What do you think?
Rate this book
Second Star to the Right
Leslie Hiller is a bright, attractive, talented teenager who leads a privileged life in New York City. She is also a perfectionist. When Leslie starts to diet, she finds herself becoming obsessed, getting thinner and thinner, until she is forced to realize that her quest for perfection is killing her. First published in 1981, this groundbreaking novel has been lauded by countless librarians, educators, and teenage readers. This new edition features an afterword by the author in which she discusses her own struggle with the disease, the difficult road toward recovery, and the lasting effects on her life.
158 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1981
29 people are currently reading
2,576 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
May 15, 2014
5 Words: haunting, honest, illness, body image.
I find it so difficult to review books like this, that are based on part of the authors life. It feels so wrong to rate them somehow. So this is only a mini review.
This was a harrowing, powerful book, quite haunting. It was simply written even for the age at which it's targeted/set but that fit the main character perfectly.
I find it so difficult to review books like this, that are based on part of the authors life. It feels so wrong to rate them somehow. So this is only a mini review.
This was a harrowing, powerful book, quite haunting. It was simply written even for the age at which it's targeted/set but that fit the main character perfectly.
December 20, 2010
What causes and addiction?
Family? Stress? A mental imbalance? .... Fear?
What pushes a person to the edge?
Lifestyle? Persuasion? Politics? Willpower? .... Change?
This book was written thirty years ago and it should have been assigned reading material for every girl in 9th grade. It should have... but it wasn't.
Now a days we learn about anorexia from Lifetime movies, from our friends, from ourselves. It's not as uncommon as when this book was published. In this story Leslie wants to get thin. She doesn't want to feel fat. She goes on a diet then goes overboard. She teaches herself the ropes. All anorexics teach themselves the ropes. For some reason when a girl is focused on wasting away they know the right was to do everything.
Thirty years ago anorexia was just starting to come out of the woodwork as a condition. Thirty years later as I think back to the time I was in high school I can remember doing a lot of the things that the main character(Leslie) in the book tried, felt, got away with.
It's an illness, and addiction, it's something you can't help.
WHy don't you eat some more? WHy can't you get better?
Do people really think that you can just turn a switch and it will happen? I'm sorry, but it's not like this.
This book teaches you that. It lets you inside the head of an anorexic. The way she feels at the beginning to the way she feels at the end of her journey... and then... if you get the book that was published in 1999 or after you can read the afterward the author wrote 18 years later. THAT'S what makes the story complete. You learn that Leslie's journey was actually the author's journey - in a way.
It's a brilliant book that I think every girl should read and maybe every husband of every girl who is still suffering, just so they can understand what their wife is going through.
- I really do wish that there would be more of this taught in schools. Body image isn't taught... but I think it should be.
Family? Stress? A mental imbalance? .... Fear?
What pushes a person to the edge?
Lifestyle? Persuasion? Politics? Willpower? .... Change?
This book was written thirty years ago and it should have been assigned reading material for every girl in 9th grade. It should have... but it wasn't.
Now a days we learn about anorexia from Lifetime movies, from our friends, from ourselves. It's not as uncommon as when this book was published. In this story Leslie wants to get thin. She doesn't want to feel fat. She goes on a diet then goes overboard. She teaches herself the ropes. All anorexics teach themselves the ropes. For some reason when a girl is focused on wasting away they know the right was to do everything.
Thirty years ago anorexia was just starting to come out of the woodwork as a condition. Thirty years later as I think back to the time I was in high school I can remember doing a lot of the things that the main character(Leslie) in the book tried, felt, got away with.
It's an illness, and addiction, it's something you can't help.
WHy don't you eat some more? WHy can't you get better?
Do people really think that you can just turn a switch and it will happen? I'm sorry, but it's not like this.
This book teaches you that. It lets you inside the head of an anorexic. The way she feels at the beginning to the way she feels at the end of her journey... and then... if you get the book that was published in 1999 or after you can read the afterward the author wrote 18 years later. THAT'S what makes the story complete. You learn that Leslie's journey was actually the author's journey - in a way.
It's a brilliant book that I think every girl should read and maybe every husband of every girl who is still suffering, just so they can understand what their wife is going through.
- I really do wish that there would be more of this taught in schools. Body image isn't taught... but I think it should be.
July 30, 2010
On the face of it, Leslie is a normal, healthy, well-adjusted fourteen-year-old girl. She goes to a good school, has a great friend in Cavett, and a mother who loves her to the moon and back. She should be happy, yet she’s not. She would be, she thinks, if only she were thinner. But “thinking thin” becomes a dangerous obsession and Leslie’s weight drops to five stone, threatening to destroy her and the whole fabric of her family life. Only by realizing that this condition is an illness – and one that has its roots in a deep problem – can Leslie hope to survive. From Amazon UK
This is such a brilliant, heart breaking but wonderful novel! I have no idea how I can possibly do this book justice with this review.
The book starts off a little slow. Leslie has started a new school, she makes a friend, and we see she has some issues with her mother. The issues run all the way through, but I must admit that I don't fully understand what her problems with her mother are. Sometimes she seems to love her desperately, and other times she wants to shout at her mother, but I can't see myself what her mum has done wrong, even though the novel is in first person. This may just be me, maybe it would be clearer to others. But the issues that she has she goes through in her internal monologue, and it's just heart breaking to see her chop and change so quickly from desperately loving her mother, to blaming her with such fury.
It's also heart breaking to read about Leslie developing anorexia. It starts with stomach flu. She loses a few pounds, and her jeans aren't as tight, so she decides to go on a "diet" - that involves eating hardly anything. Everyone compliments her as she loses weight, so she loses more and more. Though she doesn't know it at the time, the anorexia is the little dictator in her head, berating her over how greedy she is, telling her she's fat, but she's strong, and she can go without. The little dictator is merciless.
It gets to the point where how much food she's not eating, how much she weighs is all Leslie thinks about - until she can't make it to the bus stop to get to school because she is just so weak and tired. Reading it all made me feel so empty, like I was the one who hadn't eaten. I can't explain it, but I was just so effected by this story. She ended up wanting help, but it seemed like she didn't know exactly what help she wanted. When hospitalised, she wouldn't eat right and had no desire to put on weight, but she was desperate to be helped. It was just so hard to read. And every time I read Leslie saying "I'll know when I'm thin enough because I'll be happy", it was just so upsetting.
What also made this book extremely powerful was the fact that it was semi-autobiographical. Deborah Hautzig was suffering from anorexia, not yet cured, when this book was originally released. She was experiencing it as she wrote it. It's just so, so sad. This is the one book I have read for this month where there is no resolution. Does Leslie get better? We don't know. But she's getting help - and that's the point where Hautzig was at when she wrote the book.
This is a brilliantly powerful and poignant book that just took my breath away. It's just brilliant, and one I think everyone should read.
From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog.
This is such a brilliant, heart breaking but wonderful novel! I have no idea how I can possibly do this book justice with this review.
The book starts off a little slow. Leslie has started a new school, she makes a friend, and we see she has some issues with her mother. The issues run all the way through, but I must admit that I don't fully understand what her problems with her mother are. Sometimes she seems to love her desperately, and other times she wants to shout at her mother, but I can't see myself what her mum has done wrong, even though the novel is in first person. This may just be me, maybe it would be clearer to others. But the issues that she has she goes through in her internal monologue, and it's just heart breaking to see her chop and change so quickly from desperately loving her mother, to blaming her with such fury.
It's also heart breaking to read about Leslie developing anorexia. It starts with stomach flu. She loses a few pounds, and her jeans aren't as tight, so she decides to go on a "diet" - that involves eating hardly anything. Everyone compliments her as she loses weight, so she loses more and more. Though she doesn't know it at the time, the anorexia is the little dictator in her head, berating her over how greedy she is, telling her she's fat, but she's strong, and she can go without. The little dictator is merciless.
It gets to the point where how much food she's not eating, how much she weighs is all Leslie thinks about - until she can't make it to the bus stop to get to school because she is just so weak and tired. Reading it all made me feel so empty, like I was the one who hadn't eaten. I can't explain it, but I was just so effected by this story. She ended up wanting help, but it seemed like she didn't know exactly what help she wanted. When hospitalised, she wouldn't eat right and had no desire to put on weight, but she was desperate to be helped. It was just so hard to read. And every time I read Leslie saying "I'll know when I'm thin enough because I'll be happy", it was just so upsetting.
What also made this book extremely powerful was the fact that it was semi-autobiographical. Deborah Hautzig was suffering from anorexia, not yet cured, when this book was originally released. She was experiencing it as she wrote it. It's just so, so sad. This is the one book I have read for this month where there is no resolution. Does Leslie get better? We don't know. But she's getting help - and that's the point where Hautzig was at when she wrote the book.
This is a brilliantly powerful and poignant book that just took my breath away. It's just brilliant, and one I think everyone should read.
From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog.
June 10, 2012
This novel had a profound effect on me when I was young and I know its style has influence mine.
January 2, 2008
Plot: Leslie Hiller seems to have it all: she's smart, has a loving family and a great best friend Cavett. Everything seems to be perfect, but Leslie develops a bit of an obsession with losing weight that goes too far. She wants to be happy, so she loses a little bit of weight and then she continues on to self starvation until she is dangerously underweight. Anorexia has taken over her entire life and it looks like Leslie is heading towards death instead of happiness.
Evaluation: This novel really delves into the mind of an individual with anorexia. In an afterword by the author, she admits that the novel is partly based on her experience as a person who suffered from anorexia. Leslie equates her happiness with losing weight, which leads her to eating only 3 curds of cottage cheese a day and there's no lunch or dinner. In her mind, 76 pounds is not thin enough and she constantly berets herself if she eats more than the dictator in her head has prescribed.
Leslie has many issues with her mother. Her mother was a holocaust survivor, but I don't think the novel gets into why Leslie feels so much guilt about her mom's past. It appears that she's afraid of losing her mother or losing her mother's affection. It's difficult to understand her emotions, but maybe that's the point of the novel: no one can really understand the depths of the disease.
Dr. Wilcox helps Leslie confront many hidden emotions. She also forms relationships with other girls that are in the hospital with her that have eating disorders. Nikki, Carrie, Jessica and Leslie all feel confined in this hospital, which helps them bond. They're not allowed any mail and can only make one phone call a week. They are lonely and feel that the hospital staff thinks they're just wasting cot space. It is through her friendships and treatment that Leslie begins some of the healing process.
