Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm
- Downloads：8691
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2024-02-29 01:21:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emmeline Clein
- ISBN：0593536908
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Samantha Orszulak
，
This book was definitely way more than a memoir - yes， the author discusses her relationship with food and the obstacles she’s had to overcome but she also dives deep into the history and science behind eating disorders。 With each chapter there was a different lens / influence to eating disorders - pop culture， religion， pharmaceutical， etc。 which I found very interesting。 Factual in nature but also personal， I found the book to be important。 It’s definitely a TW book， if you’re not prepared to This book was definitely way more than a memoir - yes， the author discusses her relationship with food and the obstacles she’s had to overcome but she also dives deep into the history and science behind eating disorders。 With each chapter there was a different lens / influence to eating disorders - pop culture， religion， pharmaceutical， etc。 which I found very interesting。 Factual in nature but also personal， I found the book to be important。 It’s definitely a TW book， if you’re not prepared to discuss eating disorders on every page， this is probably not the best book to read。 Additionally， it was rather hard to get through， it is non-fiction after all。 。。。more
Liralen
，
Clein spent years entrenched in eating disorders， and in Dead Weight she examines some of the personal and societal obsessions that influenced her illness， and that of so many others。Structured as a series of essays， Dead Weight leans heavily into pop culture， with an occasional academic bent。 Clein has clearly read extensively—and consumed large amounts of other media—on the subject， and she quotes heavily。 In places this works well， giving a sense of just how pervasive an issue is or in how ma Clein spent years entrenched in eating disorders， and in Dead Weight she examines some of the personal and societal obsessions that influenced her illness， and that of so many others。Structured as a series of essays， Dead Weight leans heavily into pop culture， with an occasional academic bent。 Clein has clearly read extensively—and consumed large amounts of other media—on the subject， and she quotes heavily。 In places this works well， giving a sense of just how pervasive an issue is or in how many works it's reflected。 I did end up wishing that fewer of the chapters/essays had taken this rapid-fire structure， with quotation following source following quotations， because it can feel very much like a montage， and I usually prefer to dive deeper into a topic or source （more analysis and fewer examples， I think）。 The pop culture parts have a very American lens; as someone who is American but is other things as well， I drew some very different conclusions （e。g。， from the discussion of Girls vs。 Fleabag） than Clein does， but there will be resonance for those whose media consumption is primarily American。One thing that readers should be mindful of: While Clein makes a concerted effort to avoid potential triggers in the form of numbers and certain details of eating disorders and so on， I'm not sure she ever really manages to write past a level of latent ambivalence about her eating disorder。 It's understandable but still a risky place to be writing from， and in places the compulsion to write， or perhaps just to delve into this in a sanctioned way， overrides caution。 I don't know how to write about her without making her struggle into a manual or a vision board， writes Clein in a chapter that I can only describe as highly ill advised （and one of the most triggering things I've read in years）。 But I am going to try to write about her anyway。。。 （loc。 3947*） An interesting read， but one I cannot recommend to anyone with anything other than a very healthy， uncomplicated relationship with their body。*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final。Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley。 。。。more
Stacey
，
Emmeline Cline takes the reader to the very heart of eating disorders。 This is well researched and the writing on point。 Prepare to be informed and maybe a little shocked。 Trash eating is a new concept for me and with a social hierarchy of eating disorders， I imagine this is at the bottom。 Anorexia taking the #1 spot。 The need to be accepted and fit an ultra thin normal that is not realistic and perpetuated by the media is at the center of this issue。 Skinny does not equal healthy and dieting ca Emmeline Cline takes the reader to the very heart of eating disorders。 This is well researched and the writing on point。 Prepare to be informed and maybe a little shocked。 Trash eating is a new concept for me and with a social hierarchy of eating disorders， I imagine this is at the bottom。 Anorexia taking the #1 spot。 The need to be accepted and fit an ultra thin normal that is not realistic and perpetuated by the media is at the center of this issue。 Skinny does not equal healthy and dieting causes eating disorders。 When that sinks in， it makes a lot of sense。 The rollercoaster of restricting food intake to reach a desired weight only to binge and gain it all back。 Cline described it best as chaos and control。 The most frustrating part was insurance。 It certainly feels like insurance companies are focused on the dollar and not the burgeoning epidemic of eating disorders。 Like a revolving door， patients are admitted and released， but the problem is not addressed， and the patient is deemed uncurable to be released and fend for themselves which often leads to death。The essays in this book hit a number of topics pertaining to eating disorders and each one of them are informative。 I highly recommend if this topic is of interest， or you know someone or you are dealing with an eating disorder。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Holly Barker
，
Overall， I felt this book was quite good。 It’s an unflinching look at the reality of living with an eating disorder and how poorly our culture and medical field does with the treatment thereof。 I think it’s a very useful book for someone who cares about a person with an eating disorder or just wishes to understand the lived reality。 It also brings in scientific studies， lending gravitas to the work， as does the author’s own eating disorder experience。 I am， however， quite disappointed at the inc Overall， I felt this book was quite good。 It’s an unflinching look at the reality of living with an eating disorder and how poorly our culture and medical field does with the treatment thereof。 I think it’s a very useful book for someone who cares about a person with an eating disorder or just wishes to understand the lived reality。 It also brings in scientific studies， lending gravitas to the work， as does the author’s own eating disorder experience。 I am， however， quite disappointed at the inclusion of the final essay， “Coda。” Not only is it a mess without a clear throughline， but the author uses it to critique approaches to feminism while clearly demonstrating that she does not understand what feminism actually is。 It also doesn’t fit in with the rest of the book and nearly torpedoes the worthiness of what she otherwise has to say。 。。。more
Steph
，
“Have you ever seen a girl and wanted to possess her？ Not like a man would， with his property fantasies…possess her like a girl or a ghost of one: shove your soul in her mouth and inhabit her skin， live her life？ Then you’ve experienced girlhood， or at least one like mine。 Less a gender or an age and more an ethos or an ache， it’s a risky era， stretchy and interminable。 It doesn’t always end。”⚠️CW: ED⚠️Dead Weight by Emmeline Clein （@emmelc） — coming out 02。27。24！ WOWWW。 Shoutout to Clein， @aakn “Have you ever seen a girl and wanted to possess her？ Not like a man would， with his property fantasies…possess her like a girl or a ghost of one: shove your soul in her mouth and inhabit her skin， live her life？ Then you’ve experienced girlhood， or at least one like mine。 Less a gender or an age and more an ethos or an ache， it’s a risky era， stretchy and interminable。 It doesn’t always end。”⚠️CW: ED⚠️Dead Weight by Emmeline Clein （@emmelc） — coming out 02。27。24！ WOWWW。 Shoutout to Clein， @aaknopf and @picadorbooks for the gifted advance copy in exchange for my review。 It was a special honor to receive this one and I can’t wait for it to hit shelves。 This is an impressively thorough collection of essays on girlhood， popular culture， queerness， religion， and even the Internet and how they correlate with eating disorders。 It’s also an incisive， deeply-informed critique of how we should consider race， class， feminism， and capitalism when reflecting on dismantling ED culture。I don’t speak publicly on this these days， but I have 6 years of recovery on my resume， after a 12-year road trip and 100 pounds gained and lost， from binge eating to bulimia to anorexia with pit stops at every possible version of disordered habits。 I entered my thirties last year and am in such a funny place with all of it now -- I think about it almost every single waking hour but find myself caring about so many other things so much more。 I felt as fearless and invincible reading this book as I’m sure Clein felt writing it; it’s an incredible display of mastery of the very thing that takes so much from so many of us and yet we’ve come out on the other side claiming power and well-deserved superiority over it through knowledge and （extremely） critical thinking。The essays are informed by both Clein’s own experience and of other women and girls in her life， as well as those of others spanning every period of history， celebrity status， and literary acclaim。 