Unbearable Lightness by Portia deRossi is a powerful memoir about eating disorders and body image. If you can't hack the whole thing, read the epilogue...especially if you have a daughter (but know boys are also susceptible to anorexia and bulimia).
I debated about reading this book for a long time but when it appeared on a number of top ten lists I decided to give it a try. I've read (and liked) other books by Emma Donoghue but none were like this one. Jack and his mom just celebrated his fifth birthday...in the same room they celebrated his previous birthdays, in the same room his mother has been kept since she was abducted when she was nineteen. Room is told from Jack's perspective. It takes a while to get used to his uneven voice but it's worth sticking with it as his mother's heroic attempts to make life "normal" in an eleven by eleven room are awe-inspiring.
Though shelved in the self-help section of the book store, psychologist and researcher, Brene Brown would prefer her book, The Gifts of Imperfection be in the self-fulfillment section (if one existed). Her research on whole-hearted living is wonderful food for thought and her guideposts, gentle reminders that it's not about being perfect but about finding balance (checkout her engaging TED talk here).
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