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Purge

by Sarah Darer Littman (Goodreads Author)

3.61 · rating details · 401 ratings · 77 reviews

From acclaimed author Sarah Darer Littman, a striking story about a girl's recovery from bulimia in the tradition of CUT, PERFECT, and GIRL INTERRUPTED.Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? Thats what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published April 1st 2009 by Scholastic Inc.

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YA Eating Disorder Fiction

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Jan 22, 2009

Yan rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love Janie’s voice in this book! You can definitely feel the emotion that Sarah wanted to create, whether it's sadness, joy, anger, or the urge to purge!

“I HATE THIS PLACE!!! I HATE THIS PLACE!!!! I HATE THIS FUCKING PLACE!!!!! It’s NOT helping me — if anything IT’S MAKING ME CRAZIER!!! I HATE THIS GODDAMN MISERABLE SHITHOLE!!!” —an entry from Janie’s journey

While this is less than discreet, the reader can definitely feel the desperate need to escape and the anger of th...moreI love Janie’s voice in this book! You can definitely feel the emotion that Sarah wanted to create, whether it's sadness, joy, anger, or the urge to purge!

“I HATE THIS PLACE!!! I HATE THIS PLACE!!!! I HATE THIS FUCKING PLACE!!!!! It’s NOT helping me — if anything IT’S MAKING ME CRAZIER!!! I HATE THIS GODDAMN MISERABLE SHITHOLE!!!” —an entry from Janie’s journey

While this is less than discreet, the reader can definitely feel the desperate need to escape and the anger of the encasement. The emotion is so palpable within the book—granted I have mood swings like a magic 8 ball—that I almost had a breakdown! Be warned that if you are very uncomfortable with curse words this novel does indeed have them, but it is used scarcely.

There was definitely no scarcity of characters though that could either be a good or bad thing to you. To me there were far too many nurses and doctors with their own separate names that really had no reason to be included. It just jumbled the enjoyment of the book overall, trying to skim back and figure out who’s who. The characters that I happen to actually remember were so well done. Some were very 3-dimensional and others two, as to be expected since they were side characters. I liked how each character had a set of characteristics that made them who they were but still had the same likable trait.

Despite the fact that this novel only concentrates on bulimia and anorexia, the Barfers and the Starvers, the author creates different scenarios of each case which I found to be quite enjoyable. It gives the reader diversity and a sense that the author does indeed have creativity and not a single track mind. The author also includes the harmful effects of both cases and while putting on a serious front on anorexia, in a death of a character that you knew was going to happen sooner or later, she still manages to include information about bulimia in a subtle way.

I felt, however, that, in the end, the reason behind Janie’s case was quite anticlimactic, and it had me a bit disappointed. But the conflict and build up of finding herself and the main reason as to why she turned to purging definitely makes up for it!

Overall: I greatly enjoyed this novel! While there was a bit of irritation in the use of some words and phrases the author used, it was a very minor issue. What I did like was the motley of metaphors and symbolism: the black hole in her stomach, the emptiness once she finished purging. Definitely cannot wait to read more of her work!(less)

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Dec 20, 2008

Kate rated it

PURGE isn't the first young adult novel I've read with a main character who struggles with an eating disorder, but it's the first one with this strong a mix of raw emotion, tension, and humor. Just as experts who help teens with eating disorders have to peel back the layers to get to the heart of the problem, Sarah Littman's book offers numerous layers, too. Her main character, Janie, is hospitalized for bulimia after she causes a scene at the wedding of her older sister, "Perfect Jenny."...more

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Nov 27, 2008

Eileen Granfors rated it

Shelves: women, families

This YA novel focuses on a group of high school kids and some older characters in a facility that treats eating disorders.

The narrator, Janie, has landed in the hospital after a creating a hugely embarrassing scene at her sister's wedding. Can her passive-aggressive mother and arrogant father come to terms with the person she is and the way that they have contributed to her disorder? Can Janie find her own self-image, and more than that, accept herself?

This book will gi...more

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Jul 21, 2010

Joanne rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward. From Amazon US

This was such an amazing b...moreJanie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward. From Amazon US

This was such an amazing book! And in so many more ways than you would think from the blurb! I just loved it!

This is in no way a heavy book. As much as I was looking forward to reading Purge, I did assume it was going to be a pretty hard book to read emotionally. Although it's no picnic, it's not as hard as I thought it would be. It's actually pretty light and humourous in places, and I found myself hooked from the first line!

What I love is about this story is that it starts with Janie getting help. She's already int he psychiatric hospital, and although she doesn't think she has a problem, and would rather be anywhere but there, she is, and the people there are there to help. I think this is great firstly because from the start you know there's a way out for Janie if she chooses to take it, and secondly, because it shows you exactly what's involved in recovery for bulimia.

We do find out about Janie's story, about why she has bulimia and how she ended up at Golden Slopes, but Darer Littman trickles bits and pieces of her backstory throughout the book, so you're eagerly reading to find out what happened, but also engaged enough with Janie's here and now; with how she is dealing with her recovery, whether she'll make it or fall off the wagon. You're also kept engaged through the stories of the other patients. The other "Barfers" and the "Starvers" - those with bulimia and those with anorexia. Although we focus on Janie, you also come to care about the other patients and whether they recover. Some of the group therapy scenes are really heart breaking, yet eye-opening.

I noticed that not at one point in the novel do we find out what Janie's weight is. We don't get told her actual weight, and, although she thinks she's fat, we don't have her friends, family, or doctors try to convince her that she's not. She gets told she's pretty, but not whether she's fat or skinny. I just love that! It doesn't make a difference what her weight actually is, it's what she thinks about the way she looks that matters. Whether she is overweight or not, she is bulimic, and it's a change in attitude that's needed to help her recover, not necessarily a change in weight.

What I also found is that when Janie was describing how she felt, it seemed a whole lot more real, because Darer Littman suffered with bulimia herself. There's something that seems more believable when you know the author has been through what the main character is fgoing through, in comparison to an author researching and trying to get into a sufferer's head - not that I'm knocking it. It just felt at times like Darer Littman was speaking herself through Janie, and that made it hit home just a little bit more - Purge isn't autobiographical, but it's not just a story, some of those feelings are real.

This is such a brilliant book! Darer Littman also has resources for body image and eating disorders which I think would be so beneficial to those who are suffering with bulemia and anorexia. I really can't recommend Purge enough! You all really need to read this book! I am really looking forward to reading more by Sarah Darer Littman!

From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog(less)

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May 22, 2009

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Janie believed it was under control. What began as just a little something to relieve that "full" feeling after a big meal at a Chinese restaurant became the focus of her life. Janie can admit now that she is bulimic. What she can't understand and admit is why she has let this disorder consume her.

Perhaps her family is to blame. Her father dotes on her "perfect" older sister. Tha...more

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May 09, 2009

Rachael rated it

Janie Hyman’s life is a mess, riddled with confusion and contradictions. She may have confidence when acting on stage, but everywhere else, she’s insecure. That’s why she binges and purges several times a day even though she absolutely hates throwing up. That’s why she’s at Golden Slopes with a handful of other eating disorder kids, the Barfers and Starvers, to end, hopefully, Janie’s love-hate relationship with good—otherwise known as bulimia. But Janie doesn’t think she’s ill; she views purgin...moreJanie Hyman’s life is a mess, riddled with confusion and contradictions. She may have confidence when acting on stage, but everywhere else, she’s insecure. That’s why she binges and purges several times a day even though she absolutely hates throwing up. That’s why she’s at Golden Slopes with a handful of other eating disorder kids, the Barfers and Starvers, to end, hopefully, Janie’s love-hate relationship with good—otherwise known as bulimia. But Janie doesn’t think she’s ill; she views purging as a dieting option. The combination of that with all the nit-picky rules at Golden Slopes that drive Janie crazy only convince her that she’s doomed to be imprisoned there forever. But despite that defeatist attitude, there are still some people who won’t give up on Janie, who want to help her accept the ugly truth of what started all this drama, who don’t want Janie to give up on herself.

Purge is an emotional and ultimately optimistic novel about a girl’s struggle with self esteem which helps lead to an eating disorder. The story starts off in a way that’s neither too interesting or not, though readers will immediately sympathize with Janie, but the emotional intensity greatly increases from the middle to the end of the book. As heartbreaking as it is, Littman really gets to the reasons behind eating disorders, which mostly stem from lack of self confidence and negative influence from close family members or friends. Janie’s story is particularly striking in that the trigger for her downward spiral is a painful memory she won’t let herself think about, and it’s like an imaginary tumor that grew so large it took over her life. The revelation of this event is just so extremely sad that I cried. Thankfully, the ending is a happy one, or at least as happy as it could be under the circumstances, and reminds the reader that even if certain struggles, namely bulimia, never completely go away and need to be worked at, there will always be the people who love you to make sure you make it through.

I found it very inspiring that Littman drew strength from her own personal struggles with eating disorders to write Purge. Readers who enjoyed Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers, Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee, Perfect by Natasha Friend, Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern, and Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford will also want to read Purge.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Jan 01, 2009

Angela rated it

Shelves: 2009, pub-schol

This is where the star ratings really fail, in my opinion ... This was a very interesting (it doesn't feel appropriate to say "good", given the subject material) story Janie's experience being in a facility to treat eating disorders. It is mostly in the form of journal entires that are part of the therapy program, mixed with the scenes from everyday that precipitate the next journal entry. I think it's an interesting way to tell the story because you get the truth - or as close to th...more

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Nov 27, 2010

Megan rated it

I think this is an excellent book that intelligently approaches the topic of eating disorders. The novel is told from the perspective of a bulimic teenage girl who is a resident of a mental health clinic for individuals suffering with eating disorders. However, at the same time that the reader gets the eating disorder thoughts, the reader also gets the words of the psychiatrist helping the main character. The main character, with the help of friends in the clinic, nurses, the psychiatrist, an...more

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Feb 14, 2011

Joni Thomas rated it

Shelves: contemporary, eating-disorders, teen, young-adult, reviewed

I have read many novels about eating disorders before. The subject fascinates me so I never pass up any book about them. This one was different than what I am used to. Usually the novels are about the suffering that the person goes through, the denial of having a problems, and ends with them in the hospital beginning to overcome their disorder. With this book, the main character, Janie, is already in rehab. The denial is still there but we learn her story of how she ended up in rehab throug...more

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Mar 29, 2010

Miki Garrison rated it

There are a lot of YA books out there set in inpatient psychiatric treatment, especially for eating disorders -- enough so that it's almost a sub-genre of its own at this point. And as books in this category go, this one has a lot going for it -- there are some compelling characters, the book goes well beyond the obvious cliches, and the hospital staff and treatment process are portrayed more realistically than in most books.

All that said, there were two things about this book tha...more

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Dec 24, 2009

Anne rated it

Shelves: realistic-fiction, ya-lit, psc-reviews, 2009

Janie belongs to the Brotherhood of Barfers, the Bingers, also known as bulimics. She had successfully hidden her secret from her friends and family for two years, until it disastrously came out at her perfect sister's perfect wedding. So disastrously that it landed her at Golden Shores psych hospital with a small group of others who all have eating disorders, as well as the "general psychos". The ED group is split into the Starvers and the Barfers but they all explore their persona...more

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May 24, 2010

Tracie rated it

Shelves: anorexia, eating_disorders, young_adult_fiction

Journal entries and first-person narrative describe 16-year-old Janie's journey through bulimia and recovery.

As a YA problem novel, Purge is a serviceable, accessible addition to the current literature. Teens who are grappling with eating disorders will relate to Janie's struggle; and if the novel encourages one teen to choose recovery over self-destructive behavior, then Purge has fulfilled its mission.

But to me, this novel just fell flat. Purge suffers from an overly co...more

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Jan 17, 2011

Alicia rated it

Shelves: abuse, boy, chicklit, dysfunctional, glbt, romance

Ah, the ultimate teenage problem novel. Janie has a secret and as it coagulates inside of her, her bulimia spirals out of control until the ulimate night at her "perfect" sister's wedding where she's then brought to a rehab center. Here Janie meets a cast of characters, one dealing with incest, one dealing with his homosexuality, one who ends up dying because of her anorexia. As her therapy continues, it eventually comes to pass that she somewhat unwillingly decides to lose her virgini...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Emily rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone, esepcially those with ED

Recommended to Emily by: Nobody

I don't know how to express my love for this book adequately. Being a girl who has personally struggled with Bulimia, Jamie is a character so real to me. As I read Sarah Darer Littman's very descriptive and super real book, it almost seemed as if she had stolen my journals and based her whole story on me (minus loosing virginity, drinking and being stuck in IP). The emotions in this book were raw and real, powerful and alive. What every Bulimic feels about themselves becomes apparent. It's also ...more

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Jul 21, 2009

Kat rated it

Shelves: ya-fiction, realistic-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Somehow I ended up reading this at the same time as Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls. Yikes. Both happen to have female protagonists with EDs, but what a world of difference between the two. This "issue novel", while still delving into serious subject matter, is not nearly as maddening and intense.

Janie Ryman is an overachieving teen who just wants to keep it together. She always feels second-rate to her family, she pines after popular Matt Lewis, and she works hard to k...moreSomehow I ended up reading this at the same time as Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls. Yikes. Both happen to have female protagonists with EDs, but what a world of difference between the two. This "issue novel", while still delving into serious subject matter, is not nearly as maddening and intense.

Janie Ryman is an overachieving teen who just wants to keep it together. She always feels second-rate to her family, she pines after popular Matt Lewis, and she works hard to keep her grades up and score the lead in the school play. Unfortunately, she falls into the clutches of bulimia in an attempt to maintain control. After two years of secret binging and purging, Janie's dirty secret is finally revealed to all in a disastrous scene at her sister's wedding.

At the start of the novel, Janie has been shipped off to Golden Slopes, where she must face her disorder and begin the road to recovery. Along the way, we gather clues and vignettes through Janie's journal as she comes to terms with what led to that catastrophic day. We also meet the "Barfers" and "Starvers" at Golden Slopes, including two very different male characters suffering from different EDs, which sheds a bit of light on this often unmentioned demographic.

Unfortunately, while the focus is solely on Janie and her recovery, the novel noticeably lacks in character development of these other teens at the treatment center. I found myself wishing for more information and background on many of them. However, I did appreciate Janie's recovery process. Teen novels are often too quick to either wholeheartedly embrace or completely dismiss therapy...Janie is realistically weary and skeptical of the whole idea, including the corny art activities and the group therapy discussions, yet she gradually begins to open up and pull out the pieces that work for her. It's an interesting peek into the inpatient therapy process.

While this novel wraps up neatly and quickly in a somewhat unrealistic bow at the end, I would hope that it would at least be more inspiring and helpful for those suffering from EDs and body issues than Anderson's morbidly dark "Wintergirls". (less)

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Nov 28, 2008

Karin rated it

Shelves: youngadult, 2008-reads

Janie is at Golden Slopes psychiatric hospital in the eating disorder ward where it is the Barfers against the Starvers. Janie fits into the Barfer category. She started bingeing and purging once a day, but it wasn’t long until she was running to the bathroom to throw up after every meal.

PURGE is told through Janie’s journal entries. The journal was given to her to use as part of her therapy. It is a private place for her to put her most secret thoughts. While others in the ther...moreJanie is at Golden Slopes psychiatric hospital in the eating disorder ward where it is the Barfers against the Starvers. Janie fits into the Barfer category. She started bingeing and purging once a day, but it wasn’t long until she was running to the bathroom to throw up after every meal.

PURGE is told through Janie’s journal entries. The journal was given to her to use as part of her therapy. It is a private place for her to put her most secret thoughts. While others in the therapy group don’t think this is a particularly valuable thing to do, Janie finds great comfort in her journal and writes in it almost everyday. It is here that we follow Janie through her recovery.