I’m so in love with the smoothness in which she transitions from exposition to personal critique and opinion; her reporting is as poetic as it is informative。 She talks about EVERYTHING。 One thing I feel like is often missing from books about this is more modern sources like Tumblr and its cataclysmic detriment on body image and mental illness。 Dead Weight cites almost every piece of ED media I consumed throughout my coming of age: I’ve watched every single documentary， movie， and TV show and own every single memoir and fiction title， and this is the first that truly captures what it was like to grow up with an ED in the Internet Age。 I’m glad I’m not the only one。For those who lived it…reading this might make you feel like you’ve just uncovered the ancient dark magic。 Looking back on where you came from should be a reminder to keep moving forward so keep that in mind; Clein states that this book does not intentionally contain triggering content， but I can only responsibly recommend this if you’re on a similar plane of recovery。 Use your discretion。 Love you！ 。。。more
Brooke
，
3。5Extremely well written， insightful and full of pop culture references （normal cringe but honestly made it a fun read）。 They state it was written in a way to not be triggering， I would say if you have any type of disordered eating there are definitely aspects of this that will be triggering。Special thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for a review。
Rachel
，
TW: Eating disordersI simultaneously think everyone should read this book and that anyone who has experience with disordered eating tread very lightly。 I've read many books mentioned in this text--from Marya Hornbacher's anorexia bible Wasted to Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation， and none of them radicalized me quite like this one。 So much of this work is focused on how little control the individual often has; though we obviously choose what food goes into our mouths， we are constantly being inf TW: Eating disordersI simultaneously think everyone should read this book and that anyone who has experience with disordered eating tread very lightly。 I've read many books mentioned in this text--from Marya Hornbacher's anorexia bible Wasted to Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation， and none of them radicalized me quite like this one。 So much of this work is focused on how little control the individual often has; though we obviously choose what food goes into our mouths， we are constantly being influenced on how to look， how to live， and how to eat。 Even for doctors enlisted to "help" us， we are little more than profit。 An example: many insurance companies won't cover inpatient treatment for eating disorders unless the patient falls below a certain threshold， despite the evidence showing that weight is 1）。 not an indication of health and 2）。 you can suffer from disordered eating at any weight。 So women （yes， this text focuses only on women， though it does include nonbinary， Black， obese， and other subgroups that are often ignored by the eating disorder establishment） will purposely starve themselves to reach a weight covered by insurance， only to be thrown out of treatment once they gain weight， despite having no tools to survive outside of a controlled environment。 When they inevitably relapse， insurance refuses to cover treatment because they are supposedly a chronic case with little hope。 Even Weight Watchers is designed to profit from people failing and coming back time and time again。Sometimes this book is a little all over the place--after focusing on eating disorders for 90% of the book， Clein transitions into girlhood and the "bimbofication" of women at the end， and it feels like we lost the plot a bit。 But there's a lot of valuable information in here。 。。。more
Sam Hughes
，
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH！ I am so thankful to aaknopf， Emmeline Clein， PRH Audio， and Netgalley for granting me physical， digital， and audio access to this bittersweet read before it hits shelves on February 27， 2024。 Dead Weight hit me right in my feelings as a former teen who struggled with body dysmorphic and disordered eating。 Emmeline Clein details her experience with these diets and self-made restrictions and how the media， the internet， and society placed pressure and support on her mental illness。 AHHHHHHHHHHHHH！ I am so thankful to aaknopf， Emmeline Clein， PRH Audio， and Netgalley for granting me physical， digital， and audio access to this bittersweet read before it hits shelves on February 27， 2024。 Dead Weight hit me right in my feelings as a former teen who struggled with body dysmorphic and disordered eating。 Emmeline Clein details her experience with these diets and self-made restrictions and how the media， the internet， and society placed pressure and support on her mental illness。 