What do you think?
Rate this book
One Last Family Dinner
I learned from a young age that being a woman meant being hungry. Always, always, hungry. I learned that being a woman meant being small, being good, being quiet, and being straight. It wasn't lost on me that these rules didn't fit with who I was. I wasn't small. I wasn't good, I wasn't quiet, and I wasn't straight.
So, instead, I learned how to disappear.
I disappeared inside binge drinking. I disappeared inside diets that quickly became starvation - then I'd run until my legs gave out.
After dozens of hours spent in clinician's offices and too many nights wishing I was dead, I realized the truth: I needed help. I needed to confront the toxic lessons I'd learned from my evangelical upbringing, my mother's obsession with thinness, and my father damning me to hell because of my queerness. But even then, the thought of fully breaking free felt impossible. I still craved their love, their acceptance, even if it meant continuing to make myself disappear.
I've begun to wonder about the body-messages I was given for so many years. I've started questioning the rigidity that has brought me a life of such loneliness. What would it look like if who I was on the inside, could match who I was on the outside?
What would it look like to choose myself over who my parents want me to be?
So, instead, I learned how to disappear.
I disappeared inside binge drinking. I disappeared inside diets that quickly became starvation - then I'd run until my legs gave out.
After dozens of hours spent in clinician's offices and too many nights wishing I was dead, I realized the truth: I needed help. I needed to confront the toxic lessons I'd learned from my evangelical upbringing, my mother's obsession with thinness, and my father damning me to hell because of my queerness. But even then, the thought of fully breaking free felt impossible. I still craved their love, their acceptance, even if it meant continuing to make myself disappear.
I've begun to wonder about the body-messages I was given for so many years. I've started questioning the rigidity that has brought me a life of such loneliness. What would it look like if who I was on the inside, could match who I was on the outside?
What would it look like to choose myself over who my parents want me to be?
296 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2025
4 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 30, 2025
A masterpiece. I loved everything about this and cried so hard at the end. But it was a good cry, the kind that tell you everything is going to be okay and that you're capable of doing the hard things.
April 23, 2025
A masterpiece. I loved everything about this and cried so hard at the end. But it was a good cry, the kind that tell you everything is going to be okay and that you're capable of doing the hard things.
April 4, 2025
Are you a parent wanting to help your child navigate life or understand potential struggles? Buy this book!
Are you a young person realizing life can be hard and messy; need some hope and inspiration? Buy this book!
Do you want to read an exceptionally well written, inspiring book with all the feels? Buy this book!
You will not want to put it down, and you’ll want to tell others about it! Go ahead, you know what to do!
Are you a young person realizing life can be hard and messy; need some hope and inspiration? Buy this book!
Do you want to read an exceptionally well written, inspiring book with all the feels? Buy this book!
You will not want to put it down, and you’ll want to tell others about it! Go ahead, you know what to do!
July 8, 2025
This book is masterfully written. It gripped me starting on page one. In these 294 pages, Jackie shares the story of losing herself in others’ expectations, in coping strategies that do more harm than good, and the work it took to find her way home to herself again. We can all see a version of ourselves in these pages. How building a strong relationship with yourself and choosing yourself sometimes means leaving people you love behind. This is a story of grit, resilience, healing, and love. Jackie shares every word with generosity, compassion for us and herself, and she shows us a way forward that may be painful at times, but that brings real connection, love, and glittering joy.
Content warnings for the book: sexual assault, eating disorders, alcohol use, sexuality, parental estrangement/emotional abuse, suicidal ideation.
Content warnings for the book: sexual assault, eating disorders, alcohol use, sexuality, parental estrangement/emotional abuse, suicidal ideation.
February 21, 2025
This book is masterfully written. It gripped me starting on page one. In these 294 pages, Jackie shares the story of losing herself in others’ expectations, in coping strategies that do more harm than good, and the work it took to find her way home to herself again. We can all see a version of ourselves in these pages. How building a strong relationship with yourself and choosing yourself sometimes means leaving people you love behind. This is a story of grit, resilience, healing, and love. Jackie shares every word with generosity, compassion for us and herself, and she shows us a way forward that may be painful at times, but that brings real connection, love, and glittering joy.
Content warnings for the book: sexual assault, eating disorders, alcohol use, sexuality, parental estrangement/emotional abuse, suicidal ideation.
Content warnings for the book: sexual assault, eating disorders, alcohol use, sexuality, parental estrangement/emotional abuse, suicidal ideation.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews