Not all Black girls know how to eat [electronic resource] : a story of bulimia / Stephanie Covington Armstrong.

ISBN:

9781569763186

Title:

Author:

Covington Armstrong, Stephanie.

Personal Author:

Covington Armstrong, Stephanie.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 241 pages)

Contents:

A hungry childhood -- Returning home -- Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn -- Monster in the family -- Father's Day -- Missing mommy -- A Communist among us -- The trouble with puberty -- Tragedies -- On my own -- Losing it -- Hollywood, California -- What goes down must come up -- Manorexic -- New York -- Location, location, location -- Dating for doughnuts -- Resistance is futile -- Giving up the fight -- The inward journey -- On solid ground.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Personal Subject:

Covington Armstrong, Stephanie-Health.

Covington Armstrong, Stephanie-Mental health.

Covington Armstrong, Stephanie-Childhood and youth.

Subject Term:

Bulimia -- United States -- Case studies.

Bulimia -- Patients -- United States -- Biography.

African American women -- Biography.

African American women -- Mental health -- Case studies.

African American families -- New York (State) -- New York.

Geographic Term:

Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) -- Biography.

New York (N.Y.) -- Biography.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2009

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
616.852630092	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Describing her struggle as a black woman with an eating disorder that is consistently portrayed as a white woman's problem, this insightful and moving narrative traces the background and factors that caused her bulimia. Moving coast to coast, she tries to escape her self-hatred and obsession by never slowing down, unaware that she is caught in downward spiral emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Finally she can no longer deny that she will die if she doesn't get help, overcome her shame, and conquer her addiction. But seeking help only reinforces her negative self-image, and she discovers her race makes her an oddity in the all-white programs for eating disorders. This memoir of her experiences answers many questions about why black women often do not seek traditional therapy for emotional problems.

Author Notes

Stephanie Covington Armstrong is a playwright and screenwriter who has written for Essence, Mademoiselle, Sassy, and Venice magazines. Her essay on bulima, "Fear and Loathing," is included in the forthcoming Norton anthology The Black Body. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Playwright and screenwriter Armstrong spent her twenties searching for the warmth, love, and nourishment that was lacking in her urban childhood-and found it in food. Bulimia nervosa became her coping mechanism for all manner of pains. When money was scarce, she borrowed, stole, and even dated a variety of unsuitable men for meals. When she reached rock bottom, she found that most outreach systems seemed oriented to middle- and upper-class white women, but she stuck it out in a 12-step program. Unlike other food addiction narratives, this one features characters who are finely wrought. Other African American women battling bulimia will appreciate the voice Armstrong has given to their struggle. Readalike: Marya Hornbacher's Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia.-Elizabeth Brinkley, Granite Falls, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.