Life Without Ed

Carly Kursman
Social Psychology
Rob Wahl
October 30, 2007


    “From the outside looking in,
  You can’t understand it.
From the inside looking out,
You can’t explain it.”
(Schaefer, 2004: xxviii)

“Life without Ed: How one woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How you can too,” shows the courage of a young woman who finally leaves behind her biggest crutch; E.D., her eating disorder.   For more than 20 years, Jenni Schaefer was controlled and abused by a man name E.D. (her eating disorder). He abused her both physically, encouraging her to become emaciated and helping her to develop osteopenea. He also abused her mentally, calling her names, denying her feelings and leaving her completely depressed. After more than two decades under his control, Jenni decided she wanted her freedom back and chose to let of go of E.D. Though, throughout her recovery she stumbled and fell, relapsed several times and even convinced herself she would never recover, she finally regained   her own life back today; her life without E.D.  
This book is extremely well written and speaks to its readers. Jenni wrote this book to persuade her readers to let go of E.D. before getting trapped under his spell.   She also wrote it to help those who have struggled for many years, hoping to encourage them to get help because recovery is possible. People develop eating disorders for many reasons. Jenni was told as a four-year-old dancer that she needed to be thin; food controlled her life ever since (Schaefer, 2004: xxii).
            Nearly five to ten million women in the United States suffer from some type of eating disorder (Schaefer, 2004: xxvi). Whether it is anorexia, bulimia, restriction, over-eating or over- exercise, a man named E.D. controls every aspect of their lives. Eating disorders are serious addictions that can and do kill both men and women. In order to begin to recover from an eating disorder, one must admit to their problem and then commit to an... [continues]

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