Tyranny
written and illustrated by Lesley Fairfield. 2009. Plattsburgh, New York: Tundra Books. (0887769039)
written and illustrated by Lesley Fairfield. 2009. Plattsburgh, New York: Tundra Books. (0887769039)
Media: pen and ink
Awards and Honors: 2010 Finalist, Governor General's Literary Awards, Children's Literature - Text
Annotation: A stark tale of a teenager's struggle with and ultimate triumph over anorexia and bulimia.
Personal Reaction/Potential Challenge and Response:
Personal Reaction/Potential Challenge and Response:
Tyranny is Lesley Fairfield's semi-autobiographical graphic novel about her struggle with anorexia and bulimia. These two diseases are all too common among young girls in America, particularly those in middle and high schools. This book offers a realistic look at the horror of eating disorders and an encouraging account of one girl's triumph over her demons.
Anna's a normal high schooler who frets about her appearance and wants to look like the fashion models she admires. Her concern over her weight starts out innocently enough, but quickly spirals out of control. Pretty soon she's hardly eating and weighing herself several times a day, terrified of putting on one pound. Things go from bad to worse when Anna moves out of her parents' house and Tyranny appears. Tyranny is anorexia, personified- the voice in Anna's head telling her she's fat, telling her not to eat, telling her she is worthless. Tyranny is depicted as a manic, skeletal figure who, from that point on, is ever-present in Anna's life. She teaches Anna how to take binge and purge and use laxatives to lose weight.
Eventually, Anna's body starts giving out on her and after she collapses in the street she enters an eating disorder treatment facility. It is here that she begins working through her problems and fighting back against Tyranny. Her treatment teaches her about herself and her disease, and seeing others go through what she did opens her eyes. Slowly but surely she starts to take pleasure in life and look forward to her future. In the last pages, Anna banishes Tyranny (who dissolves into a puddle of rippled lines) once and for all.
This is an important and realistic look at the deadly disorders of anorexia and bulimia. Though some parents may take issue with its graphic depictions of eating disorders or worry that the story may actually encourage teens to develop these behaviors themselves, it's a book that needs to be read, and discussed, among teens. Fairfield certainly doesn't pull punches, but teens are capable of understanding and learning from Anna's harrowing experiences. In addition to portraying the dangers of eating disorders, Tyranny also addresses the media's role in influencing girls' standards of beauty- an important and eye-opening lesson for teens. Early on in the book Anna's teacher shows how photographs of models are digitally altered so that they are impossibly proportioned. She cautions students to, "use an analytical eye when you look at a fashion magazine photo, and remember, the most beautiful you is you". However well-intentioned the urge may be for parents, its dangerous to restrict young people's access to books that deal with serious issues. The inclusion of this book and other titles like it in school and public libraries is crucial so that teens have access to materials that deal realistically with issues that they may face (however grim they are). Inclusion of a book within a library collection doesn't imply endorsement of an author's viewpoint or experiences; it gives a community access to the many different ideas and individual experiences within our culture.
Anna's a normal high schooler who frets about her appearance and wants to look like the fashion models she admires. Her concern over her weight starts out innocently enough, but quickly spirals out of control. Pretty soon she's hardly eating and weighing herself several times a day, terrified of putting on one pound. Things go from bad to worse when Anna moves out of her parents' house and Tyranny appears. Tyranny is anorexia, personified- the voice in Anna's head telling her she's fat, telling her not to eat, telling her she is worthless. Tyranny is depicted as a manic, skeletal figure who, from that point on, is ever-present in Anna's life. She teaches Anna how to take binge and purge and use laxatives to lose weight.
Eventually, Anna's body starts giving out on her and after she collapses in the street she enters an eating disorder treatment facility. It is here that she begins working through her problems and fighting back against Tyranny. Her treatment teaches her about herself and her disease, and seeing others go through what she did opens her eyes. Slowly but surely she starts to take pleasure in life and look forward to her future. In the last pages, Anna banishes Tyranny (who dissolves into a puddle of rippled lines) once and for all.
This is an important and realistic look at the deadly disorders of anorexia and bulimia. Though some parents may take issue with its graphic depictions of eating disorders or worry that the story may actually encourage teens to develop these behaviors themselves, it's a book that needs to be read, and discussed, among teens. Fairfield certainly doesn't pull punches, but teens are capable of understanding and learning from Anna's harrowing experiences. In addition to portraying the dangers of eating disorders, Tyranny also addresses the media's role in influencing girls' standards of beauty- an important and eye-opening lesson for teens. Early on in the book Anna's teacher shows how photographs of models are digitally altered so that they are impossibly proportioned. She cautions students to, "use an analytical eye when you look at a fashion magazine photo, and remember, the most beautiful you is you". However well-intentioned the urge may be for parents, its dangerous to restrict young people's access to books that deal with serious issues. The inclusion of this book and other titles like it in school and public libraries is crucial so that teens have access to materials that deal realistically with issues that they may face (however grim they are). Inclusion of a book within a library collection doesn't imply endorsement of an author's viewpoint or experiences; it gives a community access to the many different ideas and individual experiences within our culture.
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