This Mean Disease: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Mother's Anorexia Nervosa

This memoir of author Daniel Becker's mother, a survivor of anorexia nervosa, recounts the starvation disease's impact not just on his mother, but on his entire family. Throughout his childhood his mother was obsessed with food and the family secret of his mother's disease which influenced the entirely family. From Jewish and family rituals to his mother's feelings about her anorexia, THIS MEAN DISEASE offers a poignant chronicle by another family member other than the usual sufferer - and brings to life many family issues surrounding an anorexic family member.

This book is first and foremost a wonderfully written memoir. In the current field, filled with recollections of growing up in alcoholic, schizophrenic and other dysfunctional families, Daniel Becker's book stands out as a straight-forward story about growing up with an anorexic mother and it's effects on his brothers, his father and himself. Becker's mother was diagnosed with adult anorexia at a time when very few had heard of the word much less knew how to spell it. The author not only provides the reader with a great deal of information about the disease but writes about its consequences upon the entire family dynamic. Above all, this is an honest attempt by Becker to make sense of his own childhood as well as This Mean Disease's effect on his adult life.

Dan Becker's, This Mean Disease, is a stark portrayal of the consequences of his mother's long battle with anorexia nervosa. This gripping memoir, which reads like a novel in which the author becomes the leading character, is a must read for anyone connected to this devastating disease. The book is unusual because it comes from the male perspective, a viewpoint that Becker conveys in sometimes painful honesty. But This Mean Disease works on other levels of the human experience and will be of interest even to those who have been spared direct association with the mean disease. The author's strained relationship with his father, which begins with interactions that barely achieve superficiality then gradually deepen as they both come to terms with the illness and their feelings, will find a ready audience for fathers and sons who struggle to express deeper thoughts than predicting the latest pennant race.

For everyone suffering from eating disorders or knows someone, this is a very important book to read. I am an eating disorder psychotherapist and am always looking for books for clients to read that are meaningful and written in ways that help them and this is that book. In addition, few books are written by men and Mr. Becker's perspective helps the reader understand the total devastation that eating disorders create. The book engages you immediately and is hard to put down. It is well written with empathy and thoughtfulness. I highly recommend this book.

I read this book in one day, eager to know about this man's life and family. I found it to be an extraordinary read for many reasons: It does not demonize anyone, (not Daniel's mother who was so sick and so unable to care for him, not his dad who was trying everything but couldn't make a meaningful difference in his wife's condition and not the well meant but inadequate programs of care in the 70s and 80s). The book DOES give a positive picture of how the author, (and his family) came to terms with the impact of the disease on himself and on the family as a whole. The psychiatric care that Daniel found when he was depressed and suicidal sounds life-saving indeed. And it is rare to get positive descriptions of psychiatry in literature. One does not have to have been so close to the edge oneself to understand how important it was for Daniel to realize that it was OK for him to move on, to have some distance and to create a happier life for himself than his mom and dad had been able to lead. This realization alone made the book worth reading.