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Saving Sara: A Memoir of Food Addiction
For nearly fifty years, Sara Somers suffered from untreated food addiction. In this brutally honest and intimate memoir, Somers offers readers an inside view of a food addict’s mind, showcasing her experiences of obsessive cravings, compulsivity, and powerlessness regarding food.
Saving Sara chronicles Somers’s addiction from childhood to adulthood, beginning with abnormal eating as a nine-year-old. As her addiction progresses in young adulthood, she becomes isolated, masking her shame and self-hatred with drugs and alcohol. Time and again, she rationalizes why this time will be different, only to have her physical cravings lead to ever-worse binges, to see her promises of doing things differently next time broken, and to experience the amnesia that she—like every addict—experiences when her obsession sets in again.
Even after Somers is introduced to the solution that will eventually end up saving her, the strength of her addiction won’t allow her to accept her disease. Twenty-six more years pass until she finally crawls on hands and knees back to that solution, and learns to live life on life’s terms. A raw account of Somers’s decades-long journey, Saving Sara underscores the challenges faced by food addicts of any age—and the hope that exists for them all.
Saving Sara chronicles Somers’s addiction from childhood to adulthood, beginning with abnormal eating as a nine-year-old. As her addiction progresses in young adulthood, she becomes isolated, masking her shame and self-hatred with drugs and alcohol. Time and again, she rationalizes why this time will be different, only to have her physical cravings lead to ever-worse binges, to see her promises of doing things differently next time broken, and to experience the amnesia that she—like every addict—experiences when her obsession sets in again.
Even after Somers is introduced to the solution that will eventually end up saving her, the strength of her addiction won’t allow her to accept her disease. Twenty-six more years pass until she finally crawls on hands and knees back to that solution, and learns to live life on life’s terms. A raw account of Somers’s decades-long journey, Saving Sara underscores the challenges faced by food addicts of any age—and the hope that exists for them all.
- GenresMemoir
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2020
95 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Sara Somers
1 book1 followerSara Somers suffered from food addiction from age nine to age fifty-eight; she has been in food recovery since 2005. In a double life of sorts, Somers worked as a licensed psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay Area for thirty-four years. After finding recovery, Somers moved to Paris, France, where she currently lives. She writes a blog called Out My Window: My Life in Paris. When she’s not writing, Somers volunteers at the American Library in Paris, enjoys the cinema, reads prolifically, and follows her favorite baseball team, the Oakland Athletics. Most important, Somers devotes time each day to getting the word out about food addiction and helping other food addicts. Saving Sara is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 21, 2020
Saving Sara is a beautifully written book. I can totally relate to Sara on some things. Everything she says about AA is the truth. How would I know? I am in recovery myself and truthfully it's so hard not to fall back on your addictions. Going through addictions is no easy feat. I loved Sara's story. Such a beautiful book and person.
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March 10, 2020
Sara Somers’s food memoir about being saved from food addiction and the self-destructive behaviors attached to it may resonate with the most compassionate readers and those facing similar struggles, but other readers will likely find this personal food history to be about as appealing as a meal that’s not fully cooked. Somers’s story has the potential to offer insight into the psychological, physical, social, and economical difficulties associated with food addiction, but it just doesn’t deliver. Instead most of the memoir reads like an emotional tirade of self-pity and resentment.
Somers begins her history with childhood, naturally; but she moves from summer camp at age 9 to a Halloween to living in London at age 8 to a history of the schools she attended, making it slightly difficult for the reader to follow along. In these childhood sections, Somers attempts to convey traumatizing experiences that served as the presumable “cause of all [her] many problems,” leaving her feeling lonely and unloved. However, the experiences she describes don’t clearly justify the trauma she seems to have experienced¬. According to her narrative, the worst things to happen to her include her parents moving frequently, being sent to boarding school for a short time, a mother with a busy career who didn’t dote on her, and parents who tried to discipline her. In trying to point a finger at her parents, she only comes across as an extremely difficult child. This self-pitying lightens up slightly in later parts of the memoir, but it generally renders Somers rather unlikeable from the get-go.
As the memoir moves through fifty years of this woman’s life, it tells this same story from her childhood over and over. She feels sad, lonely, depressed; she blames others for her problems; and she eats. These episodes lack the nuance and critical self-reflection that would make them moving. For instance, throughout Somers’s college and post-college hippie days, she seems to have an endless supply of money despite her apparent lack of consistent work. Never once (except in childhood) does she describe difficulties feeding her addictions for lack of funds. Moreover, although the memoir begins with a description of her being “too weak, too fat, and too miserable to hike” at nine-years-old, we later see her hiking in Assisi and Yosemite without any difficulty, and later still she hikes Mount Whitney with apparent ease until she injures her knee, which she then links to her weight (“I was not in shape to climb this kind of mountain”). At this point, she briefly alludes to a ski accident and at another point she mentions her brand new skis, and yet she never describes any ski adventures. A story about participating in these kinds of strenuous physical activities–and perhaps learning to overcome physical barriers she faced as a child–would offer the reader some deeper insight into the multiple ways her weight affects her rather than yet another story about her feeling sexually unattractive to men despite dating several men.