Evaluation: This novel really delves into the mind of an individual with anorexia. In an afterword by the author, she admits that the novel is partly based on her experience as a person who suffered from anorexia. Leslie equates her happiness with losing weight, which leads her to eating only 3 curds of cottage cheese a day and there's no lunch or dinner. In her mind, 76 pounds is not thin enough and she constantly berets herself if she eats more than the dictator in her head has prescribed.
Leslie has many issues with her mother. Her mother was a holocaust survivor, but I don't think the novel gets into why Leslie feels so much guilt about her mom's past. It appears that she's afraid of losing her mother or losing her mother's affection. It's difficult to understand her emotions, but maybe that's the point of the novel: no one can really understand the depths of the disease.
Dr. Wilcox helps Leslie confront many hidden emotions. She also forms relationships with other girls that are in the hospital with her that have eating disorders. Nikki, Carrie, Jessica and Leslie all feel confined in this hospital, which helps them bond. They're not allowed any mail and can only make one phone call a week. They are lonely and feel that the hospital staff thinks they're just wasting cot space. It is through her friendships and treatment that Leslie begins some of the healing process.
March 28, 2022
3 stars.
I've read this quite a few times over the years. It's really quite out-dated now and after having personally spent a lot of time in hospital wards with my Eating Disorder, I can say that this book, it really doesn't show what it's like in there, mentally and the programs. This story makes it seem easy peasy while inpatient, when in reality, it's traumatic as hell.
But I'm guessing the author was just naive or this book is so old, it's actually what it was like back then. Or, and this is what seems more likely, the author didn't want to traumatise the readers. But given this was first published in 1981....I'm concluding that all 3 theories together could be correct.
I think the author understood enough to get the mental side of this disorder out through words, but this is also very stereotypical. This is not a real raw honest account of what it's like. News flash, most anorexics do binge now and then. It's very rare now for an Anorexic to go so long on basically nothing. That's another issue I had with the story, the main character, Leslie, was eating only a small amount of cottage cheese a day. Like TINY amount and that's it. No. She would have had organ failure if this was a true story. I remember when I was her weight (39kgs), I was eating more than her and still, I had a heart attack.
There are a lot of flaws in this but hey, it's fiction, it's not ment to scare the crap out of you but to just give you a slight glimpse into the disorder and have it end in a positive way. It's still one I enjoy reading, call it nostalgia.
I know it's one I'll keep re-reading. So until next time.
I've read this quite a few times over the years. It's really quite out-dated now and after having personally spent a lot of time in hospital wards with my Eating Disorder, I can say that this book, it really doesn't show what it's like in there, mentally and the programs. This story makes it seem easy peasy while inpatient, when in reality, it's traumatic as hell.
But I'm guessing the author was just naive or this book is so old, it's actually what it was like back then. Or, and this is what seems more likely, the author didn't want to traumatise the readers. But given this was first published in 1981....I'm concluding that all 3 theories together could be correct.
I think the author understood enough to get the mental side of this disorder out through words, but this is also very stereotypical. This is not a real raw honest account of what it's like. News flash, most anorexics do binge now and then. It's very rare now for an Anorexic to go so long on basically nothing. That's another issue I had with the story, the main character, Leslie, was eating only a small amount of cottage cheese a day. Like TINY amount and that's it. No. She would have had organ failure if this was a true story. I remember when I was her weight (39kgs), I was eating more than her and still, I had a heart attack.
There are a lot of flaws in this but hey, it's fiction, it's not ment to scare the crap out of you but to just give you a slight glimpse into the disorder and have it end in a positive way. It's still one I enjoy reading, call it nostalgia.
I know it's one I'll keep re-reading. So until next time.
September 3, 2009
This novel is really a barely fictionalized autobiographical account of the author’s struggle with anorexia. It records the thought patterns, behavior, addiction that not eating becomes in a girl’s struggle to gain control over her life in the light of a demanding mother, an absent father, and internal conflicts which tear the girl apart. The only drawback is the open ending, with only the author’s note at the end to shed light on what happened after the “novel” ends. The ending is mostly positive, since the girl is in treatment and making progress. It is realistic, since it does not offer false hope or paint a rosy picture with false recoveries.
November 13, 2010
At probably thirteen years old, this was the first book I ever read regarding eating disorders. It begins in a stereotypical way - privileged white female with mommy issues decides to go on diet - but does redeem itself somewhat. Considering the fact that this novel was written in 1981, a time when eating disorders weren't quite household conversation, Second Star to the Right deserves mounds of credit. However, if you're looking for a book confronting anorexia nervosa, I would suggest finding something more recent.
October 11, 2010
Leslie has a pretty good life: a caring family, a best friend and an upper-class status. Unfortunately, Leslie still wasn't happy and wouldn't be unless she was thin. Her eating was the one thing she felt she could control in her life and pretty soon, it took control of her. She became anorexic and bulimic. She ended up in a center for girls with eating disorders.
THis is an interesting book, learning about eating disorders from someone who has experienced it. It's a slow moving book though.
