Perfect

by Natasha Friend

Book Overview

Isabelle Lee has a problem, and it's not just Ape Face, her sister, or group therapy for an eating disorder, or even that her father died and her mother is depressed and in denial. It's that Ashley, the most popular girl in school, is inviting Isabelle to join her at lunch and at sleepovers at her house, and this is presenting Isabelle with a dilemma. Pretty Ashley has moved Isabelle up the social ladder, but is it worth keeping the secret they share?...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571316515
• ISBN13: 9781571316516
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 11 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 6 to 8

Customer Reviews

Whoa.. real

Perfect was a very good read. I read it in one day. This novel probes the life of 13-year-old Isabelle, who is bulimic. Her father is dead. It seems her whole family is unstable. Her mother, although putting on a happy facade, cries at night for her dead husband. Her annoying sister is sad, too. Isabelle is also sad. It seems she is oppressed in expressing her feelings, though, which is why she chooses bulimia - as an outlet. Isabelle is forced to go to Group - a group that helps people with eating disorders. To her shock, Ashley Barnum, the most popular girl in school, is also in Group. They develop a friendship that makes Isabelle learn more about who Ashley really is, and, ultimately, about herself. This book is one book that you must read. Although it is geared towards younger teens, I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book about an eating disorder - and, not only that, but one of coming of age. This would also be a great book for parents to read. The characters are real. You feel their emotions, and you are taken on a journey through Isabelle's life. Honest and well-written, Perfect is a book that should be in every library's shelves.

Extremely acurate, great read!

Although I am far above the recommended age of reader, 23, I picked up this title because I have struggled with anorexia and bulimia for 12 years. Unlike many other eating disorder fictions, which I usually find cliche, too textbook case, unrelatable, this book was dead on. It did not shy away from specifics about the life of a bulimic, it was candid, emotional, and in so many parts mirrored my own life exactly. I recommend this book highly to any pre/early teen girl, and also to older teens and adults who have patients, children, siblings with eating disorders, as this book does an excellent job of explaining the mindset of someone with an e.d. Those who, like myself, have had an e.d. will relate to it. I also highly recommend "Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia" for readers over 15 and "Stick Figure: A diary of my former self" for any reader over 11 years.

A Keeper

This was a hard book for me to review because I had an eating disorder when I was a teenager. Only in those days there was no knowledge to be had of eating disorders let alone help and support. You were just told to go on a diet. I remember a particularly nasty one where I could only eat grapefruit, hardboiled eggs, plain toast, and salad without dressing. Yet I was determined to look good in my cinch waisted skirt with layers of petticoats like all the popular girls in school. I'm sure this is how the protagonist Isabelle Lee in Perfect feels. You'd do anything to feel good, not only in your clothes, but inside your vulnerable self. Isabelle's eating disorder is Bulimia: eat, purge, eat, purge. How else can she cover her feelings about her father's death, her mother's denial of it, and her seeming lack of popularity in her eighth grade class? To her horror her younger sister discovers Isabelle vomiting. Her mother makes her go to an eating disorder group for girls her age. To her amazement the most popular girl in school, Ashley Barnum, is there in group as well. Ashley's disorder is that of taking laxatives. They bond together to go through the stages of recovery filled with distrust, shifting friendships, courage, and finally confidence. Along the way Isabelle helps her sister and her mother face their grief, just by being more sure of who she really is. Eating disorders are all too common in younger and younger children in our society, ranging from rampant obesity to anorexia. Perfect describes in page turning novel form how young girls can find help and support in eating disorder groups where confidentiality, mentors, and understanding of their disorder offer deep encouragement and healing. This book can give young people insight into the nature of eating disorders through a compassionate story without at all being preachy. Perfect is a most important, even landmark, book. Kudos to author Natasha Friend for writing such an insightful young adult novel. Perfect is highly recommended for children from 10 years and older. I wish I had it when I was young. It will also be a valuable aide in eating disorder groups and women's studies groups in high school. What a great starting point for discussions.

This book is amazing!

This book will entertain you so much with it's light and easy style. Humor mixed with strong emotion. I could actually say i came to know and love her well built characters. I was struck by her original points of view on such an emotional and challenging topic. There are a lot of books out there on eating disorders but very few of them can tackle this important topic while weaving a story that all girls of all ages can relate to and really learn something from. Anyone who has themself struggled with an eating disorder will relate to the pain, or if they know someone who is battling an eating disorder will find this book to be just the right book to open up the lines of communication and start the healing process. I urge all mothers to buy this for their daughters. This topic is so relevant in our world today. As a mother of two beautiful daughters i feel this book has a very important place in their library. Don't wait until you think there is a problem. Let this book be a teaching tool to hopefully avoid an eating disorder problem in your world. Thank you Natasha Friend and please keep writing for our girls!

Perfect!

Isabelle Lee has an eating disorder. She is struggeling for control in the wake of her fathers death. Its not that she thinks shes fat, she just can't find a way to cope. When her sister catches her throwing up in the bathroom, Isabelle can't find a way to bribe her to keep quiet, and ends up in group therapy. Stuck in a room that smells like Cheezits, Isabelle finds herself face to face with the most popular girl in school, Ashley Barnum. At first its her worst nightmare. What if Ashley tells everyone? What if she thinks I'm crazy? Ashley is everything Isabelle has always wanted to be, and more. Beautifull, perfect hair, straight teeth, ect. Perfect. Isabelle soon finds herself sucked into Ashleys seductive world of wealth, and appearances, and most especially popularity. Soon, with the help of her over peppy therapist Trish, Isabelle begins to be able to cope with her fathers death, to pull away from Ashley, and to respect herself. I found this book to be a refreshing change from the typical novel on eating disorders. Filled with humour and emotion, Perfect lives up to his name.