The more voices that are devoted to eating disorder recovery, the better. A variety of perspectives is also vital, because every recovery is different and that is something that should constantly be highlighted. That's why I am so pleased to share with you the very unique voice of a very unique individual: Jenn Friedman.
Jenn Friedman is a dear friend of mine, so it is with as much pride as awe that I share her beautiful new book and album with you. If you read her book, Eating Disorders on the Wire: Music and Metaphor as Pathways to Recovery, you're in for a new and wonderful journey. BUT if you also listen to her breathtaking CD, On the Wire, which accompanies the book, you will never forget the emotions that surface.
In her book, Jenn describes her personal path through the pain of an eating disorder and soul-enriching recovery, but it's not just another memoir. The music and metaphor you know to expect from the book title really drive home every raw and honest note of life with an eating disorder. In fact, Jenn masterfully shows the reader life AGAINST an eating disorder. The fight in the words, the inward battle portrayed, and the momentum are so evident and so strong.
Although the book and music album can each stand alone, unique and wonderful as separate works of art, it's really as a union that they shine their brightest. The project is a double whammy: written backstory with an emotionally charged soundtrack.
How do you tell the tale of a woman making her way through the darkness of an eating disorder? Well, Jenn found a way. And it's something that has never been done before.
You can listen to her astounding album right on the web here, but be warned: you won't be happy until you've purchased her CD to travel with you on your own journey. And don't for one second think that you need to have an eating disorder to appreciate Jenn's music. Her well-crafted lyrics can guide any individual through hardship, introspection, and triumph. Never trite, her lyrics are complex when called for and simple when necessary, but so artfully evoke a range of emotions. Listen to the album once and you'll immediately play it again, eager to relive the musical journey and discover new pieces of yourself as you do.
From start to finish, On the Wire is an experience. You don't just hear it. You don't just listen to it. You FEEL it. And it doesn't get old. It's an experience that keeps giving. Jenn's talents are many: she writes (both the book prose and her own lyrics), she composes and arranges her beautiful songs, she plays the piano, and she sings. To know that such an artist exists is a gift, but to know that she exists within the world of eating disorder recovery is a treasure.
We all have creativity. Eating disorders attempt to stamp out that creativity. Jenn Friedman allows us to embrace who we are by understanding ourselves through music and metaphor. Her book is her story, but after listening to her music, your own story will take flight.
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