Mirrors Never Lie

by Isaacsen-Bright

For Bonnie, it had all started with a simple diet. She had just wanted to lose ten pounds or so. But every time she looks in the mirror, the mirror tells her she's still too fat.

Caught in the nightmare of anorexia nervosa, Bonnie could lose more than just weight. She could lose her life.

Genres: Young Adult, Mental Illness, Childrens, Fiction

172 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh, man, back when i was 13 or so, these kinds of books were such a big deal - they were like the predecessors of that topical writer-cyclone jodi picoult, where the publishers would take a Big Problem facing teens, and just huck a formulaic book at it. suicide, pregnancy, drugs, sexual abuse: see a teenage problem, build a book around it. my own personal morbid fascination was with the betrayal of the body. and i read 'em all: "shit, i have cancer", "i am in a coma","holy scoliosis", "dude, where's my leg??"...i even read a book about lupus. lupus! and when i was diagnosed with epilepsy i thought - shit, i never read a book to tell me how to deal with this!! if i had cancer, i would just drink a watermelon milkshake and have a positive attitude and i would most likely be fine (but then relapse in the next book - grr!) and i have never been anorexic - i have a nearly pornographic relationship with food, but i loved this book like cake.and it is probably terrible, but i did, i loved it and read it at least 17 times. and i am having a really nostalgic week - i was in a part of town yesterday that was my old stomping grounds when i was a young hot college girl, and it was getting warmer,and everyone looked so young and gorgeous. sigh. glorious. this is not a book review, although this is fine book about teen anorexia/bulimia, this is just me being puppy-shuddery in memories of youth.

yeah, i ain't no proust...

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating is based on nostalgia. I probably read this one at least once a year during my teens.

[L.E. Fidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm pretty sure i read every crappy teen book equivalent of an afterschool special when i was in elementary. for some reason this book and The Prettiest Girl in the World stand out among the rest.

i LOVED these books, which is odd considering i was a chubby little preteen with a huge buddah belly, gobbling up some fairly graphic accounts of adolescent anorexia.

what can i say...i was a weird kid.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read this back in the 80's, and was overcome with the urge to re-read it after seeing a post on some book blog about it.

And to tell you the truth, this book sort of scared me during my re-read. It seems like such an enabling eating disorder book. I guess in the 80's, talking about stuff like this was still taboo, but I just felt this overwhelming icky feeling. Lots of emotions. Most of them not wonderful. Plus the book wrapped up a little too neatly in the end for me.

Still, I guess a brave book for tackling the subject. And on a less serious note, what a cover! It's kind of incredible.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story that shows the slow descend into an eating disorder. The MC is relatable and an interesting. It has a hopeful ending.

[Katherine Sapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read and I understood her need to be skinny but I also understand the point where it became too much.

[Julie Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that has stayed with me for 40 years. I am so glad I kept a copy. Planning on rereading this year (I'm 54 now) to see how I react.

[Heather Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book and it had such a profound effect on me that I still remember it very well to this day. I still use the theory from this book that sometimes you can have a false image of yourself and what you look like.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much-loved young adult novel about a high school teenager who becomes anorexic and how the disorder affects her life and the lives of those around her.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've probably read this book dozens of times.

[Mell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in high school- about the evils of anorexia. We all passed this one around.

[mylifewellread · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the 80's, but it had a huge impact on me, taught me a LOT about anorexia/eating disorders. Can't believe i found it on here.