BOOK REVIEWS: The Good Body
Reviewed by Louise Kaufman-Yavitz, LPC,LCSW
Reprinted from Eating Disorders Recovery Today
Spring 2007 Volume 5, Number 2
©2007 Gürze Books
 The Good Body Author: Eve Ensler |
Eve Ensler weaves together humor, compassion, and the spirit of women in the writings of The Good Body. The personal journal of how Ensler feels about her post-forties body sets the groundwork for the tale. She speaks in depth about how her stomach "is the carrier, the pouch for all self-hatred; my stomach has become the repository for my sorrow, my childhood scars, my unfulfilled ambition, my unexpressed rage."
Ensler, who is known internationally for The Vagina Monologues, has outdone herself again. She is obsessed with what she refers to as her "imperfect" stomach. Women are interviewed across the world only to discover that they too hate at least one part of their bodies. This appears to be a universal theme. If one could modify the undesirable looking part of their anatomy, it is thought that everything else would work out. The stories bring the knowledge and hope that we must get comfortable in our own bodies. Ensler speaks with a whimsical voice and honest look at this subject. The Good Body is exciting to read and you will reap the rewards of finding your true self.