Finally, in addition to the general lack of critical self-reflection and a clear narrative drive, this memoir is missing the marks of a much-needed, strong editorial hand. Information such as an age or unnecessary date is often given and repeated only a couple of sentences later. Somers describes some events in too much detail while not providing enough context for other scenes, such as providing the exact date that she ran into an old friend but leaving out her age in certain childhood scenes. The metaphors, which are also often repeated, tend towards the cliché or are otherwise derivative. For example, Somers uses a bell jar as a metaphor for her depression multiple times without ever making a connection to Sylvia Plath’s classic novel. Punctuation occasionally places emphasis on the wrongs words, causing the reader to re-read sentences. These mechanical matters ultimately make the writing itself dull.
With the poor writing, the lack of depth and originality, and the unsympathetic and self-pitying narrator, I would not recommend this book. In the end, Somers attributes her success to a program with little to no critical reflection on the experiences that primed her to be more receptive to a program she failed to follow in the past. She does not seem to learn anything about herself by the end of her story. Ultimately, for the reader who can’t benefit from Somers’s twelve-step program, there’s nothing to be gained from reading this book.
Somers begins her history with childhood, naturally; but she moves from summer camp at age 9 to a Halloween to living in London at age 8 to a history of the schools she attended, making it slightly difficult for the reader to follow along. In these childhood sections, Somers attempts to convey traumatizing experiences that served as the presumable “cause of all [her] many problems,” leaving her feeling lonely and unloved. However, the experiences she describes don’t clearly justify the trauma she seems to have experienced¬. According to her narrative, the worst things to happen to her include her parents moving frequently, being sent to boarding school for a short time, a mother with a busy career who didn’t dote on her, and parents who tried to discipline her. In trying to point a finger at her parents, she only comes across as an extremely difficult child. This self-pitying lightens up slightly in later parts of the memoir, but it generally renders Somers rather unlikeable from the get-go.
As the memoir moves through fifty years of this woman’s life, it tells this same story from her childhood over and over. She feels sad, lonely, depressed; she blames others for her problems; and she eats. These episodes lack the nuance and critical self-reflection that would make them moving. For instance, throughout Somers’s college and post-college hippie days, she seems to have an endless supply of money despite her apparent lack of consistent work. Never once (except in childhood) does she describe difficulties feeding her addictions for lack of funds. Moreover, although the memoir begins with a description of her being “too weak, too fat, and too miserable to hike” at nine-years-old, we later see her hiking in Assisi and Yosemite without any difficulty, and later still she hikes Mount Whitney with apparent ease until she injures her knee, which she then links to her weight (“I was not in shape to climb this kind of mountain”). At this point, she briefly alludes to a ski accident and at another point she mentions her brand new skis, and yet she never describes any ski adventures. A story about participating in these kinds of strenuous physical activities–and perhaps learning to overcome physical barriers she faced as a child–would offer the reader some deeper insight into the multiple ways her weight affects her rather than yet another story about her feeling sexually unattractive to men despite dating several men.
Finally, in addition to the general lack of critical self-reflection and a clear narrative drive, this memoir is missing the marks of a much-needed, strong editorial hand. Information such as an age or unnecessary date is often given and repeated only a couple of sentences later. Somers describes some events in too much detail while not providing enough context for other scenes, such as providing the exact date that she ran into an old friend but leaving out her age in certain childhood scenes. The metaphors, which are also often repeated, tend towards the cliché or are otherwise derivative. For example, Somers uses a bell jar as a metaphor for her depression multiple times without ever making a connection to Sylvia Plath’s classic novel. Punctuation occasionally places emphasis on the wrongs words, causing the reader to re-read sentences. These mechanical matters ultimately make the writing itself dull.
With the poor writing, the lack of depth and originality, and the unsympathetic and self-pitying narrator, I would not recommend this book. In the end, Somers attributes her success to a program with little to no critical reflection on the experiences that primed her to be more receptive to a program she failed to follow in the past. She does not seem to learn anything about herself by the end of her story. Ultimately, for the reader who can’t benefit from Somers’s twelve-step program, there’s nothing to be gained from reading this book.
July 26, 2020
Sara Somers grew up in the 50s and 60s as the daughter of a college professor and a controlling mother. At an early age she started binge eating. This food addiction carried on into adulthood.
In this honest and raw memoir, Sara shares how her food addiction caused issues in her life. Her issues were not just related to health and yo-yo dieting. There was also a deep impact on her relationships with family and friends. During her time traveling Europe while a teen and into her 20's we hear of Sara's longing to belong which is hindered by her urges to binge on carbs. She finds herself drawn to hippie culture and she latches onto new groups of friends who share her desire to travel. Her secretiveness around finding time to binge unseen damages many friendships and she finds herself getting irritated with others very easily. Later, after graduate school, Sara attends both Alcoholics Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous to deal with her addiction issues, but she has mixed results.
This memoir was deeply personal and you can't help but appreciate the author's honesty. It is quite tragic that she has dealt with her food addictions for most of her life and found little support from her family. The author's voice was sincere. It is important to bring light to issues that others may face. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of addiction memoirs.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
In this honest and raw memoir, Sara shares how her food addiction caused issues in her life. Her issues were not just related to health and yo-yo dieting. There was also a deep impact on her relationships with family and friends. During her time traveling Europe while a teen and into her 20's we hear of Sara's longing to belong which is hindered by her urges to binge on carbs. She finds herself drawn to hippie culture and she latches onto new groups of friends who share her desire to travel. Her secretiveness around finding time to binge unseen damages many friendships and she finds herself getting irritated with others very easily. Later, after graduate school, Sara attends both Alcoholics Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous to deal with her addiction issues, but she has mixed results.
This memoir was deeply personal and you can't help but appreciate the author's honesty. It is quite tragic that she has dealt with her food addictions for most of her life and found little support from her family. The author's voice was sincere. It is important to bring light to issues that others may face. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of addiction memoirs.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2020
I overeat sometimes so I thought I was an overeater but after reading Sara’s book I can clearly see that I do NOT have a food addiction. I overindulge and sometimes I eat when I’m not hungry but this is clearly not the same thing.
Sara bares all. She didn’t just suffer for say 10 years and then overcome her addiction in a few more. She suffered for 50+ years, started and stopped multiple “fixes” many times over and even though she is eating better, she still has to follow strict rules so she doesn’t start overeating again.
Many times during the story I was shocked at how bad it had gotten for her. At the beginning, I will be honest and say I felt like she just lacked willpower and wasn’t trying but I’m sorry to say that now because after reading more, I realized that’s not what it was at all. Food addiction isn’t just a silly term like when someone says they are addicted but just mean they like something a lot. Food addiction is a REAL addiction. I know that now. If you doubt that it’s true, you should read this book.
I’m very proud of Sara, even though I don’t personally know her, for opening up and sharing her most intimate thoughts and behaviours.
There is a fair amount of support out there now a days for food addiction but when Sara was young, in the 1950s and even as a teenager or young adult 20 years later, food addiction wasn’t a known problem. People just judged those addicted to food and called it a lack of willpower.
The book shows many, many times over that she had lots of willpower. She travelled the world many times over, even living in other places. Sara held various jobs and was able to abstain from alcohol and drugs when she felt it was important to. She was blind to her problem, as was the world.
Saving Sara is a must read for any food addict or anyone who loves a food addict and doesn’t understand how they can’t just get over it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sara bares all. She didn’t just suffer for say 10 years and then overcome her addiction in a few more. She suffered for 50+ years, started and stopped multiple “fixes” many times over and even though she is eating better, she still has to follow strict rules so she doesn’t start overeating again.
Many times during the story I was shocked at how bad it had gotten for her. At the beginning, I will be honest and say I felt like she just lacked willpower and wasn’t trying but I’m sorry to say that now because after reading more, I realized that’s not what it was at all. Food addiction isn’t just a silly term like when someone says they are addicted but just mean they like something a lot. Food addiction is a REAL addiction. I know that now. If you doubt that it’s true, you should read this book.
I’m very proud of Sara, even though I don’t personally know her, for opening up and sharing her most intimate thoughts and behaviours.
There is a fair amount of support out there now a days for food addiction but when Sara was young, in the 1950s and even as a teenager or young adult 20 years later, food addiction wasn’t a known problem. People just judged those addicted to food and called it a lack of willpower.
The book shows many, many times over that she had lots of willpower. She travelled the world many times over, even living in other places. Sara held various jobs and was able to abstain from alcohol and drugs when she felt it was important to. She was blind to her problem, as was the world.
Saving Sara is a must read for any food addict or anyone who loves a food addict and doesn’t understand how they can’t just get over it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2020
I am a big fan of memoirs, especially the ones with a lot of vulnerability. To be honest about addiction, you have to reveal a lot of yourself and Sara Somers did an excellent job of digging deep and sharing her story of food (and substance) addiction.
I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting. There was so much about this book that I think those struggling with addiction will find relatable. Somers held nothing back as she explained how addiction ruled her life for nearly 50 years and how she finally got “sober” and stayed that way.
I highly recommend this one if you have struggled with any addiction or if you want to understand the process of an addict.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting. There was so much about this book that I think those struggling with addiction will find relatable. Somers held nothing back as she explained how addiction ruled her life for nearly 50 years and how she finally got “sober” and stayed that way.
I highly recommend this one if you have struggled with any addiction or if you want to understand the process of an addict.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
February 18, 2020
When I requested "Saving Sara", I was thinking that I would be reading something in the campy style of "Go Ask Alice". I was very, very wrong about this - and I'm very, very happy about that.
"Saving Sara" is about a woman's struggles with food addiction - and her difficult journey to treatment/recovery. While I normally find stories that focus on a twelve step method to be formulaic; I can honestly say this book was the total opposite.
