Have you ever worked toward a goal you kept hidden deepinside? Have you worked so hard that the secret mission ran your life? JudiLiebowitz, the main character in Fat Chance, gave me insight into how your lifecan revolve around an expectation you've set for yourself.

I related tothis book on a very personal level because Judi is not only my age, but alsoabout my height and build. When I began reading I thought her issue with weightwas foolish because I was led to believe she was of average weight. Little did Iknow how real a problem this is for so many teenagers.

The situations wereso real sometimes I forgot I was only reading. Newman's writing made me feel likeI was struggling alongside Judi on her difficult journey from anorexia to bulimiato recovery. I learned that people aren't always what they appear. On the outsideJudi seemed like any other girl, but on the inside things were complicated.

My goals include getting good grades, going to college and succeeding inlife. Judi, on the other hand, had three goals she dedicated an entire year toaccomplishing: getting a boyfriend, figuring out a profession and being theskinniest girl in her class.

My favorite parts were the last entries inJudi's diary, which she gave her mother to read. They'd never had a closerelationship because Judi always felt her mom couldn't understand what she wasgoing through. On the contrary, she was very understanding and helpful in winningJudi's fight against her eating disorders.

I cherished the lessons Judilearned, and the novel kept me from learning those same lessons in my own life.This is one of the few books I have ever read that changed my life.