The Best Little Girl in the World

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 ...