Ink in Water is an illustrated memoir that tells the story of Lacy. It tells her journey, mostly focusing on her eating disorder and anxiety.

I really liked this book, the story was captivating and I couldn’t put it down…
I loved Lacy, she was so relatable.
I teared up a couple time, it made me feel so much.
The only reason this doesn’t get 5 stars is that even though I liked the art I didn’t LOVE it…
IDK…
Still, a great read that I would strongly recommend.

the artwork is great and the story is raw and real...shows the light at the end of the tunnel.

Ink In Water's cover instantly pulled me in. It's art was a beautiful picture of depression and I felt like I would identify with the work on a personal level.
Lacy walks readers through her self esteem and body issues that leads to trouble with eating. Always honest, we watch her fall into despair, hit rock bottom, try to pull herself out, make some progress and then recede and then make progress again. This is the truth of any obsession, addiction, and any mental disorder. While I don't have an eating disorder, it was easy to understand her anxiety and recession as I suffer from depression myself. I saw my journey in hers and I saw the hope that is there.
Other than art, I really love that this book looks at the idea that 12-step doesn't work to change thinking patterns. While it can be very helpful and keep you accountable but Lacy saw that she still had issue with in her to deal with. Finally, when she meets someone who changed her way of thinking, then she was able to embrace who she was as a person. For me it was a therapist while for Lacy it was a method of exercise and health that challenged everything she had believed before.
A gorgeous representation of being stuck inside one's head , Ink in water truthful , sad, and inspiring all at the same time. I encourage those with issues to read it so you won't feel alone and I encourage people with out issues to rea it because then you will start to understand what we go through.

This graphic novel was utterly amazing. This topic hits pretty close to home so I was glad to see that Lacy was able to recover at the end of the story. For someone who is struggling with an ED, this is a good way to share a survivor's story. The artwork is beautiful and Lacy clearly has a way with making graphic novels. I can tell this one is going to stick with me for awhile.
The narration was so honest and truthful that at times I was shocked. Not to mention that usually other books that have ED related issues usually skim over the content or tell it completely wrong. This was a genuinely well written story and I enjoyed every second of reading it.

Wow. Powerful stuff. I really liked the grit in the images to match with the story itself. It was dark, sometimes messy, and ever evolving.

Intense read. I found myself fighting tears in a spot or two.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2112816232?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Are you a rad and proud feminist who, despite being super progressive, has struggled with body image or eating issues? Do you love memoirs and graphic novels, and especially love when the two genres collide? Are you interested in learning about one person's experiences with those things, if not? Then, this book is for you!

I absolutely loved Ink in Water, and it felt really authentic to me. I have struggled with these issues in the past, so I was very eager to read a memoir by someone who has not only also dealt with these issues, but has queer punk feminist roots, as well. I think it's vitally important to share our stories in order to dispel the stigma that society places on people with chronic illnesses—especially when we also happen to be young and female. Not to mention, it's extremely refreshing for a queer author to write a memoir that neither diminishes nor makes their queerness the entire plot of the book, but just talks about it in a real way. It also doesn't hurt that the drawings are gorgeously done throughout.

For those who would ask about nudity/profanity: there is a very slight bit of nudity and a mention or two of sex, but nothing more graphic than what you would see in the American Girl book, "The Care and Keeping of You," which is meant for preteens—and there is actually a lot less of it in Ink in Water than there is in the American Girl book. There is a bit of profanity used throughout the book, as well, but it is not overused. I would give this book a PG-13 rating.

I highly recommend this book! Five stars! The world needs more books like this!

Really liked the artwork of this book, together with the humor and Lacy's vulnerability it was a great and honest way to talk about difficult issues .

I read this "illustrated memoir"/graphic novel in one sitting during a rainy sunday afternoon while I was taking care of my newborn daughter. I love everything about this book and story. The artwork is charming and different, I really enjoy the way the story is developed and told. It is such a beautiful book with an important message and not only for those who struggled with eating and their body.

The synopsis for the book ticked a lot of boxes for me. My best friend had an eating disorder when we were at university together, and my first husband was an addict who got well thanks to a twelve step programme. I myself found a twelve step programme really supportive when he was in recovery. I really hoped it would be the kind of book that spoke to me at a very personal level, and after an initial panic that it might be too 'Goddy', whatever that means, I realised that it wasn't at all. As the novel progressed I found myself buying into Lacy's recovery more and more passionately, until in the last few chapters I was willing her on so hard, and I was tripping over myself to read faster so that I could find out how things turned out. Obviously, I am more aware than most that recovery can be a rocky process and is ongoing, so I was delighted to find her blog and see how well she's doing and how happy she looks. I wished this book had been around when my friend was going through this. It would have helped so much. I'm really grateful that this book exists and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend and buy it for people. I think of all the addictions, the ones with food are hardest to master, because complete abstinence just isn't an option like it is for drink or drugs, and I am so pleased that Lacy was able to find her way to health again.

When I saw the synopsis for this graphic novel, I thought I would be reading something boring an uninteresting. But my first impression isn't right because I finished reading this in just a few hours. Not to mention that this is also very helpful and inspiring especially those who are having eating disorder. Hopefully the release of this would motivate people to love whatever their shape or size they have.

A tough story told in a beautiful and touching way.

RECEIVED AN eARC FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. Publication date: October 1, 2017.

This memoir is a record of the authors struggles battling an eating disorder. She had a negative body image & didn't like what she was eating. She was losing herself & the things & people that mattered most to her left & right. The illustrations are very heartbreaking , they portray her struggle with bulimia very well! The images are haunting & even traumatic for someone that has an ED. Like the light at the end of a long tunnel, Lacy is finally able to look at her body in a positive way. This memoir is depicts how many people aren't confident in the way that they look. To some, we view our body as a prison & this memoir portrays those feelings in a very raw way. We let society dictate our image of ourselves & influence how we think we "should" look. I truly enjoyed this book & related to it enormously. I think it delivers a positive message that to live your life well is the most important thing!

Into the Water is a graphic memoir of Lacy Davis' struggle through negative body image and an eating disorder in her early 20s.

Wow. This was so inspiring for Lacy to talk about her ED in the graphic format. It was real and relatable. You could see and feel her bravery when she takes us through her journey from thoughts of not being good enough to food restriction and anorexia, to exercising compulsively and then bulimia. The illustrations are done by Lacy's partner Jim Kettner and they are dark and intense, but expressive and show Lacy's pain and struggle in such a real way.

This was a quick, but powerful read. If you know someone going through an eating disorder or have yourself I recommend picking this up when it is released in Oct.

Pre-orders available for this book - Release Date 10/01/17

Facts: I am a fat bearded man. I have been fat for a long time. I carry myself with pride and have come to an understanding with myself that I am good how I am. I can be more healthy and strive towards that, but socially, I am aware of myself and not bothered... For the most part.

While the bearded part didn't come until much later, I was always the "Husky" kid (I hate that term). I remember the first time I stressed about my size. Seventh grade was particularly hard for all the kids my age, new classes in a new school had all kids pushing boundaries and testing the power structures. One particular young lady made a few comments about my t-shirt being pushed out by my belly which embarrassed me greatly. I spent the next year holding my body certain directions so that my belly never touched the front of my shirt visibly, or holding the hem of my shirt. I wasn't fat, just a little early teen chubby. The idea stuck though and my brain was rewired to be conscious of my size and shape.

It is a snowball: One person caused a reaction by me which added to the growing body shame I carried for many years. I owned that shame, kept it under cover and chose not to ever mention it. I remember reading books where characters found unusual diets, tips, and tricks, or even mild disorders as ways to make themselves "better". I admit, I tried a great deal of them. I sometimes wonder how many books folks like myself turned into instruction manuals when the original premise was to inform/scare/warn against.

Good thing for me to fail at I suppose. I sucked at sports and dietary self-harm.

It took a long time to get to the "fuck your opinion" stage of my life, but I am glad I made it here even though I have to talk myself into it sometimes. Now all I have to worry about is the people who cross the street when they see a big bearded dude walking down the sidewalk. I am a teddy beard goddamn it, but one cannot help other folk's triggers.

"Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (or how I kicked anorexia's ass and embraced body positivity)"

Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (Davis - Kettner)
272 pages
New Harbinger Publications
ISBN-10: 1626258317
ISBN-13: 978-1626258310
Okay. That is a mouthful of a title, but mouthful, in this case, is a good thing as it is highly descriptive and shines a spotlight on the topic rather than obscuring it. Written by Lacy J Davis and Illustrated by Jim Kettner, this Graphic Novel memoir covers approximately a 10-year span of time as Lacy moves from confident and rebellious punk to Crossfit lover and guru. The majority of the book follows the dark years in between which are the entire point of this story.

