The Thin Woman

By Michelle Howard

The Thin woman is a combination of poems, song lyrics, photos, and journal entries illustrating one woman's constant and courageous struggle with her lifelong eating disorder. The poems and song lyrics, written by her sister, attempt to capture the Thin Woman's reality and the devastating pain it's caused both herself and her family. The poems are coupled with black and white photographs of the Thin Woman to illustrate this disease for the reader. Throughout the book, readers are taken on a complicated journey as they read the Thin Woman's letters to Bob (the name she's given to her eating disorder). Within these letters, the Thin Woman thanks Bob for being her dearest friend. Together they share the triumphs as she loses weight to keep herself small and safe. They battle as the Thin Woman realizes what Bob has cost her and she fights to rid herself of his control.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667808741

Book preview

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© 2021 Michelle Howard All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law

ISBN:978-1-66780-8741-

eBook: 978-1-66780-873-4

Photographs by Charlene Yelle

M

Thank you for sharing

your story of courage,

strength, and adversity.

Contents

Dear Readers,

Dear Bob,

Dear Bob,

I Remember, She Recalls

Dear Bob,

The Glass Judge

Dear Bob,

The Scale

Dear Bob,

The Numbers Game

Purging

Negative Thoughts

Dear Bob,

Little Sister

Dear Bob,

Dinner Out

The Patient

Dear Bob,

Dear Bob,

Dear Bob,

Dear Bob,

Let It Go

Dear Bob,

The Thin Woman

It’s Complicated

Bob,

Prayers

Dear Readers,

The Thin Woman is a combination of poems, song lyrics, photos, and journal entries illustrating my sister’s constant struggle with her lifelong eating disorder. I wrote the poems after long talks and teary-eyed conversations with my sister, in an attempt to better understand the battle she’s fighting. The poems are my interpretations of her reality. The photographs are the work of my cousin, Charlene Yelle. My sister, my cousin, and I created the photographs to bring what we feel is a striking visual to complement the poems and journal entries. And the lyrics (songs) were written as a way for me to further express my sadness, hope, and support.

The journal entries are written as letters to Bob. Bob is the name my sister has given to her eating disorder. Throughout the book, M talks with Bob. She asks for his encouragement, she thanks him for guiding her through her most difficult challenges, she questions him, and she begs him to let her go.

I hope that in reading The Thin Woman, you come away with a stronger understanding and compassion for those struggling with eating disorders. If you have an eating disorder yourself, my hope is that you come away with a feeling of belonging, knowing that you are not alone in this overwhelming and constant war.

Kindly,

M’s Sister

Dear Bob,

You and I have been together,