Bulimics on Bulimia - Edited by Maria Stavrou Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2008, £12.99 pb, 160 pp. ISBN 978-1-84310-668-5

Bulimics on Bulimia aims to fill a gap in the publications on the disorder which is largely considered retrospectively while the writers are in recovery. In order to rectify this, Maria Stavrou brings together 19 personal accounts by people from very different backgrounds, professions and age groups. With at times painful honesty, the authors challenge the stereotypical image of the bulimic teenage girl, dispel myths about bingeing and purging, and reveal that this secretive eating disorder affects a far wider range of people than commonly assumed. By allowing the reader a glimpse into their daily struggle of living with bulimia, the complexity of the disorder and the inherent contradictions are rendered evident - the emotional void which only food seems to be able to fill, and an underlying need for perfectionism and control, compromised by feelings of helplessness, guilt and shame.

An overwhelming sense of sadness accompanies these brave accounts as the authors reveal that, despite the wish to change, the perceived need to hold on to their eating disorder as a coping mechanism is far stronger. The readers will find themselves relating to each person as varied as they are, and the only regret will be that they have not been given a voice beyond the limited scope of their respective accounts, as the wish to know more about them arises.

This book will strike a chord with anyone suffering from bulimia and provide support in showing that they are not alone in their struggle and in attempting to break the silence surrounding this illness. Often seen as the ‘lesser’ disorder to anorexia, these personal accounts should at last make clear that it is no less serious and debilitating. It is equally recommended to friends and families of anyone who is suffering from an eating disorder, as well as mental health professionals and counsellors for its sincere and intimate insight without ever losing its factual approach, setting it apart from a large number of personal accounts of living with an eating disorder.