HARRIET BROWN

“A concise, readable examination of the hows and whys of family separations.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Harriet Brown has written a very personal book about a difficult thing. [It’s] candid, thoughtful, complex, and well-researched.”   —Audrey Niffenegger, author, The Time Traveler’s Wife

“I was glued to this book, beginning to end. A wise and aware, strikingly honest, thoroughly vindicating read.” —Cathi Hanauer, New York Times bestselling author

“Brown’s brave, profound and oh my God, yes, gripping memoir turns everything we’ve been taught about dealing with impossible family members on its head. This is a must-read for anyone who needs to loosen up tangled family knots—or cut those cords forever.” —Caroline Leavitt, author, Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow

"Required reading for all people with bodies."    —JoAnna Novak, Bustle

"A must-read whether you're the most confident woman in the room or can't remember the last time you had a nice thought about your body."                                                                                                                       —Well + Good

"The introduction from Harriet Brown's new book is enough to scare the hell out of you. Finally. And for good."                                         —Examiner.com

"At turns harrowing and heartbreaking, Body of Truth is ultimately life-affirming and always, always brave and honest. A book every woman—no, everyone—should read."    —Ann Hood, author of The Obituary Writer

Over the last 25 years, our longing for thinness has morphed into a relentless cultural obsession with weight and body image. In Body of Truth, Harriet Brown unpacks the ways in which biology, psychology, media, and culture shape our ongoing obsession with our bodies, and how we can start to shift the way we think. She exposes the myths behind the rhetoric of obesity, gives historical and contemporary context for what it means to be "fat," and offers readers ways to set aside the hysteria and think about weight and health in more nuanced, accurate—and healthy—ways.

Find a Reading Guide here.

UPDATE: Many, many people have kindly wondered how "Kitty" is doing. I'm thrilled to report that she has been fully recovered for several years and is living a happy, productive life free of the eating disorder.

"Deeply honest, captivating, and ultimately inspirational, BRAVE GIRL EATING is the moving true story of one family's experience with anorexia that traces a young woman's struggle from the disease's earliest stages toward recovery."                                                           —Bookreporter.com

"Brave Girl Eating is a story that gets too close for comfort; it's an honest account of the toll anorexia takes on the writer's family, and their tenacious, loving efforts to fight back. This book offers both solace and useful information for families struggling with eating disorders."                                             —Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife

"As a woman who once knew the grip of a life-controlling eating disorder, I held my breath reading Harriet Brown's story. As a mother of daughters, I wept for her. Then cheered."            —Joyce Maynard, author of Labor Day

"Will break your heart even as it makes you cackle with laughter, leading you into a more joyful and healthy relationship with your body."                                                                      —Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia

"A worthwhile read for both women and those who love them." —Booklist

"For every woman who has ever (a) hated her body, (b) stepped on a scale more than once a day, (c) cried in a dressing room, or (d) all of the above, a funny and heartbreaking collection of essays about the tyranny of thinness."                                   —Betsy Lerner, author of Food and Loathing