An Apple a Day - by Emma Woolf (Paperback)

About the Book

"I haven't tasted chocolate for over ten years and now I'm walking down the street unwrapping a Kit Kat. Remember when Kate Moss said, 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'? She's wrong: chocolate does.
For Christmas I'm giving myself a fresh start. I have to get some extra pounds of weight under my belt; I want to make next year the year that everything changes. "
At the age of 32, after ten years of hiding from the truth, Emma Woolf finally decided it was time to face the biggest challenge of her life. Addicted to hunger, exercise and control, she was juggling a full-blown eating disorder with a successful career, functioning on an apple a day.
Having met the man of her dreams (and wanting a future and a baby together), she decided it was time to stop starving and start living. And as if that wasn't enough pressure, Emma also agreed to chart her progress in a weekly column for The Times. Honest, hard-hitting and yet romantic, "An Apple a Day" is a manifesto for the modern generation to stop starving and start living. This compelling, life-affirming true story is essential reading for anyone affected by eating disorders (whether as a sufferer or ally), anyone interested in health and social issues - and for medical and health professionals.

Book Synopsis

A woman suffering from anorexia struggles to understand the cause of her eating disorder and, more importantly, becomes determined to stop starving and start living.

I haven't tasted chocolate for over ten years and now I'm walking down the street unwrapping a Kit Kat . . .

Remember when Kate Moss said, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"? She's wrong: chocolate does. At the age of thirty-three, after ten years of hiding from the truth, Emma Woolf finally decided it was time to face the biggest challenge of her life. Addicted to hunger, exercise, and control, she was juggling a full-blown eating disorder with a successful career, functioning on an apple a day. Having met the man of her dreams, and wanting a future and a baby together, she decided it was time to stop starving and start living. Honest, hard-hitting, and spoken from the heart, An Apple a Day is a manifesto for the modern generation to stop starving and start living.

Review Quotes

"In this heartfelt look at the causes of her eating disorder, Woolf emphatically states that her anorexia was not the result of striving to look good based on unrealistic media images but rather a mental illness based on her need for control... As Woolf walked through her personal process of self-discovery and change in her newspaper columns, she touched a chord with fellow sufferers, their families and their therapists, whose responses she includes. Her perceptive and articulate account is frank about the mental torment she endured without being morose. Insightful and informative, with fresh insights into the nature of eating disorders." --Kirkus

"An insightful and fascinating read for everyone, whether they've been touched by eating disorders or not." --Booklist

About the Author

Emma Woolf is the great-niece of Virginia Woolf. After studying English at Oxford University she worked in publishing, before becoming a full-time writer. She is a columnist for The Times and The Daily Beast and also writes for The Independent, The Mail on Sunday, Harper's Bazaar, Red, Grazia, and Psychologies. She was a co-presenter on BBC Channel 4's Supersize vs Superskinny; other media appearances include Newsnight, Woman's Hour, and Radio 4's Four Thought. Emma's first book, An Apple a Day: A Memoir of Love and Recovery from Anorexia was shortlisted for the Best Award for Recovery Inspiration. She was also nominated for Mind's Journalist of the Year. She lives in London.