"The options went like this:
1. Get fat. Just take up eating as a serious pursuit. Food was an easy escape. Just go for it."
-Lesley Choyce, The Book of Michael 95
Michael Grove is very depressed. He had to spend months in jail for being wrongly convicted of murdering his much-loved girlfriend, Lisa. Then, the real killer turns out to be his old girlfriend Miranda, who he left behind when she started doing meth. For these reasons, even though he is now proven to be innocent, some people still see him as a killer.
So does Michael.
As seen here, one of the ways he thinks he could deal with the depression is by turning to food as a recluse. I've seen stories of people turning to excessive eating to try and ease depression on T.V. shows like The Biggest Loser. Their tales from the first episode always end with regret and even more depression. Thankfully, Michael does not go down this path, and instead works to create a new life for himself.
This is the type of summary that should be going on the backs of books. You wrote it in a way that gives the reader the information they need without going into too much detail or boring them. I have to disagree with the, "their tail always ends with great regret and even more depression," part, though. It's a good connection, but I've seen a fair bit of the Biggest Loser and the results the trainers produce are amazing. From what I've gathered one of the reasons the show is there is to inspire people. It's kind of hard to do that if you depress them, though that might make them desperate enough to make a change.
ReplyDeleteWell, when I said that, I mostly meant that their pre-Biggest Loser stories always end with even more depression, but I was talking about the show a little as well. I admit that I'm generalizing waaaaay too much, and that "always" wasn't the right word. However, some people really have had very negative experiences on the show, with all the pressure of losing weight and the fact that it was a contest. THAT can lead to even more depression, but this is seldom the case. Thank you for realizing that, Bethany.
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