The Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Dear Readers,

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Laurie Halse Anderson is a good author. She has written many other book that I love. Fever 1793 was one of my favorite books as a young girl. But this book was not one of her best. Her historical fiction is superb so good that I would read it over and over again. Wintergirls had a different vibe. I would call it a whinny girl vibe.
Wintergirls is about Lia, a teenage girls struggling with anorexia. The book is her struggle to survive while fighting a horrible body image. Anorexia simply put is not fun. And reading about it is not fun either. So this book is not a fun read. It is actually quite depressing. If you want to be thoroughly depressed read this book. There are a few things about this book I do like though. It is hard to relate to because I have never had anorexia, but there are some parts that every teen girl can relate to.
First reason why I like this book, the ending. Through out the book it is whinny. Me Me Me Me Me. That's basically all the book is about. Lia saying I am not pretty. I am not skinny. I am not perfect. I I I I I I I. But in the end Lia sees that she has to live for other people. That life is not all about her. Her actions have reactions. (Sorry here is a spoiler alert.) She permanently scares her little sister, Emma, when she is found in the bathroom trying to kill herself. Emma will never recover from seeing her beloved sister cut open. After she realizes she hurts Emma so bad Lia decides to change the way she is living. She is not hurting only herself by not eating.
Like I said almost every teenage girl can relate to feeling bad about her body. I would be lying big time if I said that I have never looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. We all do it, but most of us have found ways to cope with it. We read, we run, we bake, we find something to pour our hurt into. It is so sad that there are you girls and guys out there that feel so bad about their body that they can not find an outlet. You may not be perfect, but you need to love yourself. Everyone needs to remember that they are made the way they are for a reason. You are the perfect you, and don't change.
Well I did the think the book had an over all good meaning. The end made me so happy I wanted to cry for joy. The fact that this is relatable is sad but so true. But after all of that this book would not be one that I recommend. It is depressing. It is sad. It is just not fun to read. So Laurie You adressed the subject well, but I did not like it.
So read on, just don't be depressed.
Lindsey