I wanted to hug the author so many times because， in reality， she was looking for a friend and a support system， and ultimately， that's what I was looking for as well。 I had Tumblr， which did more harm than good for me， leading me down darkened paths and constantly comparing my looks to those online， but for many， the Reddit threads， forums， and Tumblr posts were a positive place for disordered eaters everywhere。 Clein dives into how politics and the healthcare industry affected people with eating disorders， mainly as we breach into the world of fad diets and celebrity-endorsed products such as Weight Watchers， Jenny Craig， and even SSRIs as a form of weight loss - a slippery slope。 I felt I was able to reminisce upon the tough times with this book， but I also learned a lot and we as people have to do better。 。。。more
Lisa Konet
，
I think this was a very good collection of memoir true stories about the various eating disorders that can effect anyone， both females and males。 I thought this book could be triggering for anyone going through this or has a history of eating disorders in the past。 I do not think the authir had any empathy for her subjective matter。This is definitely not meant to be a self-help book or for people to seek guidance。 Again， I was disappointed by the author's lack of empathy for anyone present or pa I think this was a very good collection of memoir true stories about the various eating disorders that can effect anyone， both females and males。 I thought this book could be triggering for anyone going through this or has a history of eating disorders in the past。 I do not think the authir had any empathy for her subjective matter。This is definitely not meant to be a self-help book or for people to seek guidance。 Again， I was disappointed by the author's lack of empathy for anyone present or past with this issue。 Cannot recommend。Thanks to Netgalley， Emmeleine Clein and Knopf Patheon Vintage and Anchor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 2/27/2024 。。。more
Danielle Thompson
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher- Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage， and Anchor- for an ARC of this book。“Dead Weight” by Emmeline Clein is part memoir and part expose on the realities of eating disorders （ED） for women in western culture。 Clein’s lyrical prose of her life with ED and coming to terms with her sexuality are seamlessly juxtaposed with ED statistical blurbs from reputable journals and anecdotal evidence from others with ED。 I recommend reading this work as short essays， in small bit Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher- Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage， and Anchor- for an ARC of this book。“Dead Weight” by Emmeline Clein is part memoir and part expose on the realities of eating disorders （ED） for women in western culture。 Clein’s lyrical prose of her life with ED and coming to terms with her sexuality are seamlessly juxtaposed with ED statistical blurbs from reputable journals and anecdotal evidence from others with ED。 I recommend reading this work as short essays， in small bites， to better digest Clein’s thoughtful words and to truly meditate on the complexity of eating disorders through the various lenses that the author introduces through each chapter。 。。。more
Dot Dunn
，
I feel conflicted about what to make of this book。 Firstly， I suppose， to clarify， I was reading it， and thinking through it， as an individual with a diagnosis of AN for 10+ years， having spent the majority of my twenties in that cyclical roundabout of inpatient/daycare/outpatient/inpatient/daycare/outpatient ad nauseum。 I am also from the UK， where we have the NHS， and our media & cultural landscape， although similar in parts due to the commodified and globalised world that we find ourselves co I feel conflicted about what to make of this book。 Firstly， I suppose， to clarify， I was reading it， and thinking through it， as an individual with a diagnosis of AN for 10+ years， having spent the majority of my twenties in that cyclical roundabout of inpatient/daycare/outpatient/inpatient/daycare/outpatient ad nauseum。 I am also from the UK， where we have the NHS， and our media & cultural landscape， although similar in parts due to the commodified and globalised world that we find ourselves collectively being subjected to in late stage capitalism， is not exactly the same。 Whilst I recognised the immense harm that our misogynistic mass media has on the young， especially women， I do not necessarily see this as the core reason， or indeed any reason， for why an individual goes on to develop an eating disorder。 An eating disorder is， first and foremost， a mental health diagnosis， and， whilst labelling can be largely transitory， and in some cases， iatrogenic in nature， it is important， I think， to clarify the difference between body dysmorphia， one being on the receiving end of ableism/ misogynism/ sexism etc， and a mental health condition。 