Elena Vanishing: A Memoir

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Seventeen-year-old Elena is vanishing. Every day means renewed determination, so every day means fewer calories. This is the story of a girl whose armor against anxiety becomes artillery against herself as she battles on both sides of a lose-lose war in a struggle with anorexia. Told entirely from Elena's perspective over a five-year period and cowritten with her mother, award-winning author Clare B. Dunkle, Elena's memoir is a fascinating and intimate look at a deadly disease and a must-listen for anyone who knows someone suffering from an eating disorder.

Audible Audio Edition

Listening Length: 8 hours and 59 minutes

Program Type: Audiobook

Version: Unabridged

Publisher: Audible Studios

Audible.com Release Date: May 19, 2015

Whispersync for Voice: Ready

Language: English

ASIN: B00XVJD0S6

Best Sellers Rank: #12 in Books > Teens > Personal Health > Diet & Nutrition #22 in Books > Teens > Personal Health > Depression & Mental Health #44 in Books > Teens > Biographies > Women

Every day Elena Dunkle is disappearing. Her need to be skinny and appear perfect overtakes every other aspect of her life. When she’s in high school, Elena is hospitalized for her eating disorder, but that doesn’t stop her --- she doesn’t eat the food she’s given and she checks her makeup constantly. Even though she is far from cured, she is released and continues on with her life. Striving to be the perfect daughter, Elena works hard in everything she does. She thrives off of the compliments and envy of others. However, this doesn’t erase the memory of the other daughter --- Elena’s older, runaway sister, Valerie. It also doesn’t erase the memory of the tragic event that happened to Elena when she was only 13-years-old --- the event that started her quest to be perfect.Elena continues this quest when she goes on to college. Unfortunately, her eating disorder, hard class schedule and several jobs keep Elena constantly exhausted. When she’s fired from her job as an RA, Elena feels like her life could not get any worse. However, when another tragic event happens, Elena spirals downwards. She goes in and out of hospitalization, and the goal of living a normal, healthy life seems to slip farther and farther away. It is not until Elena acknowledges what happened and learns to grow past it will she be able to conquer the eating disorder that is eating her alive.With the help of her mother, Clare B. Dunkle, Elena Dunkle offers a painfully honest look into the life of someone with an eating disorder in her memoir ELENA VANISHING. Beautifully and heart-wrenchingly told from Elena’s point of view, ELENA VANISHING takes readers through the very best and very worst moments of Elena’s life, demonstrating how it was affected by her eating disorder in both minor and major ways. Readers get a glimpse into Elena’s mind and can see what she was thinking when she was dealing with her eating disorder. Passages from her journal entries also help tell Elena’s story.One of the best parts of ELENA VANISHING is the writing. The vivid storytelling draws readers in and they are immediately invested. While she does have her struggles, Elena is an incredibly strong young woman. Her relationship with her family is always changing throughout the story, but the love her parents and older sister give her is heartwarming. It’s that love that kept Elena going and on the path of recovery. Readers can see Elena’s mother’s story in her book HOPE AND OTHER LUXERIES: A Mother’s Life with a Daughter’s Anorexia by Clare B. Dunkle released on May 19, 2015. Both books are must-reads for anyone whose life has been affected by an eating disorder. Elena and Clare B. Dunkle’s amazing work on these books offer a unique take on eating disorders, and hopefully their work will help educate others on the harsh reality that is life with an eating disorder.Reviewed by Cheyenne C.

Wow. This is one of the most powerful memoirs I've ever read. You feel like you're truly inside her head as she's struggling with the effects of anorexia and attempting to recover and heal, and you're 100% rooting for her to make it. Fascinating and thoroughly engaging. Highly recommended.

This was a very raw, personal read. I felt as though Elena was sitting here, telling me her story. There are so many books on this subject, but this one is definitely in a class of its own. The family dynamics were very realistic, and it held my interest throughout its entirety. I highly recommend checking this one out.

Powerful and raw insight to the mind of an anorexic. Purchased to help understand what my friend who may be anorexic was going through. This novel brought me to understand a whole new light of what those with anerexia go through and their battle. A true eye opener

Elena Vanishing by Elena Dunkle is an autobiography of an anorexic sufferer. This book was difficult to read, but I stuck with it! My eyes and heart have been opened! As I began reading, I wondered, “Are Elena’s perceptions true?” I wondered if she had witness accounts or documented incidents to show the true happenings of the contention and actions taken against her. I wasn’t sure if her perception had been swayed by the stress she was under.Elena’s pregnancy, and subsequent miscarriage, led her to seek treatment. Caring for another being is what helped pull her up from rock bottom.I appreciate Elena sharing her experiences and her mother for helping bring everything together! This book can and will help a lot of people who struggle with a disorder, regardless of whether it is an eating disorder or something else. Elena Vanishing will also help the family, friends and acquaintances surrounding the sufferer. Highly recommended!

This is an amazing book describing one woman's experience with an eating disorder. The book, a collaboration between mother and daughter, is very well written and provides great insight into how an eating disorder affects not only the person who has it, but that person's family and friends as well. The afterword of the book provides information on who to contact for help if you have, or know someone who has, an eating disorder. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially teens.Note: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elena Vanishing is a memoir written by Elena Dunkle and her mother Clare. Readers follow Elena's journey with her eating disorder from high school to college and after. She is her own worst enemy as the voice in her head pushes her to be perfect, thin, and beautiful. She is hospitalized and institutionalized a number of times, but nothing would stop her on her destructive quest to perfection. After a tragic event leads her into an even deeper, darker downward spiral, she decides to finally seek treatment. It's not an easy road for her and she never shies away from the truth.I really enjoyed reading about Elena's struggles and how it affected not only her, but the people that surround her as well. I can only imagine how difficult that time in her life must have been and appreciate her open honesty in her memoir. It was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to young adults looking for a good non-fiction book.

I received this book from librarything.com in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I wasn't able to put it down once I started it. It was so terribly tragic to read about Elena's struggles, I wanted to hug her and never let go! When I did manage to put it down I loved thinking about the journey she went through while looking at the cover. I appreciated that there was more than met the eye at first glance (obviously the spoon), but the woman standing in the spoon. I congratulate her for her ongoing recovery and for sharing her story with the world.

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