My books about eating disorders
'Please Eat... A Mother's Struggle To Free Her Teenage Son From Anorexia'
Starting with the emergency dash to the A&E (ER) department of our local hospital when Ben's pulse plummeted to just 29bpm in late January 2009, Please eat... A mother's struggle to free her teenage son from anorexia looks back on the years that led up to Ben's anorexia then takes us through the hoops that we had to jump through to get his eating disorder taken seriously before describing how Ben slowly recovered.
Alternatively, you can buy 'Please Eat' for just £6.99 inc p&p direct from me, a saving of £3 on the Amazon price
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'When Anorexia Came To Visit: Families Talk About How An Eating Disorder Invaded Their Lives'
As Ben recovered from his eating disorder, I began to talk with other parents who'd experienced an eating disorder in the family. I'd met most of these parents through the wonderful forum, Around The Dinner Table, which offeres peer support to parents of young people with eating disorders. When Anorexia Came To Visit: Families Talk About How An Eating Disorder Invaded Their Lives contains accounts from 20 families from across the UK, parents of boys as well as girls.
"It seems crazy that I am sitting here, in England, in the 21st century, watching my son fade away from malnutrition while bucket-loads of food are all around us. Huge, massive, obscene mountains of food. Cakes, ice cream, bread, pies, puddings, pizzas, curries... Yet my son refuses to eat."
What people are saying about 'Please eat...'
"I have just finished Please Eat... and it such a powerful page turner! Bev Mattocks has captured the complexity of her family's journey so honestly, bravely and with such clarity of writing. It is a compelling read." - Susan Ringwood, Chief Executive, Beat
"Please Eat... is an essential read for anyone trying to understand more about eating disorders in teenage boys. Bev Mattocks describes the story of her son's anorexia but also provides insight for other families facing this complex illness in a world where anorexia is still associated with teenage girls. Totally recommended." - Sam Thomas, Founder of Men Get Eating Disorders Too
"I've been reading Please Eat... and found it very moving and well written. It was gripping and very insightful. I think people will gain much in terms of strategies, too. It's a really helpful book and we will be recommending it to all our callers with boys. We will also be featuring it on our new website." - Jane Smith, Director, ABC (Anorexia & Bulimia Care)
"Cancel your plans for the day when you open this book." - Laura Collins, Founder of F.E.A.S.T. & Author of Eating With Your Anorexic
"This is a wonderful book. It's quite hard to read because the story is so painful, but easy to read because of the clarity and simplicity of style." - Gill Todd, RMN MSc, former Clinical Nurse Leader at the Gerald Russell Eating Disorders Unit, Bethlem & Maudsley Hospitals, London
"The world is slowly coming to realise that 'Boys Get Anorexia Too'. Bev Mattocks writes honestly and from the heart about helping her teenage son to overcome anorexia. Like ours, this is another success story of a family working together with friends, school and clinicians to beat this insidious illness. Many families will find great comfort from reading this story as well as much needed energy to fight the eating disorder." - Jenny Langley, Author of Boys Get Anorexia Too
"Bev Mattocks shares her painful personal story so beautifully that the reader feels a deep connection. She models the tenacity needed by parents to stand up to these deadly illnesses for the long haul. This is a powerful account which health care providers around the world need to read before meeting with their first eating disorders patient." - Becky Henry, Founder of the Hope Network, LLC & Award Winning Author of Just Tell Her To Stop: Family Stories of Eating Disorders
"Please Eat... is gut wrenching and touching. It captivated me and I could hardly breathe as I was reading it. I read the first six chapters in one sitting. Bev Mattocks has done such a great job of bringing her story to us in a vivid and personal way." - Parent
"Bev Mattocks is doing such amazing work empowering other parents and helping to raise awareness that boys get eating disorders too." - Leah Dean, Executive Director, F.E.A.S.T.
"This book takes you on an emotional journey through the everyday reality of dealing with anorexia. If you're a health professional, read it to understand what parents are struggling with at home. If your friends or relatives think that anorexia is simply a refusal to eat, get them to read Ben's story. And if you believe anorexia is a girl thing, this book will sweep away your misconceptions." - Eva Musby, Parent and Writer
"I have just finished Please eat... It is brilliant, well written, evocative and inspirational. I will definitely recommend it to anyone I come across who has a child with an eating disorder." Caroline, Social Worker, Manchester
"When I first came across Bev Mattocks' story I was in the depths of despair with my daughter's anorexia which was spiralling out of control. Bev helped me realise that we were not alone, that we could help our daughter to recover and that, as her parents, we were part of solution and not the cause of her eating disorder. This is an empowering book." - Parent
"Professionals have written general descriptions from the dry and medical to the flowery and fanciful, but I have never read a better book for describing what it is REALLY like to watch helplessly as a loved one is taken over by the beast that is an eating disorder." - Parent
"This book is a 'must read' on so many levels. It is well written, compelling, informative and inspirational. Best of all, it's encouraging that a full recovery is possible." - Parent
More reviews...
"From page 1, the struggle, the journey, the fight, the ups and downs; becoming Indiana Jones striding through the unpredictability of what the 'demon' (anorexia) will do next but winning in the end. Heart-warming, gut-wrenching; with a wonderful ending of the 'light at the end of a long tunnel' variety and knowing recovery is 100% achievable, but not in a straight line." - Parent
"A seemingly familiar journey well expressed and written by the author. An important story of a mother and her son as they struggle through the up's and downs, the never in a straight line' recovery trajectory from anorexia. Bev Mattocks and her son have so lovingly shared what is so commonly experienced by so many parents of children diagnosed with anorexia. I really could not put this down; from the first sentence the path was just all too familiar. This book provides great insight into the world of how boy's also suffer from what is often perceived to be a female illness only. Thank you Bev and Ben. A must read for any parent of a son or daughter embarking on the path to recovery from an eating disorder." - Parent
"A well written , honest account of what it's REALLY like to live with someone who suffers from anorexia. The ups and downs, the darkness of the demon. This could be about a male or female sufferer, young or old. Initially hard to read, painful and familiar, as the book progresses it begins to offer much needed hope. References to resources are being made as well. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who comes in contact with eating disorder patients, but especially the carers, as it will offer light during the dark times." - Parent
"Having lived through this with the author, I know the story and the author well. I know how long and hard she has fought for Ben. A great tiger mother fighting insuperable odds for her handsome boy..." - Parent
"An honest book, written from the heart and one which should give all families caught in the hell of an eating disorder hope." - Parent
"A wonderful book, heartfelt and a story of courage in the face of sheer horror at what an eating disorder can do to a child." - Parent
"This book is a 'must read' on so many levels. It is well written, compelling, informative and inspirational. Best of all, it's encouraging that a full recovery is possible." - Parent