Holy Hunger

A wrenchingly honest, eloquent memoir “about true nourishment that comes not from [eating] but from engaging on a spiritual path."—Los Angeles Times

In this brave and perceptive account of compulsion and the healing process, Bullitt-Jonas describes a childhood darkened by the repressive shadows of her alcoholic father and her emotionally reclusive mother, whose demands for excellence, poise, and self-control drove Bullitt-Jonas to develop an insatiable hunger.

What began with pilfering extra slices of bread at her parents' dinner table turned into binges with cream pies and pancakes, sometimes gaining as much as eleven pounds in four days. When the family urged her father into treatment, the author recognized her own addiction and embarked on the path to recovery by discovering the spiritual hunger beneath her craving for food."A refreshing change from the stale blame game of so many memoirs.... [Holy Hunger] offers an example of self-examination that is indeed insightful and instructive."—The New York Times Book Review

"A thought-provoking account of the role of faith in healing."—Jill Ker Conway, author of True NorthMARGARET BULLITT-JONAS is an Episcopal Priest and lives in Boston, Massachusetts.