After some commentary from a boyfriend about body size and shape of someone he knows, Lacy interprets the comments as directed towards her, even tangentially. The result is a depressed obsession with dieting, health food, and exercise that could have killed her. She eats very little or very specific foods, then over exercises to burn even more calories. Cardio Catharsis is her favorite medicine. She ends up a walking skeleton and thought everything was fine.

After hearing health concerns from people she trusts and being put on temporary leave from work, Lacy joins Over Eaters Anonymous, and 12 steps through her troubles with others who have a myriad of eating disorders. She deludes herself about her progress, she allows life to deter her from forward motion, she backpedals then moves forward before backpedaling again.

Moving through life like a confused toddler is part of our graceless human condition.

Textually, this book is easily consumed, but the subject matter makes it a little unapproachable. Starting with the cover, the deep details in the subtitle, while serving one descriptive purpose, might also fight against itself with out the help of vocal fans. Advising this is a book about "kicking anorexia's ass" might deter a significant number of people from reading it.

DON'T be that deterred person. Read this then be vocal. The story here is amazing and inspiring. It is presented in a manner which flows well and ensures it is not a chore. Lacy's story is a roller coaster of emotions, and even the parts which might be funny are hard to laugh at. I did cheer once or twice and every time I saw Powell's Books I got a bit happy.

The artwork in this book is phenomenal. Just the right amount of detail where needed, and lacking where it would only distract or be wasted. Some of the most impressive panels were areas where Lacy's brain is on fire, and the smoke and electrical wires are bursting forth into the universe. Interestingly, Kettner plays a key role in the story. As a Graphic Artist, drawing web comics and media, he and Lacy hit it off and he spends a large amount of meta time in the comic along side her in a role of support, understanding, and unconditional love.

This Graphic Novel is highly recommended, end of story.

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Disclosure:
This Graphic Novel was supplied for review purposes by the publisher or author. If the topic of this novel resonates with you, then who gives a rats ass who provided it.

Somehow this turned out to be the second graphic novel about eating disorders I read this week, thanks to Netgalley! Haha!
Somehow this one didn't seem to go in as deep as the last one I read - it seemed a little more superficial as far as touching on the author's emotions and the psychology behind her disorder. I think I wanted more than "my boyfriend dumped me, so I became anorexic, but then I got a new boyfriend and did crossfit and I'm fine now."

Dark and gritty graphic memoir about the author's struggle with anorexia. Davis' story begins in adulthood and it's refreshing to see a story that does not follow the perfectionist high school student narrative that the after school specials often portray. Also present here is a look at Overeater's Anonymous as a program and the ways that an eating disorder is and is not like addiction. Raw and unfiltered. I read this in conjunction with Lighter Than My Shadow, which is also an anorexia graphic memoir and I feel that both are so distinct that I would recommend them both either in tandem or separately.

This was an incredibly empowering story! I haven't read much about eating disorders and I work at a mental health clinic. I just had talked to a girl who had just started to get over bulimia and had such extreme guilt whenever she ate anything. But it is so incredibly brave for anyone with eating disorders to start recovery and it's no small feat what this woman did! I am so proud of this woman and hope she lives a long and healthy life

I don't think I've read a book about eating disorders as real as this one. Usually it's somewhat glamorizing of them, or else it's woe- is- me about the whole thing. Either way, they're usually not relatable. This book is definitely the exception to the rule with a supremely likeable main character who doesn't candy coat how captivating and an honest pain in the ass having an eating disorders can be. I don't have a conscious eating disorder (OCD of thinking i will choke whenever I swallow or else eating supper slow to somehow prevent the unlikely event of choking which I've never done is a bitch), but the intrusive thoughts don't go away, and Lacy did and amazing job of telling the story with the realness it needed to teach the audience. Her story was a very captivating one, and I never felt unsympathetic towards her, but I also never felt pity on her either, which is one of my biggest pet peeves in what I call "sympathy porn" like what SOOO many YA books tend to do. I was rooting for her so the way through, and cheered at the end of it for earning a happy enough ending. My one complaint is more of a nitpick, but I wasn't really that huge of a fan of the art- the characters had a tendency to look kind of ugly to me, but the topic is kind of an ugly one too, so with that in mind, it was easy enough to get into. Overall, if this helps people who are recovering or suffering with an ED, then it's totally worth it in my book. Heck, it's a good book in general that I recommend to anyone who feels they aren't good enough! I hope to see now from this duo in the future!