The Hunger Scream

by Ivy Ruckman

Lily Jamison, a senior and varsity cheerleader, is blind to the bewildered stares of her friends and stubbornly resistant to the pressure of her parents, who want her to gain weight. They see her thin body as grotesque; Lily sees it as chic. And she loves the feeling of self-control she possesses now that she has taken charge of her life. When Lily's friend Daniel returns to Canyon City wrestling with problems of his own, Lily is torn by paradoxical feelings she doesn't understand and ends up rejecting the one friend she cares most about. Fearing she has made a spectacle of herself at cheerleading tryouts, Lily shocks everyone further by disappearing. Even after this puzzling episode, she continues her devastating fast until her beauty and health are dangerously threatened. In this sensitive drama about a 17-year-old girl caught up in the stranglehold called anorexia nervosa, a skilled writer explores the underlying causes of Lily's obsession and tells a story of unique relationships with superb dialogue and well-drawn, believable characters.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

188 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1983

About the author

Ivy Ruckman is the award-winning author of fourteen books, including No Way Out, for which she also wrote the screenplay. She is a former English teacher and creative writing instructor, and has written several short stories for young readers. Mrs. Ruckman lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Reviews

[Jody · Rating 1 out of 5]

This may be the worst book I have ever read. I hate this book so much I want to kill it with fire.

Horribly offensive in so many ways. Eating disorders, race, sexuality - basically if this book could eff up a subject, it did.

According to the back flap of the book, the author's interest in the subject of anorexia developed when she identified a former student as an anorexic. Yeah. There's so much wrong with that, but let's focus on the horror that is the actual book.

I also kept checking to make sure this was published in 1983. It read more like it was from 1953.

Let's check out some of my favorite passages, shall we?

Lily talking with her friend Erica:

"Listen, I have to tell you this!" Erica persisted.
"So tell me."
"John Hazeltine asked me to marry him last night...He said he'd keep after me until I did." Ericas's lips were pressed together in a smug line. Then she broke out laughing again. "It's so funny I had to tell you."
Lily didn't know what to make of it. John, a sophomore at the university, had dated Erica off and on for two years. He'd scared Lily to death the one time he'd come to their house to swim with Erica. He was a terrible flirt, had stroked Lily's arm, leg, whatever he could reach, but only when Erica was swimming underwater. He was so overpowering! She was sort of afraid of him. Afraid, too, of how he made her feel when he touched her...
Lily had to laugh. "I can't believe you, Erica. Are you making this up?"
"I swear to God! He says his father wants him to get married, too, so he'll settle down and be serious about school."

(Aren't overpowering boys the best? I love the way they make me feel! Maybe I'll marry one and make him get serious about school. Hee hee hee!)


Lily after being admitted to the hospital:

The nurse walked into the adjoining bathroom, returning with a towel over her shoulder and a pan of water in her hands. She dipped the washcloth, lathered it, then took Lily's hand and began to wash her. Gently, slowly, she massaged each finger. The hot water felt so good. The nurse took a long time with each hand, soaping and washing and rinsing. Then she sponged Lily's face. The warm water was making her very drowsy.
The nurse set the pan aside, placed Lily's hands back under the covers. "Let's try some more of this," she said, her voice calm, friendly. "If you can drink half, I'll wash your feet, too. Hot water's just the ticket for warming up cold feet."
Lily took another sip. It was too sweet.
"You're doing fine," the nurse said, stroking Lily's hair. "Just a little more." She raised Lily's head so she could drink. Their faces were close. "You're terrific, Lily, you really are."

(Um, did I just read a sex scene?)


When "Fat Franklin" comes to visit Lily in the hospital after she is said to be better and going home:

"You know, we have more in common than our food obsessions."
"I'm not obsessed with food!"
"Well, whatever you call it. I'm obsessed, I admit it. Look at me!" He punched his big belly.
"But I like being thin," Lily said. "I'm never going to get over a hundred and ten. If I do, I'll go back on a diet...I never want to be a hundred and twenty-nine again. I was huge!"
"Tell me about it!" Franklin snorted. "Look, I'm shorter than you and weigh twice as much. I'm the one with problems. No girl's ever going out with me."
Lily agreed. Then she thought of the fat girl she'd often seen in Dr. Coburn's waiting room and knew that someone, somewhere...
"Aw, I don't know." Franklin looked down at his pudgy hands. "I'm probably one of those people who live to eat." He pursed his lips. Lily could tell he was already thinking about dinner....
"Look, Franklin, I've been signing these contracts with Dr. Coburn. If I gain so much, I get some special privilege. That's the way it works here in the hospital. Why don't the two of us draw up a contract and do the same thing? You take off the pounds I put on."
"What's the reward?" he asked at last. "Will you go out with me...once?"
Lily saw that his ears had turned fiery read. He was fat. Even his ears were fat, but she couldn't turn him down.

(Hey, is Franklin fat? I wasn't sure about that. Also, what's the best way to deal with anorexia or obesity? Just make a contract to gain/lose the weight in question! If you can trade the desired weight change for a date, even better!)

How? How can one book be so bad? I weeded this from our library's collection and it is going to bypass the used book sale and head straight for the dumpster.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unrealistic portrayal of a teenage bulimic. Rapid development of the disease and an even more rapid recovery. Yeah, right!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read in its entirety on 5/26. Old young adult novel about a girl suffering from anorexia. I read it as a teenager and managed to find a copy of it for myself not too long ago.

[Michelle Peery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it in high school actually.