There needed to be stronger clarification between disordered eating， and， an eating disorder。 Whilst I think both are serious， and require medical intervention， they are not the same severity。 Whilst I understand the contemporaneous nature of the book in question， I think it could have been helpful to contextualise eating disorders in history， especially the emergence or so called， of orthorexia。 Whilst it has， undeniably， been fostered & heightened by the “wellness” epidemic， and， in some cases， almost carte Blanche legitimised， individuals with an eating disorder operating on the pretence that they are pursuing “health”， is not new。 Indeed， I have read of Victorian reports of patients avoiding meat and dairy due to “un-purity” of the foods in question。 The core of how an eating disorder operates is， I think， largely stagnant， but the cultural sphere of which it is operating in changes， meaning that the language adapts， but the idea largely remains intact。 There was also little coverage of the genetic。 In some studies， doctors place eating disorders as up to 60% genetic， and 40% environmental。 I come from a family of people suffering from addictions， depression， suicide etc， whilst I do not know if this accounts for genetic predispositions to developing an eating disorder， or is the more the case of inter-generational trauma being passed down （the ghosts in the nursery）， I think from personal experience that it must play a large role in how predisposed an individual is to developing an eating disorder。 There is also interesting research emerging about metabolism and eating disorders which I think was given little attention。 From my own experiences in eating disorder services， I actually think there is far too much emphasis placed on the media and cultural landscape， and not enough placed on the individuals history， and other contributing factors。 In my experience of treatment， too much emphasis was spent on corroborating the ideal female narratives that our society imposes on people， namely， I should recover so I could “have children”， “get married”， etc etc， which， whilst they might be “motivating” factors for some， certainly aren’t for me， and made me disdain and look down upon the “idiotic” nurses and doctors who were suggesting such a thing。 There is was a sense， in my own eating disorder， that the world around me， and everyone in it，couldn’t see the wood through the trees， and sometimes I wonder if the alienation and loneliness epidemic that our society is currently experiencing， is in some way responsible for individuals turning inwards， creating and living through their own fantasy worlds in their heads， creating rules and order in amongst a world that is either too chaotic for them to handle， or has rules that they can’t abide by， because it makes them too sad。 Overall， I do think that this was an book with interesting parts， and perhaps my aversion to it stems largely from my own experiences， and my disdain for tying my own experience of an eating disorder into a narrative about pernicious cultural stereotypes。 A year into my diagnosis I actually deleted all my social media accounts， and got a Nokia brick phone。 I turned away from mainstream culture， and yet， my eating disorder still persisted。 。。。more
Jill Elizabeth
，
Wow。 What an absolutely powerful series of essays Clein has provided。。。 I was drawn in by the strength of her pros and the passion with which she presented it， and thoroughly enjoyed the mix of anecdote， evidence， and narrative that pulled together into such a moving and coherent whole。 As the mother of a 10 year old daughter and stepmother of a 24 year old， I was fascinated and horrified and motivated by what I read here。 It amazes me that we continue to live in a world that purports to deify b Wow。 What an absolutely powerful series of essays Clein has provided。。。 I was drawn in by the strength of her pros and the passion with which she presented it， and thoroughly enjoyed the mix of anecdote， evidence， and narrative that pulled together into such a moving and coherent whole。 As the mother of a 10 year old daughter and stepmother of a 24 year old， I was fascinated and horrified and motivated by what I read here。 It amazes me that we continue to live in a world that purports to deify but actually vilifies women's bodies and that girls and women continue to torture themselves， sometimes to death， and an attempt to balance these facts。 This was a really powerful collection。。。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy。 。。。more
Jason Vallee
，
This is a book， that had profound impact on me and the way I view the relationship with my body。 I honestly can’t recommend enough for people trying to go on a journey of self discovery or whom or just interested in better understanding the subject matter。
