The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib "When Anna, a young wife and former dancer, is admitted to the treatment center at 17 Swann Street, she weighs just 88 pounds. As she struggles against the anorexia that has taken over her life and threatened her future, she's forced to rely on a personal strength she's not even sure she has. Zgheib does an amazing job of drawing us into Anna's world, showing us how thoroughly she's at the mercy of her disease and giving us a reason to root for her (and her husband and fellow patients—all compelling characters). This is such a gripping, beautifully-told story." - Recommended by Erika
Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.
Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.