Yesterday, I reviewed The Art of Starving by Sam J. Smith, about Matt, a guy with an eating disorder. I want to share a quote with you from the book again, because I think it's important to think about.
'Thanks to the magic of Afterschool Specials, I know that a disconnect between what I see and what others see is a very banal aspect of eating disorders. Here is the thing--what I have is not an eating disorder. I'm pretty sure boys can't even get eating disorders. Lord knows there aren't any afterschool specials about it.' (p12)Just let that sink in for a second. 'I'm pretty sure boys can't even get eating disorders.' Of course boys can, it's just that society doesn't talk about it. To quote the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA):
"Despite the stereotype that eating disorders only occur in women, about one in three people struggling with an eating disorder is male. [...] In the United States alone, eating disorders will affect 10 million males at some point in their lives. But due in large part to cultural bias, they are much less likely to seek treatment for their eating disorder. The good news is that once a man finds help, they show similar responses to treatment as women. Several factors lead to men and boys being under- and undiagnosed for an eating disorder. Men can face a double stigma, for having a disorder characterized as feminine or gay and for seeking psychological help. Additionally, assessment tests with language geared to women and girls have led to misconceptions about the nature of disordered eating in men." From NEDA's website.We need to have more conversations around eating disorders in men and boys, and so we need more YA novels featuring teen boys who have eating disorders. As well as The Art of Starving and Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu, here are a some more novels featuring boys with eating disorders I discovered when doing research.
The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller (Bought) - Matt hasn’t eaten in days.
Pointe by Brandy Colbert (Bought) - Theo is better now.
Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn (Bought) - When you've been kept caged in the dark, it's impossible to see the forest for the trees. It's impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . . 
Tyranny by Lesley Fairfield (review copy) - "Do I know you?" "You've always known me, silly... I'm Tyranny, your other self. I keep you thin." One day, horrified by her reflection in the mirror, Anna makes a life-changing decision – that food is the enemy. Her obsession with being thin and beautiful will now dominate her every waking and sleeping hour. Should she falter or show any signs of weakness, Tyranny, her inner voice of "reason" will be only too willing to push her back into line. Years later, when Anna finally finds the strength to defeat her personal demon, it will be a matter of life and death. From Amazon UK
Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig (review copy) - On the face of it, Leslie is a normal, healthy, well-adjusted fourteen-year-old girl. She goes to a good school, has a great friend in Cavett, and a mother who loves her to the moon and back. She should be happy, yet she’s not. She would be, she thinks, if only she were thinner. But “thinking thin” becomes a dangerous obsession and Leslie’s weight drops to five stone, threatening to destroy her and the whole fabric of her family life. Only by realizing that this condition is an illness – and one that has its roots in a deep problem – can Leslie hope to survive. From Amazon UK
Purge by Sarah Darer Littman (review copy) - Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward. From Amazon US
