Are you a Wintergirl?

Lia met Cassandra “Cassie” when they were both in grade school. Lia was the popular one. Cassie got picked one for being new and maturing before most of the other girls. You wouldn’t imagine Lia and Cassie having anything in common but they shared a lot in common. Like any friends as you grow up you sometimes move apart. This was no different for Lia and Cassie.

Lia and Cassie just wanted to be normal girls and fit in. It is not easy when people around you are have opinions about you, in addition to the many ads that pictured super models as so called “real people”. Cassie and Lia want to be skinny. All they have to do is count calories and essentially not eat anything. Why can’t everyone understand? They all act they care but they don’t really; even Dr. Parker is happy when he hears what he wants to hear.

Wintergirls is a powerful story that touches on the sensitive subject of anorexia. When you inquire into in any touchy subjects, it can be sticky but author, Laurie Halse Anderson does it very well. The whole story was narrated by Lia. It was like I was in her body looking out at the rest of the world. What I liked about this story was that the parents did not give up on Lia. As I have read in so many stories, where the children have troubles the parents just want to ignore the issue and hope it will go away but that was not the case with Lia’s parents, especially her mother. I cheered when Lia pulled through and fought her battle to become a fighter. Wintergirls is the first novel I have read by this author but it won’t be the last. Wintergirls warmed my heart.