Hungry

A unique eating-disorder memoir written by a mother and daughter.

Unbeknownst to food critic Sheila Himmel-as she reviewed exotic cuisines from bistro to brasserie- her daughter, Lisa, was at home starving herself. Before Sheila fully grasped what was happening, her fourteen-year-old with a thirst for life and a palate for the flavors of Vietnam and Afghanistan was replaced by a weight-obsessed, antisocial, hundredpound nineteen-year-old. From anorexia to bulimia and back again-many times-the Himmels feared for Lisa’s life as her disorder took its toll on her physical and emotional well-being. Hungry is the first memoir to connect eating disorders with a food-obsessed culture in a very personal way, following the stumbles, the heartbreaks, and even the funny moments as a mother-daughter relationship-and an entire family-struggles toward healing.

Author Biography

Sheila Himmel is an award-winning food critic, writer, and editor. She served as the food writer for the San Jose Mercury News. Her prize-winning articles have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post and USA Today. Sheila currently lives in Palo Alto, California, with her husband, Ned, and their two children, Jake and Lisa.

Lisa Himmel is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in American studies. She plans to work in early childhood education. She is the coauthor, with her mother, Sheila Himmel, of Hungry: A Mother and Daugher Fight Anorexia.