Something I didn’t expect in a serious book about a girl with an eating disorder was the amount of humor that filled the pages. Janie has a dry and witty personality that just leaps off the page. Her descriptions of the tensions between the Barfers and the Starvers is great. Here is one of my favorite excerpts from the beginning of the book:

“We Bulimia Babes are always the first to the table, because we have this strange relationship with food. We want to eat it badly, but afterward we want to puke it up equally as badly.

The anorexics are another story. They’ll do anything to avoid eating, including hiding out at mealtimes, because they have a hate-hate relationship with food. It ends up causing plenty of friction between the bulimics and the anorexics, because we’ll be sitting at the table ravenous, even for the gross Golden Slopes food, but we’re not allowed to start until every one of the eating disorder patients is present and whichever nurse is head of the Eating Police for that meal tells us we can begin. It ends up being like a gang war, except instead of the Sharks and the Jets or the Bloods and the Crips, it’s the Barfers and the Starvers.” p.6

The passage goes on for a couple more pages describing the scene including dialogue from the other patients. Don’t get me wrong though. This is a serious look at dangerous topic. The reader gets to see what it is like for a bulimic by reading Janie’s intimate thoughts. Following Janie’s progress and witnessing when she comes to an understanding about her issues with food is a relief and leaves the reader with a feeling of hope for others suffering from a similar problem.

PURGE by Sarah Darer Littman comes out April 2009.(less)

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Feb 07, 2011

Heather added it

Shelves: contemporary, read-in-2010, ya, mental-health, fiction

I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was realistic and thought provoking.

I thought it gave the reader an inside look into what it’s like to have an eating disorder. It makes you understand the secrecy, shame, and guilt that comes with it. It was definitely interesting to be taken to an inpatient eating disorder unit in a hospital. Little things that you thought would be easy aren’t when you have an eating disorder.

Janie was a great character. I was still think...more

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Oct 01, 2010

Karen Ball rated it

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So how come she's in the eating disorder unit of the Golden Slopes rehab hospital for being bulimic? Janie doesn't want to talk about her feelings, her family's expectations, or why her self-destructive behavior seems to be the only thing that makes her feel better. But that's what it's going to take to change her life. Secrets have a way of getting out of control, just like the ways people try to hide them... and that includes both the Barfers and the Starver...more

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Dec 26, 2011

Erica rated it

Purge was a book I really enjoyed - It feels weird to say I enjoyed it, given the subject matter, but Sarah Darer Littman has written a book filled with such hope and a positive message for teens.

I really liked the characters. I thought Janie, and all the other teens at Golden Slopes. They all were very different, but I found them all very easy to connect to. No, I haven't gone through the same things as they had been through, but so many contributing factors to their situation I h...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Nicole rated it

Littman's Purge is a surprisingly fast read for a book that handles a heavy emotional impact; this is partly because Janie's voice is so very distinct, and partly because it is, in fact, a rather small book.

That's not a bad thing - in the small span of time, it manages to present the bulimia and anorexia as the diseases that they are and how exactly they manage to worm their way into people's lives. In terms of the actual presentation of eating disorders, Purge is fantastic.

...more

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Aug 13, 2009

Janni added it

I resisted seeking out this book at first--even though I knew from a couple of Sarah's readings just how powerful her writing is--I think because I felt like I'd read Wintergirls and felt like I wasn't up for another eating disorders book yet. (Wintergirls deals with anorexia, Purge with bulimia, but both books touch on both eating disorders.) Then I saw a copy sitting in the bookstore, opened it, and just got sucked in by the prose--I kept trying to put the book down and couldn't, so finally ga...moreI resisted seeking out this book at first--even though I knew from a couple of Sarah's readings just how powerful her writing is--I think because I felt like I'd read Wintergirls and felt like I wasn't up for another eating disorders book yet. (Wintergirls deals with anorexia, Purge with bulimia, but both books touch on both eating disorders.) Then I saw a copy sitting in the bookstore, opened it, and just got sucked in by the prose--I kept trying to put the book down and couldn't, so finally gave up, bought it, and pretty much swallowed it in one gulp.