Sara Somers is very candid about her struggles; brutally honest about her own flaws; and did a great job logically presenting everything. She certainly made me rethink many of my views on the twelve step concept.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book - I really appreciated the many lessons in this book!
"Saving Sara" is about a woman's struggles with food addiction - and her difficult journey to treatment/recovery. While I normally find stories that focus on a twelve step method to be formulaic; I can honestly say this book was the total opposite.
Sara Somers is very candid about her struggles; brutally honest about her own flaws; and did a great job logically presenting everything. She certainly made me rethink many of my views on the twelve step concept.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book - I really appreciated the many lessons in this book!
September 18, 2020
A truly amazing memoir of food addiction coupled with self-hatred. A true eye opener of a book. Does show that you need to purchase a license to drive a car and yet not to parent a child.
I hope that Sara Somers has found peace.
I hope that Sara Somers has found peace.
February 23, 2020
Saving Sara is an extremely detailed memoir of a woman’s struggle with food addiction. Born into an academic family, Sara Somers spent nearly fifty years battling her demons, whose names are sugar, grains, and simple carbs. Sara remembers incidents from as early as nine years old, going through her times as a camper (stealing food), counselor at the same camp (not a good fit), and always isolating herself while trying desperately to fit in and find love.
Like all addicts, she resolves again and again that THIS time it will be different, only to give in to her obsession with her next fix. Sara is close to my age, and I related to many of her experiences and struggles, particularly as she recalls that she “shot out of the academic cannon of undergraduate education in no particular direction with no skills except for bullshit,” then “…discovered that I was good at thinking about things, studying things, and then talking about them.”
Over the years, she “…had tried hypnosis, encounter groups, Ayds—a caramel-type candy that was supposed to make one feel full, alcohol, Weight Watchers, amphetamines, behavioral therapy, promised to friends, the Atkins diet, the macrobiotic diet, Slim Fast, and probably many more diets or programs that now elude me.” One essential thing she learned was that “Shame…taught me to be afraid of people who would actually help me and to trust people who would hurt me.” As she spent years in AA, she “…turned to alcohol when I tried to control the food” and finally accepted that food “was my bottom-line addiction.”
Essential to her finding her way was her acceptance that she “…equated asking for help with being weak, with being a bad person.” Many people will not understand her rigidity as she follows the greysheets program, meaning she weighs EVERYTHING she consumes, “not one-eighth of an ounce over or under.” My own feeling is whatever works for someone is THEIR solution, and Sara Somers has clearly found hers. It may not be for everyone, but will be of interest to food addicts or those interested in addiction and recovery in general. Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. Three and a half stars.
Like all addicts, she resolves again and again that THIS time it will be different, only to give in to her obsession with her next fix. Sara is close to my age, and I related to many of her experiences and struggles, particularly as she recalls that she “shot out of the academic cannon of undergraduate education in no particular direction with no skills except for bullshit,” then “…discovered that I was good at thinking about things, studying things, and then talking about them.”
Over the years, she “…had tried hypnosis, encounter groups, Ayds—a caramel-type candy that was supposed to make one feel full, alcohol, Weight Watchers, amphetamines, behavioral therapy, promised to friends, the Atkins diet, the macrobiotic diet, Slim Fast, and probably many more diets or programs that now elude me.” One essential thing she learned was that “Shame…taught me to be afraid of people who would actually help me and to trust people who would hurt me.” As she spent years in AA, she “…turned to alcohol when I tried to control the food” and finally accepted that food “was my bottom-line addiction.”
Essential to her finding her way was her acceptance that she “…equated asking for help with being weak, with being a bad person.” Many people will not understand her rigidity as she follows the greysheets program, meaning she weighs EVERYTHING she consumes, “not one-eighth of an ounce over or under.” My own feeling is whatever works for someone is THEIR solution, and Sara Somers has clearly found hers. It may not be for everyone, but will be of interest to food addicts or those interested in addiction and recovery in general. Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. Three and a half stars.
February 18, 2020
When I requested "Saving Sara", I was thinking that I would be reading something in the campy style of "Go Ask Alice". I was very, very wrong about this - and I'm very, very happy about that.
"Saving Sara" is about a woman's struggles with food addiction - and her difficult journey to treatment/recovery. While I normally find stories that focus on a twelve step method to be formulaic; I can honestly say this book was the total opposite. Sara Somers is very candid about her struggles; brutally honest about her own flaws; and did a great job logically presenting everything. She certainly made me rethink many of my views on the twelve step concept.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book - I really appreciated the many lessons in this book!
"Saving Sara" is about a woman's struggles with food addiction - and her difficult journey to treatment/recovery. While I normally find stories that focus on a twelve step method to be formulaic; I can honestly say this book was the total opposite. Sara Somers is very candid about her struggles; brutally honest about her own flaws; and did a great job logically presenting everything. She certainly made me rethink many of my views on the twelve step concept.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book - I really appreciated the many lessons in this book!
