highly valued. Her mother was a perfectionist who sought accuracy and control that stretched beyond the kitchen. Knowing that she expected her to be perfect, Shumer was concerned about how she would respond when she found out about her new habits which included starving herself, despite her parents’ repeated pleas for food. She had no clue, however, how hopeless things would become as she sank into a deeper need to stifle a ravenous desire within her mind.
Shumer profoundly explores a seldom-explored mental oddity in books of this genre. In addition to openly acknowledging her mother’s biased view of perfection, she emphasizes how parental insensitivity to their kids’ smallest worries and phobias may make them worse. She also deftly conveys how a parent’s emotional turmoil may affect their children’s mental health and keep them from reaching their full potential.
The consequences of unresolved childhood trauma, the impact of unreasonable popular perception, and the desire for validation and guidance are relevant family themes that have been depicted in “Bones: Anorexia, Anxiety, and My Path to Self-Love” by Robyn Shumer. For every reader who has ever been verbally abused or felt undervalued, this narrative may arouse familiar feelings. It is an engaging, humorous, purposefully educational, and deeply enlightening memoir.
Shumer’s concern about gaining weight at the age of eight was heightened by her father’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and the pictures of Brooke Shields and Heather Locklear on her brother’s bedroom wall. Her legs were becoming thicker, and she was getting the impression that she did not belong since she thought only women with stick-thin thighs counted. One day, her teacher labeled her legs “elephant legs,” which made her reevaluate her eating patterns. She started to act strangely, chewing meals several times before swallowing them to burn more calories and sometimes flushing them down the toilet. As her anxiety rose, she requested that her parents get her a small trampoline so she could exercise around the clock.
In Shumer’s family, outward looks were highly valued. Her mother was a perfectionist who sought accuracy and control that stretched beyond the kitchen. Knowing that she expected her to be perfect, Shumer was concerned about how she would respond when she found out about her new habits which included starving herself, despite her parents’ repeated pleas for food. She had no clue, however, how hopeless things would become as she sank into a deeper need to stifle a ravenous desire within her mind.
Shumer profoundly explores a seldom-explored mental oddity in books of this genre. In addition to openly acknowledging her mother’s biased view of perfection, she emphasizes how parental insensitivity to their kids’ smallest worries and phobias may make them worse. She also deftly conveys how a parent’s emotional turmoil may affect their children’s mental health and keep them from reaching their full potential.
The consequences of unresolved childhood trauma, the impact of unreasonable popular perception, and the desire for validation and guidance are relevant family themes that have been depicted in “Bones: Anorexia, Anxiety, and My Path to Self-Love” by Robyn Shumer. For every reader who has ever been verbally abused or felt undervalued, this narrative may arouse familiar feelings. It is an engaging, humorous, purposefully educational, and deeply enlightening memoir.
August 7, 2024
This was a tough but very very good memoir to read. I was taken aback when I was reading to see that at the very very young age of 7 or 8 this little girl was worried about her weight and being weighed at the doctor's office. I hurt my heart.
It pained me that Robyn struggled from a very young age with her weight and what she looked like. She is very candid and open with her struggle and it is extremely insightful and refreshing to read this book and walk through her recovery with her and to see her come out strong and healthy and most importantly happy.
I do recommend this book if you are looking for a new memoir to read- Robyn's story is one I feel should not be overlooked.
I want to thank DartFrog Books for this gifted book
It pained me that Robyn struggled from a very young age with her weight and what she looked like. She is very candid and open with her struggle and it is extremely insightful and refreshing to read this book and walk through her recovery with her and to see her come out strong and healthy and most importantly happy.
I do recommend this book if you are looking for a new memoir to read- Robyn's story is one I feel should not be overlooked.
I want to thank DartFrog Books for this gifted book
September 17, 2024
Bones is an honest, inspiring, and compelling memoir that keeps you turning the page! Robyn's gift of storytelling is unquestionable, as she pulls you into her world from the first chapter. The overarching themes are an important contribution to the destigmatization of mental health, and her story is an inspiring example of self-discovery and triumph. I loved Bones and so will you!
July 5, 2025
A story that does an appropriate dance with the struggles of eating disorders. Numbers are present, behaviors are detailed, but it's done so in a way that truly just tells the experience of one person. The ability to do so in a factual manner without glamorizing it is an art. Give this book a chance and celebrate as her recovery comes to light!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews