Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Best Little Girl in the World

The Best Little Girl in the World
The Best Little Girl in the World
Author: Steven Levenkron
In this controversial work, author Steven Levenkron creates a portrait of a young ballerina who nearly dies from anorexia nervosa. Although Levenkron has been accused of perpetuating an unrealistic stereotype of people with eating disorders, his narrative succeeds in illustrating the ways in which an anorectic has a deranged perception of realit...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780446358651
ISBN-10: 0446358657
Publication Date: 3/7/1989
Pages: 256
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 53

3.7 stars, based on 53 ratings
Publisher: Warner Books
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

vprosser avatar reviewed The Best Little Girl in the World on + 161 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The bestselling novel that broke through the silence about Anorexia Nervosa:

At first, no one knows that something is fatally wrong with fifteen-year-old Kessa--not her parents, teachers, friends, or family doctor. No one knows Kessa avoids eating whenever she can and forces herself to vomit when she does eat...that she has elaborate rituals for her personal hygiene...that she has gone from an "A" student to failing. No one knows until Kessa's weight drops from 98 pounds to 88, 81, 78...and it may be too late.
Basing Kessa on real-life patients, Steven Levenkron, a leading authority on eating disorders, takes us inside her tormented mind in a narrative of chilling authenticity. Pulled into a dark obsession, Kessa is a girl losing more than weight. She is losing her chance to live. This groundbreaking story captures the terrifying reality of anorexia nervosa: the girl who is its victim, her desperate family, and the therapist who is her last hope for survival...
reviewed The Best Little Girl in the World on + 67 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
One of my favorite books when I was in junior high, and still a good read now that I am in my '30's. A powerful story of a girl struggling to survive anorexia, written by a man who has treated many anorexics.
reviewed The Best Little Girl in the World on + 101 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I was so impressed with this book that I wanted to read more. I wanted it to go on and on. This is the story of a young girl who develops anorexia nervosa. this book is a good seque into the eating disorded mind. I liked it.
booklit avatar reviewed The Best Little Girl in the World on + 473 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A good look Anorexia Nervosa. A story of a young dancer who almost starves herself to death good book
Read All 9 Book Reviews of "The Best Little Girl in the World"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed The Best Little Girl in the World on + 6 more book reviews
A true story of a young girl who struggles with Anorexia and the astound effect it has on her and all who love her.
reviewed The Best Little Girl in the World on + 29 more book reviews
Great book about eating disorders. Would make an excellent project for a psychology or health type class. I used this book in a college psych class for a behavioral psych project.


Genres: