Scott Ellis was a normal child, living his life, not thinking about counting calories or how his body should look. Scott joined his school’s cross country team and with practice became quite good at it. He began experimenting with diets and lived by a set of rules when it came to eating. No matter what weight he reached, he was never satisfied and felt like he needed to lose more despite all of the pain his body was going through. In 11th grade he got his license and began to socialize with friends at fast food places which caused him to gain weight. Scott put himself back on a diet by his senior year in order to lose the weight. To cope with his depression he started to drink, which made his depression severe and he became suicidal. After suffering from severe chest pains, he made the choice to go to the hospital to seek help. Scott’s journey towards recovery is winding and emotional, but ultimately uplifting and illuminating.

Scott Ellis gives readers an up close and personal look at how anorexia affects someone mentally, physically, and emotionally. I was unaware of these issues and I really appreciated the detail that was provided as I felt it made things less abstract and made them more vivid and real. I appreciated the authors candid nature throughout the book. The beginning of the story helps readers connect with him as a person first, so that you end up rooting for him throughout the entire ordeal.

Because of the brutal honesty there were times when the story was hard to read, especially when reading about how much the author was suffering with being overwhelmed with thoughts of hunger, his body constantly hurting and always being depressed. I continued reading on in hopes that the author would find peace and begin to recover. This is an emotionally heavy memoir, so be ready to take some breaks to absorb what you just read.

This book is educational for both people who suffer from anorexia and people who just want to know more about it. I learned that there is a support group out there for people who are suffering from anorexia, and there is also forums of people sharing tips and tricks to lose weight and also encouraging one another to continue on a self-destructive path. It’s shocking, but it helps open your eyes to a different world.

This emotionally stirring memoir focuses on Scott, but I would have liked to have known more about Scott’s parents and their side of the story. His parents are supportive of him once he did tell them that he was suffering from anorexia.

Chasing Numbers is a powerful story detailing the author’s battle with anorexia. I highly recommend this enlightening memoir to young readers to inform them of the dangers of anorexia and to let them know that there is more to life than trying to look like people in magazines or on TV.

Pages: 145 | ASIN: B0B8Q13Q87