March 1, 2020
Heartbreaking raw story of food addiction that affects every area of the authors life. As her food addiction goes untreated for most of her life she spirals into alcohol and drug abuse. Told with bravery and honesty this story is a true testament to Ms. Somers strength. Told from very early in her life, Ms, Somers chronicles her food addiction through her childhood into adulthood. Excellent book of addiction and survival , highly recommend. Thank you #NetGalley for this excellent book.
February 22, 2020
This memoir is about addictions and the destruction that follows. Sara throughout her life was addicted to drugs, alcohol but mainly food. This is her story of how she coped and eventually finding her solution. This is also a story about a dysfunctional family and other relationships. This was a very interesting novel and a primer for others with addictions. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
August 5, 2020
Saving Sara is a poignant, moving, and brave memoir about a nearly fifty-year battle with food addiction. The author, Sara Somers, also descended into drug abuse and alcoholism as a young adult, the latter addiction only being vanquished after a decades-long, on-again off-again battle. More than just a therapeutic telling of a wrenching personal story, Saving Sara lifts the veil over the hidden pain and shame of food addictions. As Somers writes, this book is meant to help all “compulsive eaters and food addicts to find their way to recovery.”
Somers was the daughter of two ambitious university professors and despaired of ever pleasing these hard-driving, high-achieving parents. Her mother in particular was distant, even cold, denying her daughter the kind of maternal love and understanding that are vital to a child’s emotional development. No one understood what drove young Sara to resort to stealing money or food to feed her food addiction beast. A doctor injected her with amphetamines to suppress her appetite, akin to putting a bandage on a cancer patient.
Somers calls bingeing an “intimate” act because it is done secretly, but also “compulsive and shameful.” While hard drinkers can still seem socially acceptable, at least to an extent, food bingers act in loneliness, confusion, and self-loathing.
Somers’ writing is evocative and honest. She acknowledges that her behavior as a daughter, friend, and girlfriend were consistently self-centered and self-pitying, causing many ruptured relationships. I felt she wrote more than was necessary about her “hippie” years, her numerous failed romantic relationships, and her descent into an abyss of increasingly dangerous drug use, alcoholism, and bingeing. Fortunately, despite her acknowledged laziness, her life is touched by a few key people who recognize her intelligence and potential. These caring people offered her the lifeline of a feeling of self-worth and the motivation to work toward a goal. Ironically, she becomes a therapist, successfully helping others with their problems but unable to see what she needs most urgently.
Eventually, Somers accepts that she has a disease, one that makes her body incapable of absorbing sugar, grains, and simple carbohydrates without triggering a bingeing response. Through her sister, she discovers an offshoot of Overeaters Anonymous called Greysheeters Anonymous, a 12-step program that offers help for compulsive eaters as well as the consistent support and fellowship that has liberated thousands of food addicts from their suffering.
Despite Somers’ having a physical cause for her bingeing, I wondered if the lack of parental love and approval she hungered for exacerbated the problem. It is heartrending to read of her longing for romance: She watches “boyfriends put an arm around a shoulder and pull a thin girl close. No one had ever done that to me, not even a parent.” A pervading sense of shame haunted her for decades because of her addictions. “Shame is a strange companion,” she writes. “It taught me to be afraid of people who would actually help me and to trust people who would hurt me . . . It taught me fear, and fear caused me to be wrong about most everything.”
Fortunately, Somers trusted the right people, accepted her powerlessness over her condition, and found not only liberation from her addictions, but hope, energy, and optimism. Her memoir is both harrowing and inspiring, a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
This book was reviewed for Story Circle Book Reviews by Judy Gruen.
Somers was the daughter of two ambitious university professors and despaired of ever pleasing these hard-driving, high-achieving parents. Her mother in particular was distant, even cold, denying her daughter the kind of maternal love and understanding that are vital to a child’s emotional development. No one understood what drove young Sara to resort to stealing money or food to feed her food addiction beast. A doctor injected her with amphetamines to suppress her appetite, akin to putting a bandage on a cancer patient.
Somers calls bingeing an “intimate” act because it is done secretly, but also “compulsive and shameful.” While hard drinkers can still seem socially acceptable, at least to an extent, food bingers act in loneliness, confusion, and self-loathing.
Somers’ writing is evocative and honest. She acknowledges that her behavior as a daughter, friend, and girlfriend were consistently self-centered and self-pitying, causing many ruptured relationships. I felt she wrote more than was necessary about her “hippie” years, her numerous failed romantic relationships, and her descent into an abyss of increasingly dangerous drug use, alcoholism, and bingeing. Fortunately, despite her acknowledged laziness, her life is touched by a few key people who recognize her intelligence and potential. These caring people offered her the lifeline of a feeling of self-worth and the motivation to work toward a goal. Ironically, she becomes a therapist, successfully helping others with their problems but unable to see what she needs most urgently.
Eventually, Somers accepts that she has a disease, one that makes her body incapable of absorbing sugar, grains, and simple carbohydrates without triggering a bingeing response. Through her sister, she discovers an offshoot of Overeaters Anonymous called Greysheeters Anonymous, a 12-step program that offers help for compulsive eaters as well as the consistent support and fellowship that has liberated thousands of food addicts from their suffering.
