Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia

by: Sheila and Lisa Himmel

Published by: Berkley Books, New York

Reviewed by Steven King, MBA, MEd

When a discrepancy arises between a situation logically anticipated and what actually transpires is known as situational irony. Such occurrences enliven writing by providing twists and turns to keep readers engaged. Irony is not always pleasant, however.

Consider the case of Sheila and Lisa Himmel, a mother and daughter whose lives weave an interesting intersection around food. Sheila is an award-winning food journalist and Lisa struggles with eating disorders. This family has anticipated the zenith and nadir of food enjoyment – a certain irony for a mother whose life centers on food.

Hungry provides an interesting look into the background and struggles this family faced as this irony played out in painful ways. Sheila and her husband, Ned, sired two children who entertained food consumption very differently as they grew. Jacob, the firstborn, was a finicky eater during the toddler years and his sister, Lisa, ate most things presented to her. Eventually, Lisa would become preoccupied with eating and the false identity it created in her. Ultimately, it would include residential treatment and the invocation of psychoanalysis to help Lisa come to terms with her eating disorder.

As an accomplished journalist, Sheila writes in a crisp and engaging style. The story is told from two perspectives and is written in dialogue format, where either Sheila or Lisa is clearly identified. Excessive transparency is evidenced as they describe their standpoint of the events that happened. You cannot help but feel sympathy for both as they describe how anorexia and bulimia ravaged their family.

Sheila provides appropriate professional resource to educate her readership on the symptoms of eating disorders, as well.
While most of the writing is appealing and easily followed, it would have been better if the banality of minutiae had not been included. For instance, Sheila includes a table depicting the differences between her children’s weights/lengths as they grew and Lisa has a penchant for the f-word. The latter especially undermines the professional tone of the book.

In America’s love obsession with food, frequently there are casualties. Perhaps the struggles of the Himmel’s can affect lesser irony in your life.

Armchair Interviews says: Between our obsession with food and body image, many people struggle.