THis is an interesting book, learning about eating disorders from someone who has experienced it. It's a slow moving book though.
Read
April 8, 2012Morgane G
Second Star to the Right Review
4.5.12
Leslie Hiller is a bright, charming young girl. At first glance, she seems to be the epitome of a 14-year-old, upper New York schoolgirl. She's smart, she has a loving family, she has a wonderful best friend, and she has plenty of things to do around town. She balances school and her social life well, but she is also a perfectionist. While this works out for her when it comes to grades and schoolwork, other matters become very drastic. The most drastic of these matters occurs around Christmas, when Leslie's mother buys her a gorgeous sweater. After trying it on and deciding she'd like it better if she was skinnier wearing it, she begins to diet. At first her parents tease her, knowing that she's started a thousand diets but the callings of comfort foods are always hard to ignore. But this time, Leslie means business. Her perfectionism takes over and she grows a "dictator" in her head. Her eating is the only thing she can control, and she takes it to an extreme. The dictator orders her to work out, push hard, stop eating. She rations her food to smaller and smaller quantities until, eventually, she is too weak to make it to the bus stop in the morning. With her parents and friends and teachers very concerned, she agrees to treatment. While she isn't convinced that she'll get better, she stays in treatment anyways, still carrying on with her anorexic tactics. When she hits a weight so dangerous that she may die at any moment, will she take action against her disorder?
Second Start to the Right, by Deborah Hautzig, is the first book I've ever read dealing with the prospect of Anorexia Nervosa and the problems it poses. It was the first book of its kind to be published, and in 1981 Anorexia and Bulimia weren't exactly the topics for casual conversation. While we've grown accustomed to them now, this book was a huge statement when it was first published. Not only did it address such a huge topic, but it did so brilliantly. I think this book was written very, very well. It displayed and Leslie's anorexic way of thinking to a tee, and this aspect of the book really helps a reader understand what these patients go through, what their thought process is, in order to reach such extreme states of thinness. The book is hard to put down, and Leslie's character is somebody you begin to care for. You start hoping she'll get better, and the Hautzig's ability to create such a realistic character is extraordinary. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to many boys, mainly because it's quite a "chick-flick" but I would recommend it to anybody who's never read a book about this topic or anybody who's struggling with the disease themselves.
I'd probably give this book 3 out of 5 stars. While I did think it was brilliantly written, it was a little bit confusing at times. Granted, this was probably done purposefully to display just how complex Leslie's way of thinking was, but it did take a toll on me, as the reader, as I couldn't always follow what was going on. I wish the author had kept going to show the extent to which Leslie did recover, but even without knowing that I really enjoyed the book overall.
Second Star to the Right Review
4.5.12
Leslie Hiller is a bright, charming young girl. At first glance, she seems to be the epitome of a 14-year-old, upper New York schoolgirl. She's smart, she has a loving family, she has a wonderful best friend, and she has plenty of things to do around town. She balances school and her social life well, but she is also a perfectionist. While this works out for her when it comes to grades and schoolwork, other matters become very drastic. The most drastic of these matters occurs around Christmas, when Leslie's mother buys her a gorgeous sweater. After trying it on and deciding she'd like it better if she was skinnier wearing it, she begins to diet. At first her parents tease her, knowing that she's started a thousand diets but the callings of comfort foods are always hard to ignore. But this time, Leslie means business. Her perfectionism takes over and she grows a "dictator" in her head. Her eating is the only thing she can control, and she takes it to an extreme. The dictator orders her to work out, push hard, stop eating. She rations her food to smaller and smaller quantities until, eventually, she is too weak to make it to the bus stop in the morning. With her parents and friends and teachers very concerned, she agrees to treatment. While she isn't convinced that she'll get better, she stays in treatment anyways, still carrying on with her anorexic tactics. When she hits a weight so dangerous that she may die at any moment, will she take action against her disorder?
Second Start to the Right, by Deborah Hautzig, is the first book I've ever read dealing with the prospect of Anorexia Nervosa and the problems it poses. It was the first book of its kind to be published, and in 1981 Anorexia and Bulimia weren't exactly the topics for casual conversation. While we've grown accustomed to them now, this book was a huge statement when it was first published. Not only did it address such a huge topic, but it did so brilliantly. I think this book was written very, very well. It displayed and Leslie's anorexic way of thinking to a tee, and this aspect of the book really helps a reader understand what these patients go through, what their thought process is, in order to reach such extreme states of thinness. The book is hard to put down, and Leslie's character is somebody you begin to care for. You start hoping she'll get better, and the Hautzig's ability to create such a realistic character is extraordinary. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to many boys, mainly because it's quite a "chick-flick" but I would recommend it to anybody who's never read a book about this topic or anybody who's struggling with the disease themselves.
I'd probably give this book 3 out of 5 stars. While I did think it was brilliantly written, it was a little bit confusing at times. Granted, this was probably done purposefully to display just how complex Leslie's way of thinking was, but it did take a toll on me, as the reader, as I couldn't always follow what was going on. I wish the author had kept going to show the extent to which Leslie did recover, but even without knowing that I really enjoyed the book overall.
June 9, 2012
This is a very powerful novel. For the last book I read, "Vagilantes", I lamented that I couldn't fully understand the book and or its motives because I just could not comprehend what the main characters were going through. However, in Second Star to the Right, I could understand what Leslie went through, and I'll reiterate again: it is a very powerful book.
The most striking point to me in this novel is Leslie's continual cry for help once she has surpassed an already unrealistic goal. It was so... painful, almost physically, to read those sections because they are so true and so equally frustrating. Leslie knew something was wrong, but that did not mean she could stop it. People use the term "anorexic" to describe someone who doesn't eat, but it goes so much farther than that and I hate that our society uses a psychological disorder's name so loosely (same with Attention Deficit Disorder). There's being worried about getting fat, and then there is the all-consuming paranoia that you just can't eat. You don't even know why you can't eat anymore, you just can't.
I found this book to be incredibly accurate and in many ways, a small release and a swatch of understanding. Thank you Deborah Hautzig for at age 21 coming to terms with your own problems and writing about it. I would highly recommend this book, even if you are not anorexic, just for the relationship between Leslie and her mother and father. Everyone, at this point, knows of someone who has suffered through this mental disorder, and this book provides an excellent insight as to what Leslie was thinking. Telling someone 'to eat' is not a solution to anorexia nervosa, just like telling someone who is afraid of spiders to 'get over it'.
I wish this would never happen to anyone else.
The most striking point to me in this novel is Leslie's continual cry for help once she has surpassed an already unrealistic goal. It was so... painful, almost physically, to read those sections because they are so true and so equally frustrating. Leslie knew something was wrong, but that did not mean she could stop it. People use the term "anorexic" to describe someone who doesn't eat, but it goes so much farther than that and I hate that our society uses a psychological disorder's name so loosely (same with Attention Deficit Disorder). There's being worried about getting fat, and then there is the all-consuming paranoia that you just can't eat. You don't even know why you can't eat anymore, you just can't.
I found this book to be incredibly accurate and in many ways, a small release and a swatch of understanding. Thank you Deborah Hautzig for at age 21 coming to terms with your own problems and writing about it. I would highly recommend this book, even if you are not anorexic, just for the relationship between Leslie and her mother and father. Everyone, at this point, knows of someone who has suffered through this mental disorder, and this book provides an excellent insight as to what Leslie was thinking. Telling someone 'to eat' is not a solution to anorexia nervosa, just like telling someone who is afraid of spiders to 'get over it'.
I wish this would never happen to anyone else.
October 25, 2012
Marian Hajjar
Second star to the Right
Deborah Hautzig
This is a well organized book.It about a girl named Leslie Hiller , and she is just a normal girl like everyone else.She goes to school , does all her homework , and gets good grades.One day she decides to go on a diet.This continually goes on for days.Then weeks.Then months went by. She is now addicted to the diet. She is becoming thinner and thinner.She is basically dieng because she refuses to eat. She is in high school and only weighs only 70 pounds. Then 60 , THEN 50. Slowley she is going to die. Her whole family is in tears.She cant go to school anymore she is in the hospital.
I love this book.It put me in tears when I had to read that she was about to die. Also when they were giving her medicine for food.I can relate this to real life because this has happened to one of my friends before.It is very crazy how that works.I feel very very bad because it does get addicting.Thank god there is doctors and nurses today.
I would recommend this book. I would recommend this book for 12plus. That reason is because I feel like younger then that it would influence them into doing such a thing.Alot of my friends wanted to do that because they were called “fat” . This is very sad. I feel like 12 plus is a good age because there pre teens and they would understand life more and what happens in it. Teenagers is a good age , they would like this book very much because you can realate to the real world and it is very interesting to read and how the girl changes from a good student in school to not even going to school and about to die.
Second star to the Right
Deborah Hautzig
This is a well organized book.It about a girl named Leslie Hiller , and she is just a normal girl like everyone else.She goes to school , does all her homework , and gets good grades.One day she decides to go on a diet.This continually goes on for days.Then weeks.Then months went by. She is now addicted to the diet. She is becoming thinner and thinner.She is basically dieng because she refuses to eat. She is in high school and only weighs only 70 pounds. Then 60 , THEN 50. Slowley she is going to die. Her whole family is in tears.She cant go to school anymore she is in the hospital.
I love this book.It put me in tears when I had to read that she was about to die. Also when they were giving her medicine for food.I can relate this to real life because this has happened to one of my friends before.It is very crazy how that works.I feel very very bad because it does get addicting.Thank god there is doctors and nurses today.
I would recommend this book. I would recommend this book for 12plus. That reason is because I feel like younger then that it would influence them into doing such a thing.Alot of my friends wanted to do that because they were called “fat” . This is very sad. I feel like 12 plus is a good age because there pre teens and they would understand life more and what happens in it. Teenagers is a good age , they would like this book very much because you can realate to the real world and it is very interesting to read and how the girl changes from a good student in school to not even going to school and about to die.
March 12, 2016
I reread this, hoping it was one I've been looking for for many years, but it wasn't. It was very simplistic.
While Leslie is grappling with her self-image, she happily acquiesces to adults. I suspect a person going through her inner turmoil would put up more of an obvious fight when challenged.
The weight loss in this book becomes more and more rapid, but I would also think that in reality this would not be the case, as past a certain point it would slow down. Perhaps the timeline is longer than it seems, but it all just whizzes by so fast, and there go another few kilos.
Everything that happens is very easily sorted out, into the doctor's, then the hospital, then another, and again, this may just be a sped up timeline that wasn't so obvious. But in the first half, numerous people express their concern about Leslie and nothing happens, no one follows it up.
I think this was a good book to highlight some of the worries going through teenagers' minds, but it's a little dated now. When I read it the first time, the idea that a young and vibrant mum had been to Auschwitz as a child was understandable. These days there would be teenagers who wouldn't know what Auschwitz was, or its significance, it's over 70 years ago!
I do feel like at least a whole chapter is missing at the end. What happened to Leslie? To the other girls in the ward? Did she stay there for a long time? Did she realise the danger she was in? It felt unfinished.
Thanks to other reviewers, I understand now that this was actually based on the author's own life, so it actually makes sense that it was left unresolved at that time in her life.
While Leslie is grappling with her self-image, she happily acquiesces to adults. I suspect a person going through her inner turmoil would put up more of an obvious fight when challenged.
The weight loss in this book becomes more and more rapid, but I would also think that in reality this would not be the case, as past a certain point it would slow down. Perhaps the timeline is longer than it seems, but it all just whizzes by so fast, and there go another few kilos.
Everything that happens is very easily sorted out, into the doctor's, then the hospital, then another, and again, this may just be a sped up timeline that wasn't so obvious. But in the first half, numerous people express their concern about Leslie and nothing happens, no one follows it up.
I think this was a good book to highlight some of the worries going through teenagers' minds, but it's a little dated now. When I read it the first time, the idea that a young and vibrant mum had been to Auschwitz as a child was understandable. These days there would be teenagers who wouldn't know what Auschwitz was, or its significance, it's over 70 years ago!
I do feel like at least a whole chapter is missing at the end. What happened to Leslie? To the other girls in the ward? Did she stay there for a long time? Did she realise the danger she was in? It felt unfinished.
Thanks to other reviewers, I understand now that this was actually based on the author's own life, so it actually makes sense that it was left unresolved at that time in her life.
Read
November 14, 2011“Second Star to the Right” is the story of a young girl named Leslie Hiller who struggled with anorexia and bulimia. She felt as if she lived the perfect life, but there still seemed to be emotional struggle between her and her mother. However, after being admitted into a special hospital for anorexic/bulimic girls, she appears to be taking a turn for the better. The main aspect of this novel is the characterization of Leslie. Her emotions are all over the place, ranging from confusion to anger to helplessness. The strongest aspect of her character is that she has to fight against this “dictator” inside of her head that’s forcing her to be anorexic. Describing the dictator, Leslie says, “It wasn’t simply that I chose not to eat; I was forbidden to. Even thinking about eating forbidden foods brought punishment” (44). Her emotions towards her mother were difficult to read, describing a discussion with her mother as, “Mom untied the ribbons, tore off the paper, and took out the gift. Took it away” (37). I was unclear as to whether she treasured the bond with her mother or secretly despised it. However, her confusion was the most intriguing part of her character, because the reader can visualize how Leslie’s train of thought was lost because of her hunger. Hautzig left an impression on me through her writing because of the way she was able to portray Leslie’s emotions. My own writing can be improved by exposing the inner thoughts of the protagonist for the reader to better understand the character, like Hautzig did in this novel with Leslie.
January 8, 2013
humm well , this novel was handed to me by accident , i just didn't wander in many libraries looking for it , i didn't even know that such a novel existed !! there are so many things in this book that i totally disliked , and of course there are as many things that i loved
.
First of all , the cover is just humm beautiful , (( gray is my second favourite color =D )) the skinny little "thing" in the cover that gives the reader a mental image of Leslie makes of the cover a clever work !
humm I loved the first paragraph , and how the narrator was puzzled at the beggining , i loved how the writer didn't introduce her characters abruptly , in fact , Deborah was cunning enough to let the reader meet Leslie , and feel her struggle spontaneously !
I just ... hate the ending , it disappointed me ! I mean we're used to some sort of happy endings , i really expected that Leslie would get better at the end , and i even predicted that she'd be as normal as she should have been .. but i was left with a turning twist at the end !
nice job though , loved it !
ps : Leslie is just one of many girls who sicken themselves to death , anorexia nervosa has nothing to do with food , i think it is related to one's circumstances !
.
First of all , the cover is just humm beautiful , (( gray is my second favourite color =D )) the skinny little "thing" in the cover that gives the reader a mental image of Leslie makes of the cover a clever work !
humm I loved the first paragraph , and how the narrator was puzzled at the beggining , i loved how the writer didn't introduce her characters abruptly , in fact , Deborah was cunning enough to let the reader meet Leslie , and feel her struggle spontaneously !
I just ... hate the ending , it disappointed me ! I mean we're used to some sort of happy endings , i really expected that Leslie would get better at the end , and i even predicted that she'd be as normal as she should have been .. but i was left with a turning twist at the end !
nice job though , loved it !
ps : Leslie is just one of many girls who sicken themselves to death , anorexia nervosa has nothing to do with food , i think it is related to one's circumstances !