Purge is, in its way, a lighter book than Wintergirls--though light is relative, and Purge has its share of darkness, too--but there's a difference in tone, and I think that difference is important, because different readers respond to different books. I think some readers will get pulled into the deep darkness of Wintergirls; others, readers who turn Wintergirls aside because they don't want or can't handle that darkness, might find Purge the book that pulls them in instead. Then too, the simple presence of a couple different new books dealing with eating disorders might simply up the odds that more readers will find one or the other (or both) of these books as well.

Purge had its funny moments, too, especially in some of the tensions between the "barfers" and the "starvers" at the eating disorders clinic where the story takes place. And the protagonist, Janie, has a sense of humor about her own issues, too, even as she struggles not to be consumed by them, and I appreciated that, too.

At times Purge did seem to wear its messages near the surface, but I think it'd be hard for it not to and, well, the powerful and highly readable writing (see, "swallowed it in one gulp," above) made up for this for me.

I like the way neither Purge nor Wintergirls gives any easy answers. (And Purge's point that while an alcoholic can give up alcohol, a bulimic can't solve anything by given up food was well taken and one I'm still pondering.)

With both books, I was also struck by how there were portions that were a little bit triggery for me, even as someone who's never struggled with an eating disorder. It makes me wonder if the simple fact of being a girl or woman in the U.S. (and much of the rest of the world?), with our attitudes about weight and food both, is enough to make any book that effectively takes an up-close look at eating disorders uncomfortable--a troubling thought, that, and perhaps one more reason we need these books out there, uncomfortable or not.(less)

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May 27, 2010

Briana rated it

Shelves: books-won, my-personal-library, signed, great-lesser-known-books

Original post here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2010/05...

Review
Purge is a wonderfully crafted look into what it is like for a teen girl living with and trying to understand her bulimia. With a realistic and lovable heroine, not to mention a gripping story line that will sink it's hooks into you from the first page, this is a book I feel would be a great read for many teens.

After the last eating disorder book I read turned out to be a bit of a dud, I admit that ...moreOriginal post here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2010/05...

Review
Purge is a wonderfully crafted look into what it is like for a teen girl living with and trying to understand her bulimia. With a realistic and lovable heroine, not to mention a gripping story line that will sink it's hooks into you from the first page, this is a book I feel would be a great read for many teens.

After the last eating disorder book I read turned out to be a bit of a dud, I admit that I was worried about how I would take to not only the book itself, but to Janie as well. Turns out I found Janie to be a very witty, dynamic, and relatable character. Despite having practically nothing in common with her situation wise, I could still understand and connect with how she felt and I think a lot of teen girls will be able to as well. From the very first page, I knew I liked her and I only came to love her more as I watched her grow and develop throughout the book. Though Purge is mostly about Janie's journey to recovery and better understanding herself, I would have liked to have gotten to know some of the other characters a bit better. This is something I think could have been improved by a few more one-on-one conversations between Janie and the other patients. However, despite the fact that I didn't get to know the minor characters as much as I'd have liked, they were still well developed and great additions to the story.

Purge was a fast-paced read that at times had me close to tears and at other times, oddly enough, laughing out loud. Littman did not try to sugar coat the harsher realities of having an eating disorder; instead she used Janie's dry humor and sarcasm as a way of making things a bit lighter yet still allowing me to realize the darker truth beneath the joke, providing no false illusions. Don't get me wrong, this book had it's sad, heart-wrenching moments but I feel Littman's technique of using humor to help balance the otherwise painful realism of this story was expertly done. Another thing I really liked about this book was how through Purge's nice array of characters, I got to get a better understanding of the various reasons why different people end up developing eating disorders. Though I felt this is an aspect that could have been a bit more thoroughly explored, I also realize this book was about Janie and what she in particular was going through, not everyone else.

I can honestly say I was pleased with the ending Littman gave this book. Though it was indeed on the happier side, I like that it was made clear that Janie knew things would never really be easy for her after everything that had happened. I would have liked to have known a bit more about what ended up happening with some of the other patients like Callie and Tracey but, just like in real life, we don't always get to know how things are going to turn out for some people. Sometimes we just have to hope for the best.

Bottom line, I would highly recommend Purge to young adults, especially teen girls. There is so much pressure, mostly on females, from both families and society as a whole to be thin. Whether you've suffered from an eating disorder or not, I think a lot of girls can relate to Janie; I know I did. This is definitely a book I plan to re-read in the future and I'm really looking forward to Littman's next YA novel, Life, After.(less)

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Jan 08, 2010

Lauren rated it

Shelves: own

Purge is a well written book that grabs you from the first page and dosen't let you go till the very last word.

For some reason, I had been putting off reading this for a while now. I'm not sure why, but it probably it has something to do with Wintergirls. Since, while I loved that book with all my heart because of it's rawness and reality, it was all the fiction I could take for a while dealing with eating disorders. Surprisingly, Purge tended to show a lighter tone to eating disord...more

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Aug 02, 2009

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

This one has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I'm not sure why I was so apprehensive about reading it. I think I was scared after reading Wintergirls by Laure Halse Anderson. I have to be in a mood for books that drain me emotionally like that. Wintergirls was difficult to read, and I don't think I was ready to tackle something like that again so soon.

But Purge was a lot different than Wintergirls. Besides the fact that it's about Bulimia and not Anorexia, it also very easy...more

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Jan 15, 2010

Courtney rated it

Shelves: teen-fiction, mental-illness

fairly predictable story about a young girl with bulimia who has been sent to an in-patient treatment center for recovery. it's well told, but fails to add anything new to the genre of eating disorder books. granted, it is refreshing to read one of these books that deals more with bulimia than anorexia, and also nice to see male characters included (proving that it's not just a "women's" disease). i still felt as though the real physical problems that bulimia can cause are overlooked a...more

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Dec 12, 2011

stars rated it

Shelves: young-adult, mental-health, realistic-fiction, fiction, eating-disorders

I got through the first 40 pages and realized that this book was not worth the time. While it is a good thing that authors write about serious topics, I think this was done in an obvious, already-done way. A lot of the terms used I found offensive, and I don't have bulimia or anorexia. Referring to them as "barfers" or "starvers" was a bit unnecessary. I also read other reviews and saw that the ending was a fairytale, everything is great, happy ending. That is not truly the c...more

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Jun 12, 2011

Jessica added it

With her head in the toilet, Janie is barely living a teenage dream life. After a wedding fiasco, her parents ship her off to Golden Slopes Rehabilitation Center. Between the rules and other inmates, there’s nothing golden about it. She’s not allowed to pee alone. She’s not allowed to leave the room after eating. She’s not allowed to move around too much. She’s being watched every single second of every single day she’s there. Janie must face herself and admit to things she’s been avoiding for y...more

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Jan 17, 2012

Mehdi added it

PURGE by Sarah littman
I really liked this book! Since my small sister seems to be on the same path, I made her read a small passage of it! And now she has definitely changed! I feel that those kinds of books help young people get on the right path! The only thing that made me want to read this book was its tittle! Wow, I really think this book can change the way that people see the food!

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Sep 17, 2009

Jennifer Rummel rated it

A heart wrenching yet funny tale ("It was like they went from being my Band of Barfers, my Sisterhood of Sneaky Eaters, to my Judge and freaking Jury in three minutes flat.") Littman tackles such a huge issue with humor, honesty, and lets the raw pain of her characters shine through. It's really a book everyone should be reading and chatting about. It's that good.

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Sep 03, 2011

Kim Beaumont rated it

Shelves: chs-library, read-in-2011

I grabbed this book because I needed to find something to read quickly and I'm glad I did. The book tells the story of Janie, a high school girl with bulimia, who is sent to a psychiatric hospital due to a traumatic experience. I think the story is well written and I can see the events leading up to her hospitalization could happen to a lot of girls. I'm glad the book has a positive message at the end. I plan on recommending it to my readers at school.

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Young Adult

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Realistic Fiction

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About Sarah Darer Littman

Sarah Darer Littman is the award-winning author of CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC, PURGE, LIFE, AFTER and the upcoming WANT TO GO PRIVATE? In addition to writing for teens, she is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers (CT) and for the website CTNewsJunkie.com. She lives in Connecticut with her family and three exceptionally cute dogs, in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves.

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