Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have become common in teenage girls, who feel they must conform to over-exaggerated ideals of thinness and beauty. In "Diary of an Eating Disorder", Chelsea Smith bravely comes forward with a day-to-day account of her life with an eating disorder.

Chelsea relates how her parents' divorce and sexual abuse by a neighbor resulted in a deep-rooted negative personal image and low self-esteem. Her diary reveals the surprising and shocking ideas and beliefs she held about herself, her obsession with food and eating, her desire to recover and become healthy, and her despair that her eating disorder could cause her to lose the people she loved and prevent her from achieving her goals. She recounts her days in an eating disorder rehab center and her long road to recovery. Throughout the book, the author's mother, Beverly Runyon, describes Chelsea's life and the difficulties of watching a beloved child starve herself until she finally asks for help.

"Diary of an Eating Disorder" provides enlightening insights into the mind of a person affected with anorexia and bulimia. The parents of girls afflicted with these diseases will value this book as a promise of hope that recovery is possible.