Despite Somers’ having a physical cause for her bingeing, I wondered if the lack of parental love and approval she hungered for exacerbated the problem. It is heartrending to read of her longing for romance: She watches “boyfriends put an arm around a shoulder and pull a thin girl close. No one had ever done that to me, not even a parent.” A pervading sense of shame haunted her for decades because of her addictions. “Shame is a strange companion,” she writes. “It taught me to be afraid of people who would actually help me and to trust people who would hurt me . . . It taught me fear, and fear caused me to be wrong about most everything.”
Fortunately, Somers trusted the right people, accepted her powerlessness over her condition, and found not only liberation from her addictions, but hope, energy, and optimism. Her memoir is both harrowing and inspiring, a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
This book was reviewed for Story Circle Book Reviews by Judy Gruen.
March 9, 2020
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Saving Sara by Sara Somers.
Since Sara can remember, she has had an unhealthy relationship with food. Where her peers were able to enjoy a cookie and bowl of ice cream and then continue playing, Sara found herself in a binge, unable to stop eating her treats, and enduring cycle after cycle of shame. Why does food seem to be so difficult for her? And when will she stop going on a weight loss roller coaster?
Food addiction is a real thing and, since we need food to live, it's extraordinarily hard. I imagine it's also a very misunderstood disease since lay people are probably inclined to suggest that maybe the person just "stop eating." But just like with any addiction, the survivor has to put life long work into "staying sober," something that carries equal significance for the food addicted.
This was a very interested read, but probably not the best written? However, must the memoir writer be an expert author to tell their story? Sometimes the roughness of it is what adds authenticity. There was a travelogue vibe to this one, and I have to say that her continuous self flagellation got on my nerves, but that may just be me sorting out my own issues.
Since Sara can remember, she has had an unhealthy relationship with food. Where her peers were able to enjoy a cookie and bowl of ice cream and then continue playing, Sara found herself in a binge, unable to stop eating her treats, and enduring cycle after cycle of shame. Why does food seem to be so difficult for her? And when will she stop going on a weight loss roller coaster?
Food addiction is a real thing and, since we need food to live, it's extraordinarily hard. I imagine it's also a very misunderstood disease since lay people are probably inclined to suggest that maybe the person just "stop eating." But just like with any addiction, the survivor has to put life long work into "staying sober," something that carries equal significance for the food addicted.
This was a very interested read, but probably not the best written? However, must the memoir writer be an expert author to tell their story? Sometimes the roughness of it is what adds authenticity. There was a travelogue vibe to this one, and I have to say that her continuous self flagellation got on my nerves, but that may just be me sorting out my own issues.
March 15, 2020
Saving Sara by Sara Sommers is a brave effort, and one I applaud. It takes courage to open up about addiction, especially a food addiction which so many people refuse to understand or accept as real. But the author makes it impossible not to accept the reality of her addiction, and the emotional cost she pays.
"I would have denied it at the time, but fear was underneath everything. I was afraid of my parents, of their disappointment in me, of doing anything that was my own idea. I was so afraid of them that I was enraged all the time."
Time and time again throughout this simply-written memoir, we see how that fear dictates and controls the author, and how she battles to understand the connection between it, rage and addiction. When the penny finally dropped and she realized she was an addict and not defective, I wanted it to be immediately life changing. It wasn't. This isn't a scripted after school special, and recovery doesn't happen over night.
As a look into addiction and the life of a food addict, Saving Sara is a valuable read, and I'd definitely recommend it if there's someone in your life struggling with addiction. It offers painful insight into the depth of despair without an overdose of morbidity. And it offers hope.
"I would have denied it at the time, but fear was underneath everything. I was afraid of my parents, of their disappointment in me, of doing anything that was my own idea. I was so afraid of them that I was enraged all the time."
Time and time again throughout this simply-written memoir, we see how that fear dictates and controls the author, and how she battles to understand the connection between it, rage and addiction. When the penny finally dropped and she realized she was an addict and not defective, I wanted it to be immediately life changing. It wasn't. This isn't a scripted after school special, and recovery doesn't happen over night.
As a look into addiction and the life of a food addict, Saving Sara is a valuable read, and I'd definitely recommend it if there's someone in your life struggling with addiction. It offers painful insight into the depth of despair without an overdose of morbidity. And it offers hope.
August 12, 2024
Sara may seem to be humble-bragging through today’s lens. It is scary that that was the extent of the unhealthy behavior around food, and the types of food that were an issue were nothing compared to today.
This book may seem controversial to some younger readers, but…I have read that times were different, and that the least healthy foods back then, such as sugary treats, are nothing compared to the fast food, frozen meals, and 32-ounce heavily sweetened beverages, of today. Also, there was no food delivery 24/7.
Yes, Sara was only overweight, not dealing with extreme obesity, and was far more active than the average person, even if she injured herself more easily than a thin person. Again, from a modern lens, this memoir may read as humble bragging.
