Starving in Search of Me by Marissa LaRocca

3.5 out of 5 stars. Because most of my readers and I are Christians, I would recommend this guide with one caution: the eating disorder insights in Starving in Search of Me are helpful but know that LaRocca’s perspective is counter to Christianity. She includes Buddhism, LGBTQ+ issues, and pantheistic principles, to name a few.

That’s why I would recommend parts of Starving in Search of Me. I like the eating disorder insights LaRocca details, but I can’t entirely agree with every idea in this book. I will stick to eating disorder advice and not comment on the political or social justice material.

The Roots of an Eating Disorder

“And what are they [eating disorder patient] really hungry for?” pg. 16

“In the context of my eating disorder, this notion of feeling afraid to assert my desires manifested as a fear of my own appetite. I didn’t want to be hungry for anything because I saw hunger as a weakness and as a vulnerability. To be able to say, “I’m hungry to be…treated with respect, taken care of, touched, desired, listened to,” was petrifying, as I had come to believe that having an appetite for anything was something to be ashamed of.” pg. 142

I love this metaphor because I believe that eating disorders have nothing to do with food. Eating, or not eating, is just a coping mechanism for more in-depth issues. Eating disorder sufferers hunger for something that isn’t food but looks for fulfillment in food.