Review: "Confessions of a Starving Prom Princess" by Denise Solters

Confessions of a Starving Prom Princess by Denise Solters
Published July 2023 via Aakenbaaken & Kent
★★★

Solters thought she had it all together—until it all fell apart. As a young wife and mother, deep in the trenches of an eating disorder, Solters' body started to shut down, and she ended up in a coma that could have taken her life. Instead it just took part of her life: a great deal of her freedom and independence, her marriage, her ability to parent her son on her own, and much of her physical independence.

This is Solters' story of her eating disorder and its consequences, but more than that it's a story of what came after. The writing is a little spotty, but this is valuable for the long time period it covers—reading about Solters' ongoing medical problems stemming from her eating disorder (this is not a miracle story where she came out of her coma and worked hard and overcame everything) is sobering, as it should be. So many (most, even) stories of eating disorders cover a few months up to a few years; it's easy to be lulled into this idea that it's never too late, that there will be no consequences. But even as Solters built a rich life for herself, the consequences have endured.

Not necessarily recommended, but might be useful for those looking for a reminder that things aren't always as simple as recovery or death.