However, it is a wake-up call that even people without food addictions as extreme as hers, may have more access to far more unhealthy resources than they did back then. Her food addiction was extreme, but the unhealthy resources that she could access, would be nothing today. The fact that this aged badly, is scary.
This book may seem controversial to some younger readers, but…I have read that times were different, and that the least healthy foods back then, such as sugary treats, are nothing compared to the fast food, frozen meals, and 32-ounce heavily sweetened beverages, of today. Also, there was no food delivery 24/7.
Yes, Sara was only overweight, not dealing with extreme obesity, and was far more active than the average person, even if she injured herself more easily than a thin person. Again, from a modern lens, this memoir may read as humble bragging.
However, it is a wake-up call that even people without food addictions as extreme as hers, may have more access to far more unhealthy resources than they did back then. Her food addiction was extreme, but the unhealthy resources that she could access, would be nothing today. The fact that this aged badly, is scary.
April 11, 2020
Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This memoir is an honest, raw and very real insight into the life and constant struggles of Sara who has had a food addiction for 50 years. Sara poignantly describes her battles with food addiction and how she tries overcome it. It's a heartbreaking and at the same time eye opening read for anyone who is either suffering with food addiction issues directly or knows someone who is. Even anyone who isn't could benefit by hopefully becoming more compassionate to people with this addiction once they read this and learn how it can overpower a person and almost consume their entire lives. A very worthwhile read. A special thankyou to Sara for having the courage to write this and hopefully help other sufferers to realise they are not alone. #savingsara #sarasomers #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #goodreads #bookstagram #bookqueen #greatreads #netgalley
March 19, 2020
I really wanted to like this book a lot. Instead it was just okay.
I could not believe it. Finally, a memoir on eating disorders that focused on binge eating, instead of the usual anorexia or bulimia. As an extra bonus, OA was actually mentioned in a positive way. I read a lot of books on addiction, so I was excited to read about binge eating and OA.
I don't know why I wasn't into this book. The writing was okay, but I think, for me, this memoir lacked the emotion I normally find in books on addiction.
I am sure that the author felt all the emotions while living her story, but I am not sure she managed to convey it on paper.
I found myself counting the number of pages until the end. Not a good sign.
I could not believe it. Finally, a memoir on eating disorders that focused on binge eating, instead of the usual anorexia or bulimia. As an extra bonus, OA was actually mentioned in a positive way. I read a lot of books on addiction, so I was excited to read about binge eating and OA.
I don't know why I wasn't into this book. The writing was okay, but I think, for me, this memoir lacked the emotion I normally find in books on addiction.
I am sure that the author felt all the emotions while living her story, but I am not sure she managed to convey it on paper.
I found myself counting the number of pages until the end. Not a good sign.
July 3, 2021
SAVING SARA opened my mind and heart to the destructive power of food addiction -- the immeasurable toll it takes on the addict and all those in their force field -- family members, friends, lovers, employers, and more. There were many anecdotes in his honest and well-written memoir that resonated for me, even though my circumstances were different, and added to my gratitude that "there is a solution" -- and that Sara Somers found it and has used this book and other ways to share with others the peace and recovery that she has found.
March 26, 2025
Details Sara's relationship to food from childhood into adulthood. In her early adult years, Sara is unsettled, traveling, adventuring, etc. She then starts putting down roots and going to grad school in CA. While reading I did think more than once "how is she affording this" since there were long periods of time with little to no work mentioned. Anyway, a lot of the book takes place in the Bay Area which was a nice surprise. I learned about the GreySheeters Anonymous which I had never heard of before.
March 5, 2020
A deep look into a woman's life and coming to terms with her failures.
I enjoyed this book, its raw and honest. I guess I expected more in terms of "and here's how to get help", but in fairness this book wasn't marketed as Self-Help. This is Sara's story, and good for her for sharing it.
**I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I enjoyed this book, its raw and honest. I guess I expected more in terms of "and here's how to get help", but in fairness this book wasn't marketed as Self-Help. This is Sara's story, and good for her for sharing it.
**I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 16, 2021
Smooth writing, brutal self-honesty, and a (mostly) happy ending mark this memoir about a common but poorly understood addiction. Some stories in the book seem perhaps irrelevant, but they do help illustrate not only the author as a character in the story but also some interesting attitudes and times past. A worthwhile memoir for any fan of the genre or anyone who thinks they might relate to compulsive eating.
July 26, 2022
This must have been a difficult but therapeutic book for the author to write. The story is about her rexover from food addiction. It was an easy read and provided me some education on over eating versus food addiction. Tbh I felt like the writing was lacking something, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it was a difference on what I expected vs what was offered and nothing at all about her storytelling.
June 7, 2021
This book was very readable and a compelling and honest story of true food addiction. We need more food addicts who are willing to share on this level. Recovery is only possible if a person is aware of their addiction and will to step out of denial.
May 11, 2021
Eh
It was alright. I wish she would have been more descriptive of her binges and emotions. Boring overall and didn't inspire me like I thought it would.
