My Good Bright Wolf

An insightful, intellectual memoir about, among other things, dealing with anorexia from girlhood through middle age. I loved the first section, in which the author views her childhood through the lens of what she was reading at the time, with thoughtful feminist analysis of classic books from Beatrix Potter and Laura Ingalls Wilder to Jane Eyre and The Bell Jar; I was gripped by the later sections that describe the author’s struggles with life-threatening anorectic episodes that she just can’t get the better of through her formidable intelligence and penchant for self-analysis. Something that really elevated this one for me was the author’s ability to engage throughout with her own whiteness and axes of privilege. It’s not a book about race but it’s a book that doesn’t ignore race, and I honor it for that. Also appreciated is the bibliography with sources for coping with disordered eating. Some books that deal with anorexia can be triggering, and this one might best be read with caution depending on your personal issues, but I found it beautifully honest and sadly brave in its willingness to stare down and embrace the wolf.

I loved this book and read it twice! Literally started again as soon as I finished it. I don't know Moss's other work but will now seek it out. I admired this book's scope and vivid writing. The handling of eating disorders and body dysmorphia was outstanding and truly demands our attention.

There is just so much going on in the memoir! It is so much more than the story of a woman with an eating disorder. This book is told with so much detail and honesty, and it allows you to really feel the pain and emotion that Sarah suffers through. This story deals with women’s mental health, and how often it is disregarded in society as important, or even real. This is a must read!