Critique de Booklist

Gr. 6-12. Part of the At Risk series, this collection of essays is a straightforward, informational approach to the topic. Health experts introduce the issues with background data and medical explanations about the causes, symptoms, and sometimes-fatal effects of bulimia. To provide a sense of the range of the population suffering from the illness, Medina includes essays about bulimics of different ethnicities, women who develop bulimia later in life, and victims of sexual abuse who hide emotional scars by bingeing and purging. One essay suggests how bulimics can get help for themselves; another considers what parents can do to help their children avoid or conquer the illness. Most contributors are knowledgeable, their approach is intelligent and usually research-based, and their tone is empathic. Contact groups and Web sites are appended. RogerLeslie.