Stand Tall Little Girl

Hi everyone and thanks again for visiting my blog.

Today I want to write a post reviewing the book “Stand Tall Little Girl” written by the talented Hope Virgo.

The first thing that appealed to me when purchasing this book was that I saw Hope was a marathon runner. I quite like running as my followers may already know by now but then I wanted to buy the book because I was interested to know how someone can change their life to such an extent from being an Anorexic to a marathon runner.

In this book Hope takes us on a journey describing her battles with Anorexia Nervosa. I’ve often read real-life stories similar to Hope’s because I think we can learn a lot from them to try and understand both the illness and the person behind the illness as this makes the book more interesting for me and keeps me engaged as a reader.

One thing I really like about this book is how amazingly honest Hope is about how she felt and how Anorexia affected her life. Anyone who has a mental health can tell you how incredibly hard it is even talking to family members about how they feel but Hope has not only talked to family members but many others through this book about how she felt and that shows tremendous strength of character.

In the book Hope describes Anorexia as her best friend and my first reaction was “How can Anorexia be your best friend when she is intent on causing so much pain and heartache?” Throughout the book Hope describes her relationship with Anorexia and I got an understanding of how Anorexia can feel like a best friend.

One thing I found very powerful in the book is that the story is not only told from Hope’s perspective but also her mothers. I thought that was really clever because it’s more informative to look at the same version of events from a family members’ perspective. It’s important because even though the family member may not be the person who is individually suffering, because they love the person they are also suffering and their support is vital in helping someone in recovery. I learnt a lot about what it can be like to support someone with Anorexia and I think by constructing the book in this way it not only helps sufferers but their families too.

Another powerful part of this book for me was when Hope was describing what her time was like in hospital by providing a diary of her day to day life at that point. The whole book describes Hope’s feelings and emotions but for some reason or other I felt it more when reading the diary. Reading the diary reminded me that as human beings we should always be kind to others especially those who are unwell and never to underestimate the value of a kind gesture such as going to visit them in hospital or sending a card. It’s important for us all to know that someone is willing to make an effort and actually cares about us.

Consistently throughout the book Hope’s attitude towards trying to beat Anorexia shines. I think her positivity and determination to try everything possible to help herself get better comes across as inspirational and one of the biggest things I have learnt and now I wish to include this in my own life.

Hope also includes a letter which she would have sent to herself when she was 18. This part was a beautiful read not because of the content but because the advice she gives are quite poignant, deep and meaningful. The letter also shows that Hope has learnt from her experiences. If I had a friend with Anorexia I think of this letter as one that I would be able to show anyone who suffers from Anorexia to try and comfort them and remind them that they are not alone and to constantly try to reach out to others. Below is a copy of the letter.

 

Hope also talks about her coping mechanisms in the picture. This to me shows another bit of passion and determination needed to beat Anorexia.

I really like the way Hope gives us a real insight into Anorexia and doesn’t hold back. In my opinion the story was written in such a way that the words used hit the heart like she is taking us on the journey with her and that made me want to read more and learn about her story and how she felt.

Finally I just want to say, I think the true message we can take away from this book is one of hope (like the name of the author) Hope has shown that she has the determination and willingness to make herself feel better and I hope others reading this book or similar books have the same reaction.

If anyone wishes to purchase “Stand Tall Little Girl” it is available on the link below:

Thanks for reading

Faisal

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