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A review by charmainelim
Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think this is such an important book for young women to have, particularly in Chinese culture.
We're often thought of as petite and thin, but it's unfair and unreasonable to expect well over 500 million women in the world to all be the same size. Bodies change as hormone change and that needs to be accepted.
While I never struggled with an eating disorder or an outright unhealthy relationship with food, I did have thoughts about whether skipping meals would help me "maintain" a certain weight that was really me being underweight. It wasn't healthy, but it meant I was "thin."
I wish I had this graphic novel when I was younger. I wish my friends had it. I think some of us would be a lot better off if we'd known more explicitly that it was okay for our bodies to change and that it's nothing to be ashamed of, even if culture says otherwise. Culture is the one that's wrong here, not us.
We're often thought of as petite and thin, but it's unfair and unreasonable to expect well over 500 million women in the world to all be the same size. Bodies change as hormone change and that needs to be accepted.
While I never struggled with an eating disorder or an outright unhealthy relationship with food, I did have thoughts about whether skipping meals would help me "maintain" a certain weight that was really me being underweight. It wasn't healthy, but it meant I was "thin."
I wish I had this graphic novel when I was younger. I wish my friends had it. I think some of us would be a lot better off if we'd known more explicitly that it was okay for our bodies to change and that it's nothing to be ashamed of, even if culture says otherwise. Culture is the one that's wrong here, not us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit