Bones

Anorexia, Anxiety and My Path to Self-Love

By: Robyn Shumer, Natasha Stoynoff

Narrated by: Robyn Shumer

Bones is the tragicomic, roller coaster story of Robyn Shumer’s lifelong battle with—and triumph over—a crippling eating disorder. It’s an honest, first-person account that takes the listener inside the emotional, mental, physical, and social world of an anorexic from childhood to adulthood, through four decades of a changing society whose message to girls and women remained stubbornly the same: “thinner is the winner.”

With humor, Shumer paints a memoir of self-hatred, self-love, loss, anger, determination, and acceptance that is relatable to anyone who has suffered the ramifications of our food-and-body-obsessed culture.

Sprinkled with wisdom from experts, this personal diary will both engage and inform the listener. Shumer’s goal is to help those who suffer from anorexia, and their loved ones, too. She hopes to show the world that mental illness doesn’t define us, or prevent us from living successful, fulfilling lives. Bones is a living example of fearlessly sharing the stories that shape us.

©2024 Robyn Shumer (P)2024 Robyn Shumer

Compelling and relatable memoir

Shumer’s memoir, rich with imagery and humor, is not to be missed. I particularly enjoyed her authenticity which brought me back to my own adolescence through musical references, popular NJ shore spots, and the all too familiar feeling of being at odds with one’s body. A natural storyteller, Shumer weaves the tale of her complex relationship with her mother, her desire for independence, and how she learns to shed her need for control over decades. This is a beautiful story of self discovery, friendship, and overcoming shame. I devoured Bones during my commute and found myself yearning for more from this author.

The journey of an eating disorder.

Amazing story! It will help so many. You really get to see into the mind of how someone with these challenges thinks.

What a spoiled brat

A great memoir of distorted denial and entitlement by someone who completely ignores the reality of her privilege

Not the next “Wasted”

So slow and the parts were boring. There are much better memoirs for this length

Intriguing story, horrible narration

This book was intriguing, a bit more hopeful than many eating disorder memoirs. However, the pacing and tone of the narration totally ruined it for me. The narrator breaks at odd places in sentences, and rarely shifts her tone or cadence. I actually stopped listening about halfway through and finished it on kindle because it was so frustrating to listen to.