Book Nook
Books can be a crackerjack supplement to personal growth and therapy. The Book Nook is an ever-growing hub for all my mental health-related favourites.
(Books are now linked to independent booksellers; Willow Tree Counselling receives no financial remuneration for purchases made through these links. Please consider supporting local indie bookstores - many of which are fighting to stay open.)
Rainbow Girl: A Memoir of Autism and Anorexia
by Livia Sara (2023)
A detailed, highly personal account of a surviving and recovering from anorexia, by autistic author Livia Sara. While the correlation between autism and eating disorders is high, published autistic voices in this sphere are rare and is a welcome addition to the field. Please note that the book’s references to eating disorder behaviour could be distressing to some readers.
Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture
by Virginia Sole-Smith (2023)
Journalist and author Virginia Sole-Smith takes a deeply comprehensive look at diet culture’s reach on children and parents, by elevating understanding of the societal systems that maintain fat-phobia and body shaming.
Reclaiming Body Trust: Break Free from a Culture of Body Perfection, Disordered Eating, and Other Traumas
by by Hilary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant (2024, revised)
Understanding body liberation and the practices that free us from the tyranny of dieting. My favourite book on the topic. Highly recommended.
Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Wellbeing and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating
by Christy Harrison (2019)
Hard-hitting look at the diet orthodoxy and strategies for living in a fat-phobic world. Author is a journalist and anti-diet registered dietician. A good read for those who prefer facts and research-based books and who won’t shy away from the author’s assertive messaging.