August 24, 2021
Un libro demasiado vulnerable y acorde a la realidad. Me sorprende la vigencia que puede tener en la comprensión de los trastornos de alimentación, aún 40 años después. Es impresionante que aún cuando muchas cosas cambien, otras se mantengan intactas.
Me encantó como toca varias áreas de la vida de la protagonista: la familia, la escuela, las amistades. Permite un análisis completo de la problemática.
No conozco a la autora ni a su historia personal, pero creo que su entendimiento y su forma de escribir sobre el tema tiene que venir de algo muy real y muy humano... ya sea su propia experiencia o la cercanía con la de alguien más. No puede ser casualidad que resuene tan bien con como se vive hoy en día la relación de algunos con la comida.
Lo único que me preocuparía con este libro, es que pueda dar ideas a personas que no han recibido suficiente educación ni prevención sobre estos trastornos. Creo que es muy bueno para personas que ya lo hemos trabajado y entendido con profundidad y gran prevención. No sé si quizás una niña joven pueda agarrarse de las conductas que hace la protagonista e irse por el mismo camino. Mi recomendación es asegurarse de que quien lo lea, tenga previamente una capacidad de pensamiento crítico y un trabajo de prevención.
Me encantó como toca varias áreas de la vida de la protagonista: la familia, la escuela, las amistades. Permite un análisis completo de la problemática.
No conozco a la autora ni a su historia personal, pero creo que su entendimiento y su forma de escribir sobre el tema tiene que venir de algo muy real y muy humano... ya sea su propia experiencia o la cercanía con la de alguien más. No puede ser casualidad que resuene tan bien con como se vive hoy en día la relación de algunos con la comida.
Lo único que me preocuparía con este libro, es que pueda dar ideas a personas que no han recibido suficiente educación ni prevención sobre estos trastornos. Creo que es muy bueno para personas que ya lo hemos trabajado y entendido con profundidad y gran prevención. No sé si quizás una niña joven pueda agarrarse de las conductas que hace la protagonista e irse por el mismo camino. Mi recomendación es asegurarse de que quien lo lea, tenga previamente una capacidad de pensamiento crítico y un trabajo de prevención.
January 28, 2011
It's my guess, with its 1981 copyright, this is one of the first novels to tackle anorexia. As Leslie tries to balance all the parts of her life, she learns one thing she CAN control is the amount of food she eats. When forced to eat in front of her family, she decends into bulimia...nothing can convince her the 'dictator' in her head will kill her.
It begins innocently enough -- just a few pounds, and then a few more. More control. And the numbers continue to drop. Hautzig lets us into Leslie's mind, and into her suffering. How did it get this bad? How can anyone know, even Leslie herself? She struggles to understand her conflicted relationship with her mother, whose own past includes surviving a concentration camp. Self-sacrifice runs through this story.
The afterword confirms what the reader already knows...this is an autobiographical novel. Leslie IS Deborah Hautzig. That's why the reflections ring so true. What a brave woman Hautzig is...to reveal her secret life like this.
I kept waiting for the PETER PAN references...and they are there...
It begins innocently enough -- just a few pounds, and then a few more. More control. And the numbers continue to drop. Hautzig lets us into Leslie's mind, and into her suffering. How did it get this bad? How can anyone know, even Leslie herself? She struggles to understand her conflicted relationship with her mother, whose own past includes surviving a concentration camp. Self-sacrifice runs through this story.
The afterword confirms what the reader already knows...this is an autobiographical novel. Leslie IS Deborah Hautzig. That's why the reflections ring so true. What a brave woman Hautzig is...to reveal her secret life like this.
I kept waiting for the PETER PAN references...and they are there...
June 12, 2012
This books details the experience of a young woman battling an eating disorder. She attends a great private school in New York, has a wonderful friend in Cavett, has all of her material needs (and wants) met by caring parents...why isn't she happy? She has been uncomfortable with her appearance for a while and has begun taking steps to "fix" it. The author shares intricate details of how this disorder affects teens because she battled with it herself. As Leslie (the main character), gets further into this destructive path, she wants to cry out for help but feels trapped and sometimes unworthy of help.
This is a powerful book. Three stars may not be high enough. It's something I don't want to read again but that has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. Reading about disorders in a textbook can be instructive, but this narrative shares details about how everyday activities are shaped by this battle. With all the pressures we put on young girls regarding their appearance, this book provides great insights into the problems our society helps create.
This is a powerful book. Three stars may not be high enough. It's something I don't want to read again but that has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. Reading about disorders in a textbook can be instructive, but this narrative shares details about how everyday activities are shaped by this battle. With all the pressures we put on young girls regarding their appearance, this book provides great insights into the problems our society helps create.
May 9, 2016
Nice to fly through a book in 90 minutes while drinking beer on a sunny day outside.
As Kurt Vonnegut said, "If this ain't nice what is." As my father in law Walter Maheux said, "It don't get no better."
Funny to be reading this while reading Marya Hornbacher's far more serious and excellent non fiction "Wasted." Which is also about anorexia and bulimia.
And the main character is extremely likeable. Just your average geek. I think we all feel incredibly awkward at 14. And we live with an absolutely bizarre diet culture. That fat is an insult, not just a descriptive adjective.
And I enjoyed reading the author's afterward too.
