KIM: EMPTY INSIDE
The Diary of an Anonymous Teenager


“Kim” is an anonymous girl finally getting her freedom as a freshman on campus at UCLA, edited by Beatrice Sparks, Ph.D. Through this diary formatted book, we learn that “Kim” is in love with gymnastics and wants nothing more than to be accepted onto the UCLA gymnastics team. Once she has accomplishes her dream, she realizes that it’s a lot harder to fit into a team of incredibly fit girls who are thinner than her. What’s more, “Kim’s” coach is pressuring her to lose weight in order to maintain her position on the team. As an easy route out of her worries, “Kim” falls into the pressures of bulimia instead of eating healthy and taking care of her body.

This novel brings the reader straight into the mind of a young woman with an eating disorder and truly puts a captivating outlook on “Kim’s” life, as we watch her fall deeper and deeper into a depression that she can’t seem to shake. The more you read of this book, the more you get involved with her and honestly want her to rid herself of her destructive behavior.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in taking on a career as a psychologist as well as teenagers who are interested in the way that the brain works. This book was appropriate for all age groups, including pre-teenagers. Sparks did an excellent job of creating a character out of an anonymous girl’s diary, and the novel is both of literary quality as well as interesting to read.