Tammy
，
The most interesting part of this entire book on disordered eating is that a lot of the source material is so recent。 I feel that a lot of popular books on eating disorders were written so long ago that a lot of them are outdated。 In Dead Weight， social media is addressed frequently as it should with how much it can contribute to our reflections on body image。
Caitlin C
，
As an absolute addict when it comes to pop culture， it's always a treat to find a book that blends my love of the discourse with my favorite movies， shows， and tabloid headlines。 This book is a wild ride， taking you on a breathtaking journey of stripping down everything we know to be true， and showing us the sordid core of the culture we have propped up for decades and how it simplifies， undermines， and vilifies women。 For lovers of TRICK MIRROR and GIRL INTERRUPTED alike - give yourself the gif As an absolute addict when it comes to pop culture， it's always a treat to find a book that blends my love of the discourse with my favorite movies， shows， and tabloid headlines。 This book is a wild ride， taking you on a breathtaking journey of stripping down everything we know to be true， and showing us the sordid core of the culture we have propped up for decades and how it simplifies， undermines， and vilifies women。 For lovers of TRICK MIRROR and GIRL INTERRUPTED alike - give yourself the gift of unpacking all that you know with this raw， honest look at girlhood and hunger。 。。。more
Sophia Rivera-Silverstein
，
I was lucky enough to get a galley of Dead Weight before its release， and loved it。 I disagree with the other reviewers – while the book is extremely well-researched and informative （I've never said "wow" to myself so many times while reading，） this is not an academic text。 It's a truly intersectional look at an issue and subculture that touches all of our lives， whether or not you have experience with disordered eating， that also somehow still manages to be a fun and engaging read。 It's extreme I was lucky enough to get a galley of Dead Weight before its release， and loved it。 I disagree with the other reviewers – while the book is extremely well-researched and informative （I've never said "wow" to myself so many times while reading，） this is not an academic text。 It's a truly intersectional look at an issue and subculture that touches all of our lives， whether or not you have experience with disordered eating， that also somehow still manages to be a fun and engaging read。 It's extremely intimate and draws the uninformed reader into Clein's world， while winking at the people who live there with her and know more about her experience than the rest of us ever could。 It's true that if you're looking for a self help-style book， this might not be for you。 But， if you're looking to learn about the ways our society’s misogyny， racism， fatphobia， economic inequality， unattainable and unhealthy beauty standards， and medical ineptitude create a culture that makes disordered eating nearly impossible to avoid， and looking to more deeply understand the millions of people who walk straight into the trap that we set for them， I can’t recommend Dead Weight enough。 READ IF YOU LIKE: Strangers to Ourselves， The Collected Schizophrenias， Cursed Bread， The Book of Goose， You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine， Sweet Days of Discipline， Carmen Maria Machado， Otessa Moshfegh， Eve Babitz， Esther Perel， Mary Gaitskill， Miranda July， etc。 。。。more
A
，
This book is coming out at the perfect time。 The author took an incisive look at so many different aspects of society that perpetuate eating disorder culture and made me look at them all more critically。 At a time where ozempic exists and social media and yazzification make us question our images constantly， this book has the potential to create major change。 By organizing the book the way she does， Clein places rethinking our discourse and treatment of disordered eating in its rightful position This book is coming out at the perfect time。 The author took an incisive look at so many different aspects of society that perpetuate eating disorder culture and made me look at them all more critically。 At a time where ozempic exists and social media and yazzification make us question our images constantly， this book has the potential to create major change。 By organizing the book the way she does， Clein places rethinking our discourse and treatment of disordered eating in its rightful position - as a matter of feminism， classism， racism， and anti-capitalism。 。。。more
Kelly Pramberger
，
This wasn’t easy to read and a bit more in depth than I thought it would be。 I didn’t get the connecting to individuals stories like I thought I would。 I couldn’t relate much to what the author wrote。 It was well researched despite this。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。
Allison
，