Going to let this one go at the library tomorrow and I hope someone else enjoys it. I should have dated a lot more awkward girls as an awkward boy when I was in school. It's definitely a regret.
And I do have a love for young adult books told by awkward teenage girls. I think there is something universal and very easy to identity with about them.
As Kurt Vonnegut said, "If this ain't nice what is." As my father in law Walter Maheux said, "It don't get no better."
Funny to be reading this while reading Marya Hornbacher's far more serious and excellent non fiction "Wasted." Which is also about anorexia and bulimia.
And the main character is extremely likeable. Just your average geek. I think we all feel incredibly awkward at 14. And we live with an absolutely bizarre diet culture. That fat is an insult, not just a descriptive adjective.
And I enjoyed reading the author's afterward too.
Going to let this one go at the library tomorrow and I hope someone else enjoys it. I should have dated a lot more awkward girls as an awkward boy when I was in school. It's definitely a regret.
And I do have a love for young adult books told by awkward teenage girls. I think there is something universal and very easy to identity with about them.
September 23, 2007
Leslie Hiller is determined to be perfect, but feels that her life is getting more and more out of her control. In order to regain her sense of control, she decides to control the one thing in her life that she CAN control - food. She gets dangerously thin, but never feels she is thin enough.
I found the story itself (the fictionalized account of the author's life) to be merely ho-hum. The afterward, in which the author recounts her own struggle with anorexia, is truly moving and is what makes this book worth reading.
I found the story itself (the fictionalized account of the author's life) to be merely ho-hum. The afterward, in which the author recounts her own struggle with anorexia, is truly moving and is what makes this book worth reading.
December 20, 2024
I read this book several times when I was about twelve or thirteen, and even though I haven't read it in years, I can still remember it so vividly. I was having similar issues as main character Leslie at the time. I couldn't comment technically on how GOOD the book really is, because as I say I was very young when I read it. But it stuck with me. Not many books truly do that. Definitely worth a read.
Update 2024: read this again and though obviously it’s quite simplistic as it is aimed for a YA audience, it’s still an important book.
Update 2024: read this again and though obviously it’s quite simplistic as it is aimed for a YA audience, it’s still an important book.
August 19, 2011
This book confronts anorexia, which is good for young adults because they should know that it's a serious problem... but the book is also kind of cheesy. With a title like Second Star to the Right, there is bound to be a reference or two to Peter Pan... and sure enough, there is at least once where "second star to the right and straight on till morning" is somewhere in the book... a little bit of a cop-out if you ask me.
May 24, 2017
I was given this book to read for a class assignment and while I knew the subject matter I'm still a bit shaken.
No it didn't delve as deeply into the sickness as more recent writings dealing with the issue of anorexia, but this had the personal touch.
You could feel her guilt, her confusion, her sadness.
I wish there was a true conclusion but I guess it ended much in the way of the sickness. It is always a struggle and the story isn't ever really over.
No it didn't delve as deeply into the sickness as more recent writings dealing with the issue of anorexia, but this had the personal touch.
You could feel her guilt, her confusion, her sadness.
I wish there was a true conclusion but I guess it ended much in the way of the sickness. It is always a struggle and the story isn't ever really over.
May 22, 2011
Engrossing and heart-wrenching as you read about the struggles that not only the main character experiences, but the family and friends as well. A story that I would definitely not mind reading all over again. You feel a sense of inspiration after realising that anorexia nervosa is not only a struggle physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. A definite Good Read.
June 1, 2012
This is no a book- at 155 pages it is more like a Novella. Although the book covers the subject, it does not draw you in to the main character and at no point do you see her as anything other than a spoiled, selfish, self-indulgent child who thinks she is selfless. I did not empathize with her. Additionally, the book just ends very oddly. It really was not good by today's standards.
August 6, 2013
The book was ok. It was hard to follow sometimes. Her hospital stays didn't sound real to me. For instance, they don't have to eat, just drink five cups of liquid per day, and one of the options is coke? I recognize the due to the time period perhaps how that was how the hospitals dealt with the eating disorder patients.
November 29, 2008
I read this book because I work with an anorexic girl at school and I hoped this would help me understand her. This book is about a girl who deals with anorexia and is hospitilized. I am not sure I understand anymore about the disease.
October 17, 2009
not sure what i'm doing reading this, but whatever.
end: it was first published in 1981, so Anorexia wasn't widely known. the characters' conversations were made more interesting by the historical context. not very thorough in addressing all the conflicts, but is like a story within a story.
end: it was first published in 1981, so Anorexia wasn't widely known. the characters' conversations were made more interesting by the historical context. not very thorough in addressing all the conflicts, but is like a story within a story.
November 17, 2013
I didn't enjoy or engage with this book. Very simple writing style which just didn't grasp the horror the main character was living. It felt safe, unchallenging, weak. There are endless books covering this subject matter, which are much more accurate, better written, more honest.
July 1, 2021
Acabó de terminar de leerlo. Trágicamente me identifiqué con Leslie y los problemas que tenía con su madre. Así que esta historia fue muy real para mí, lo mejor es que no intenta ser una lección perfecta sobre el tema y el final queda abierto para reflexionar sobre quiénes somos.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews