Module 7 - Purge



Littman, S.D. (2009). Purge. New York: Scholastic.

Summary:

Janie is a young high school student who suffers from bulimia.  After an incident at her step-sister’s wedding, which the reader does not find out the specifics of until later in the story, she is hospitalized at a psychiatric facility.  Through individual and group therapy, Janie begins to explore issues that led to her bulimia.  The reader is privy to other patient’s issues through group therapy and general socializing at the hospital.  One anorexic in the story dies, a gay male anorexic comes out to the group and his parents, and another patient is a cutter in addition to her eating disorder.  The reader eventually learns that Janie became very drunk at her step-sister’s wedding while watching a boy she slept with flirt with another girl.  She returned home after the wedding and took an overdose of Xanax.  After discussing the incident with her therapist and parents, she is allowed to go home.  The story ends with Janie talking with a good male friend of hers, and realizing that this is someone she wants to date.

My Impression:

I felt the book did a good job of portraying the seriousness of eating disorders.  It also included two male patients with eating disorders, an area often ignored.  The book portrays Janie as a likeable character, and the reader can’t help but hope that she recovers.  The ending of the book is a little bit ‘too good to be true.’  I feel that the book does not address the on-going work that will need to go on with Janie and her family.  This type of ending can be dangerous for young adults who are already in the throes of an eating disorder.

Library Usage:

This book contains many facts about anorexia and bulimia.  It also discusses some of the opinions that characters in the book have about the two diseases.  Students can research both diseases and create a chart of facts and opinions about eating disorders.

Review:

Gr 8 Up-Stuck with a bunch of "Barfers" and "Starvers," Janie, 16, describes her experiences at Golden Slopes, a rehab facility. Partly dead serious and partly humorous, her narrative slowly changes as she goes from believing that she's almost normal to understanding that she is sick and needs help. Other patients include various girls, an older woman, and a couple of boys, all of whom have wide-ranging issues at the heart of their pain. While other books are more realistic about the time involved in treating eating disorders, Littman provides a sympathetic character and a quick overview of treatment and hopeful progress. Janie moves from denial of habitual bulimia to release back to her regular routine in only three weeks. Her parents are loving, her family is loyal, and her friends are forgiving. The universality of Janie's blindness to her own behavior is clearly portrayed, as is her later insight into her destructive choices. Drinking and sexual situations are necessary to the plot and are described realistically. This is a worthy addition to the current books on the topic for its relatively lighter touch and accessibility.

Edwards, C. A. (2009). Purge. School Library Journal, 55(7), 88.