It was alright. I wish she would have been more descriptive of her binges and emotions. Boring overall and didn't inspire me like I thought it would.
May 23, 2023
I'd give it a 3.5. A welll written memoir of Sara's struggles with alcohol, and more importantly, food.
October 6, 2024
Raw, honest, insightful. This book will inspire you to go inward in search of the reasons behind your unhealthy behaviors, food-related or otherwise.
January 8, 2022
Zero stars
Pretty sure if I ever met this woman I would despise her. Selfish, narcissistic, vain and privileged. What a bomb. Quit after I was half way through. Wasted time.
Pretty sure if I ever met this woman I would despise her. Selfish, narcissistic, vain and privileged. What a bomb. Quit after I was half way through. Wasted time.
March 9, 2020
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Saving Sara by Sara Somers.
Since Sara can remember, she has had an unhealthy relationship with food. Where her peers were able to enjoy a cookie and bowl of ice cream and then continue playing, Sara found herself in a binge, unable to stop eating her treats, and enduring cycle after cycle of shame. Why does food seem to be so difficult for her? And when will she stop going on a weight loss roller coaster?
Food addiction is a real thing and, since we need food to live, it's extraordinarily hard. I imagine it's also a very misunderstood disease since lay people are probably inclined to suggest that maybe the person just "stop eating." But just like with any addiction, the survivor has to put life long work into "staying sober," something that carries equal significance for the food addicted.
This was a very interested read, but probably not the best written? However, must the memoir writer be an expert author to tell their story? Sometimes the roughness of it is what adds authenticity. There was a travelogue vibe to this one, and I have to say that her continuous self flagellation got on my nerves, but that may just be me sorting out my own issues.
Since Sara can remember, she has had an unhealthy relationship with food. Where her peers were able to enjoy a cookie and bowl of ice cream and then continue playing, Sara found herself in a binge, unable to stop eating her treats, and enduring cycle after cycle of shame. Why does food seem to be so difficult for her? And when will she stop going on a weight loss roller coaster?
Food addiction is a real thing and, since we need food to live, it's extraordinarily hard. I imagine it's also a very misunderstood disease since lay people are probably inclined to suggest that maybe the person just "stop eating." But just like with any addiction, the survivor has to put life long work into "staying sober," something that carries equal significance for the food addicted.
This was a very interested read, but probably not the best written? However, must the memoir writer be an expert author to tell their story? Sometimes the roughness of it is what adds authenticity. There was a travelogue vibe to this one, and I have to say that her continuous self flagellation got on my nerves, but that may just be me sorting out my own issues.
May 3, 2020
I'll be honest: I'm having a hard time reviewing this book. On one hand, Sara Somers shows great courage sharing her story, and it's an important story than can help people who are struggling with their food consumption and the impact it is having on their lives . On the other hand, I didn't exactly enjoy the way she shared her story.
For starters, the story often jumps back and forth in time, for no good reason. Then she tells us about an adventurous life full of international travel, accompanied by constant buying and eating too much food. What did she do for money? She doesn't explain this. Finally, she seems to attribute everything that went wrong in her life to her food addiction, and it seems like she fails to see just how much she achieved.
Perhaps that's the point of the story? Maybe I missed it!
On a more positive note, as I read, I could relate to some of her experiences, even though I've found a very different way to deal with them. Food, especially very processed food, can be a problem for many people. Ths book can help those who struggle to understand that they aren't alone.
With thanks to Sara Somers, She Writes Press and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
For starters, the story often jumps back and forth in time, for no good reason. Then she tells us about an adventurous life full of international travel, accompanied by constant buying and eating too much food. What did she do for money? She doesn't explain this. Finally, she seems to attribute everything that went wrong in her life to her food addiction, and it seems like she fails to see just how much she achieved.
Perhaps that's the point of the story? Maybe I missed it!
On a more positive note, as I read, I could relate to some of her experiences, even though I've found a very different way to deal with them. Food, especially very processed food, can be a problem for many people. Ths book can help those who struggle to understand that they aren't alone.
With thanks to Sara Somers, She Writes Press and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 22, 2020
Saving Sara is the memoir of someone dealing with binge eating. Sara shares how her relationship with food also destroyed relationships with family, friends, and romantic interests. Sara was self destructive throughout her life which caused her a lot of grief and heartache.
I enjoyed reading this book since I know many people who struggle with binge eating. At some points in the book I wished that she focused more on her binge eating rather than on just sharing events of her life. The second half of the book I found that she was more open sharing her feelings of those moments and how they were affected by her binge eating.
Overall this was an interesting memoir of a topic that is not shared often.
*Thank you netgally for the free copy*
I enjoyed reading this book since I know many people who struggle with binge eating. At some points in the book I wished that she focused more on her binge eating rather than on just sharing events of her life. The second half of the book I found that she was more open sharing her feelings of those moments and how they were affected by her binge eating.
Overall this was an interesting memoir of a topic that is not shared often.
*Thank you netgally for the free copy*
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