Review: HUNGER by Jackie Morse Kessler

[Info:]

{Title:} HUNGER (Riders of the Apocalypse, Book One)
{By:} Jackie Morse Kessler
{Publisher:} Harcourt Graphia
{Release Date:} October 18, 2010
{Pages:} 180

[Description:]
Lisabeth Lewis is seventeen, anorexic...
and the new Famine, one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.


[Thoughts:]


When I heard the concept of HUNGER, as well as who was writing it, I was incredibly excited. Jackie has a brilliant gift, and her premise was just the sort of story I've been waiting for. It took me damn near forever to get ahold of a copy of HUNGER (right after it's sequel, RAGE, debuted), but I finally picked up both books whenever my local Walmart started carrying them.


So, was it well worth the wait?

Did it meet my already high expectations?
No, it didn't meet them... it exceeded those expectations.

HUNGER is a painfully real look at a very hard to swallow (excuse the pun) issue -- and I don't mean the Apocalypse. Lisabeth Lewis struggles with her Thin voice, an ever present reminder of how she isn't thin enough, forcing her to obsess over calories, exercise way too much, and eventually attempt an overdose to rid her of her wretched life.

That is, until salvation comes in the form of Death, who bears no only a striking resemblance to a beloved dead rockstar, but also a scale -- the sign of office for the horsemen, Famine, the Black rider of the Apocalypse.

Lisa denies she has a problem for quite some time, as most girls do. But as she sets off into the night to do her job as Famine, she sees what real hunger is. To make any difference as Famine, Lisa must realize what she's doing to herself as well.

HUNGER is the sort of book the world needs right now, and it should be gracing the shelves of every library and every bookstore -- not sparkly Mormon propaganda.

It's a smart way of showing the real life horror in eating disorders, without sounding preachy or making it seem "cool". HUNGER shows girls struggling with self image that they aren't alone, while also opening their eyes to just how difficult it is in other places, and that the food they waste is food that could save some child somewhere else. I see HUNGER helping at least some girls to get help. And even if it changes only one life, then that's a damn good step in the right direction.

So, find HUNGER by Jackie Morse Kessler and buy it now. Stay tuned for my review of the sequel, RAGE, about War, as well as the next two books - LOSS and BREATH!

~Angel

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