Becoming John

About the Book

What image comes to mind when you think of Anorexia? Size Zero models floating down the catwalk? Pictures of celebrities in magazines plastered with headlines screaming “Thin”, “Starvation”, “Skeleton”? Or a young girl, wasting away in front of those who love her, desperately trying to be thin? I’m sure very few of you will see a young man pounding the treadmill to get rid of an extra few calories. Nor will you think of the same young man throwing his dinner in the bin because the thought of eating anything repulses him. These are the images that John Evans thinks of every day, because John Evans is that young man, and Anorexia Nervosa has been his life for fifteen years. In Becoming John: Anorexia’s Not Just For Girls, John seeks to explode the myth that Eating Disorders are a female-only problem. Frustrated at the dearth of literature devoted to the subject of Eating Disorders in males, he has attempted to fill that void, at least in part. There are many thousands of male sufferers in Britain, some suffering in silence, some receiving treatment, some, like the author, on the road to recovery. It is hoped that “Becoming John” will at least provide a voice for this men and maybe even help some of those with no idea of where to turn to or where to find the strength to seek help. Tracing his illness from its origins in the sadness and bullying of his childhood through to the obsessions and the rituals of his adult life, John details how his relationship with Anorexia became the most important factor in his existence. Extracts from his diary detail the struggles of his four-month inpatient admission, attempting to battle his demons and to carve his niche as the only male on a ten-patient ward. John’s story details the occasional highs and much more pervasive lows of living with Anorexia, ever aware of the damage being done but feeling utterly impotent when looking for a way to fight back. By sharing his Eating Disorder with a public audience, John hopes to further weaken the hold it has over him, because nothing hurts Anorexia more than being exposed and being attacked from all angles. Maybe too, you may find something within these pages that helps you better understand the mind of an anorexic, whether you be a Health Care Professional, a carer, or someone who, like John at the start of his journey, just can’t understand why they don’t eat something. Becoming John: Anorexia’s Not Just For Girls is a rollercoaster of emotions and belief, of fight and of hopelessness. Something in these pages will touch you, something in these pages could help you fight back. For a review of "Becoming John" from MenGetEDsToo.co.uk, follow this link http://mengetedstoo.co.uk/%e2%80%9canorexia-is-a-memory-not-my-master%e2%80%9d-a-review-of-%e2%80%98becoming-john-anorexia%e2%80%99s-not-just-for-girls%e2%80%99-by-nick-watts

About the Author

John Evans was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa in 1998, six weeks after starting a History degree course at the University of Leicester. His life since then has been ruled by his eating disorder as it followed him back to Wales, through living in Manchester and to his present home in Poole, Dorset. Frustrated by the lack of a male voice amidst the constant barrage of coverage about Size Zero models, John hopes to raise awareness that Anorexia is not a female illness and that it does not discriminate in whose life it chooses to ruin. He believes that by sharing his story he will continue winning his battle, as well as encouraging other men to seek the help they need to begin their own recovery.