About the author of the siteAdriana Pires de Sousa teaches English as a foreign language in a public school near the capital of Brazil. She participated in an International Program for teachers at ASU (Arizona State University) a program called ILEP (International Leaders in Education Program). The purpose of the site is to make teenagers aware of the dangers of anorexia and bulimia. This site provides an overview of the book Wintergirls by Laurie H. Anderson and suggests activities and videos teachers or even parents can work with the teenagers in order to help them understand not only the book, but also this serious health problem.
The site provides teachers and students material to work with the book "Wintergirls". Students may use the ideas and material presented here when debating about eating disorders, especially anorexia and bulimia.
A ghost wraps herself around me, strokes my hair, and puts me to sleep.
(Andersen, Laurie H. Wintergirls. page 18) Lia did not asnwer the phone, now Cassie is back...
"Cassie sits up slowly. She holds the magic glass up to her blue eye, looks through it and laughs, a low, dirty sound that only came out at two or three o`clock in the morning. She pops the glass in her mouth and swallows it, then wipes her mouth with her hand, staining her fingers with wax and blood. She frowns and opens her mouth - - no. She is not sitting there. She`s not there at all. There is no blood, no cloud of doll hair burning up in the candle fire." (Wintergirls page 88) Wintergirls is not only about fiction. It`s about real life and what is going on with many girls around the world in search for the "perfect" body. They never seem to reach the ideal weight and it can lead them to death...
Anorexia - A True StoryHere are some real stories of girls who are struggling to overcome this serious health problem. These are the words of a friend who used to have anorexia when she was 18 years old. Today she is 29 but she still feels the effects of anorexia in her body.
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... she called me thirty-three times...
Wintergirls - Review
by Adriana Pires de Sousa The story starts with Cassie dying in a hotel room, alone, from bulimia. Before dying she calls her best-friend, who she has not talked to for a very long time, for thirty-three times but Lia does not answer the telephone. Cassie and Lia had promised each other to be the skinniest girls at school. They see it as perfection and strength. "strong/empty/strong" raisings (16) calories almonds (35) calories pear (121) calories (=172) calories I must not eat. And now that Cassie is dead...Lia needs to eat, but she doesn't. She has to stick to her promise to be the skinniest girl. What about now? Is she becoming insane? Why has Cassie returned? To haunt her and take Lia with her? Isn`t Cassie dead? So why does she keep calling her Lia? Is Lia guilty for her death? Was she really able to save Cassie?
33 times... 33... "The voice of a dead girl is waiting for me on my phone" Lia has plans for herself. She wants to be the skinniest. It never seems to be enough. Zero is not enough... 099.00 pounds - Goal Number One 095.00 pounds - Goal Number Two 090.00 pounds - Goal Number Three "Dead girl walking," the boys say in the halls I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. (Wintergirls, page 19) It is an intense and educational book. Laurie Halse Anderson used strong elements to create the world of teenagers who are either anorexic or bulemic. The reading makes you see things from a different perspective, from the point of view of a person who actually suffers from anorexia. You will never see anorexia the same way again.
The Famous Case of Isabelle CaroIsabelle Caro (12 September 1982 – 17 November 2010) was a Frenchmodel and actress from Marseille, France, who became well known after appearing in a controversial advertising campaign "No Anorexia" which showed Caro with vertebrae and facial bones showing under her skin in a picture by photographer Oliviero Toscani.
For more information about Isabelle Caro visit
The link below shows some effects of Bulimia on the body |