Louder Than Hunger – John Schu

It’s 1996 and Jake, an eighth grader, lives in suburban Chicago. He volunteers at a nursing home after school.

Jake’s mother is sad and his father is largely absent. His favourite person and best friend is his Grandma, who shares his love of Broadway musicals.

Jake loves all of Emily Dickinson’s poetry but one poem in particular speaks to him.

I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you—Nobody—too?

What speaks the loudest in Jake’s life, though, is the Voice. The Voice tells him not to eat and reminds him constantly how worthless he is.

I
punish
myself
day
after
day.

Why?

For
taking
up
too
much
space.

For
being
me.

For
breathing.

Jake has anorexia. His story is based on the author’s, which adds to the authenticity of Jake’s voice.

When Jake is sent to Whispering Pines for treatment, the reader is granted access to his thoughts and struggles. Along the way, we discover why Jake is trying so hard to disappear.

Every
single
day
I felt like I was on the outside,
looking in.

I read this book in one sitting. It was easy for me to relate to Jake, especially when he spoke about his connection to his Grandma. My Nan was also my favourite person and I saw some of her in the bond Jake had with his Grandma.

This was Jake’s story so the focus was always going to be on him but I would have liked to have learned more about the other young people being treated at Whispering Pines. We spent the most time with Kella but even she only felt like an acquaintance.

When I was Jake’s age, I also struggled with disordered eating. Unlike Jake, no one noticed what was happening with me so I wasn’t offered/forced into treatment.

However, I know firsthand the power of books, showing you that despite how you may be feeling, you aren’t alone. A book was what impacted me the most at the time.

My hope is that this story speaks to young people who have their own stories of disordered eating, that it gives them the courage to use their voice so they can access the support they deserve.

Make sure you take care of my boy!

Thank you so much to Walker Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Once Upon a Blurb

A powerful, authentic verse novel exploring a teen boy’s experience with disordered eating, charting the successes and setbacks of his journey toward recovery.

Jake feels alone at school and alone at home. Some days it feels like the only people who understand him is the poet Emily Dickinson – and Jake’s beloved grandma. But there is also the Voice inside him, louder than any other, who professes to know him best of all.

The one that says “You have me.”

The Voice is loud enough to drown out everything else, even the hunger Jake feels, until his mum intervenes and sends him to Whispering Pines.

Here Jake will learn how to confront the loneliness inside him, and find out who he is and what he has to live for. That is, if he can quiet the Voice…

Told in succinct and powerful verse, this novel is a stunning and wholly authentic expression of a young man finding the will – and the power – to wrest control from the intrusive thoughts that crowd his mind.