Eating Our Hearts Out: Women and Food

This collection of 92 brief poetry and prose pieces, some previously published, is a virtual celebration of dysfunction. With few exceptions, these works--many written in the first person--depict a world in which a Ben and Jerry's shop can be a ``den of . . . sin'' or a ``house of worship,'' but not just a plain old ice cream store. Many of the works (no distinction is made between fiction and nonfiction) depict dieting, gorging, anorexia and/or bulimia as a way of life; ultimately eating is ``all one extended, unsatisfying experience.'' ``Empty'' and ``full'' have little meaning; the standards are victory (e.g., getting a snack on the sly) and defeat (e.g., gorging on that snack). These women fight the contradictory influences of families, friends, and society at large, that promote food while elevating svelteness to a cardinal virtue: ``Women's magazines give us luscious cake recipes for our families and diet tips for ourselves.'' While many individual works are effective and the sheer number of pieces argues for the prevalence of eating disorders, for the general reader Newman's ( Good Enough to Eat ) collection goes beyond thoroughness to obsession--an interesting failing, considering the subject. (Apr.)