Humorous. Great illustrations. "Rule #1: Do not start a book with the weather." Another is: "Leave out the parts people don't want to read." The "bottom line" of writing advice from an old school author for writers who want to make it to and stay on the Best Seller List and who want to sell books and make money (that's every author, right?). Most important point: author invisibility in the story. No "hoopdedoodle." Read it in 30 minutes. Useful to remind oneself of the basics, but overpriced at $14.95 (hb) For a more extensive look at these rules from another "old school" writer see Dwight Swain's "Techniques of the Selling Writer."

This is not so much a book about ana-mia (anorexia/bulimia) as it is about the societal conditions that contribute to its development and the terrible power it has over those in its grip. This book is a page turner, nearly impossible to put down. However, it is not a book to "like" except perhaps for its lyrical language. There is not doubt that Laurie Anderson is a language master. She has learned to write beautifully about things that are ugly. The insights into the mind of the main character, Lia, are harrowing. It is hard to empathize with the other characters, except for Lia's younger sister; they are often clueless, unaware, or friendly, but opportunisitic. There were a few situations that I did not find credible, for example, Lia, an 84 lb. girl who is starving and chronically exhausted using a stair-stepper for five hours straight to work off calories. Despite its disturbing subject, this was a tremendous book.