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How long does it take to read Fasting Girls?

Joan Jacobs Brumberg

Fasting Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg takes about 6 hours 47 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 6 hours 47 minutes

A weekend read

First published 1988. 370 pages, about 101,750 words. Written for young adults.

14 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 11 hours 18 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 6 hours 47 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 4 hours 14 minutes

The page count is the median across 6 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

"When Fasting Girls first appeared in 1988, anorexia nervosa was widely considered a new disease. In fact, most people thought it would go away. Joan Jacobs Brumberg's book changed that perception by demonstrating when and where anorexia nervosa originated and why it has become so "popular" in our time. A classic work that is both a biography of the disease and a sustained inquiry into the cultural forces that perpetuate it, Fasting Girls - newly revised and updated - will stand for years as the authoritative book on the subject." "Fasting Girls looks to the history of anorexia nervosa for answers to some of the most persistent questions about its origins, demographics, and treatment. Brumberg presents a tableau of female self-denial dating back as far as the thirteenth century: medieval martyrs who used starvation to demonstrate religious devotion, "wonders of science" whose families capitalized on their ability to survive on flower petals and air, silent screen stars whose strict "slimming" regimens inspired a generation. Along the way she traces the shifting social and cultural influences that have shaped how the disorder is perceived. Incisive, compassionate, and illuminating, Fasting Girls offers real understanding to victims and their families, clinicians, and all who are interested in the history and future of this complex and characteristically female disease."--Jacket.

Subjects: Anorexia nervosa, Diseases, History, Social aspects, Social aspects of Anorexia nervosa, Socioeconomic Factors

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