The Hungry Years

With a title like that, this book might fool someone about its subject matter. But the bitten donut on the cover jacket hints that it’s more likely to be about food addiction than about the Great Depression. In fact, this memoir-ish essay is more about addiction in general . William Leith does not know how to do anything in moderation. When he does drugs, he wakes up covered in puke; when he eats a piece of pie, he sneaks into the kitchen to finish the rest – even though he no longer wants any; when he drinks, he estimates the number of beverages he’s had by what hour of the day it is. He decides to get to the bottom of the glass by going to therapy and figuring out what is causing his destructive behavior. Of course, Leith becomes addicted to therapy as well.

But don’t dismiss this account of the hungry man as cock-and-bull story. The author is no Tristram Shandy, mind you. He’s an established and prolific journalist with an engaging stream-of-consciousness style that grabs you like that first glass of wine in the morning. From his accounts of interviews with renowned foodies (think Atkins) and histories of fascinating topics, including obesity and carbohydrates, I learned while being entertained.

My favorite part of the book was Leith’s report of his therapy session during which he describes to his doctor what happened when he heard the word “cancer” on the radio one day. It began to haunt him on a daily basis, until he was no longer able to extricate his mind from its claws. Here’s the tidbit of conversation between Leith and his therapist regarding the incident:

I told her about how, usually, I focused my anxiety on one disease, and how, when my hypochondria was at its worst, I had hung around the medical sections of bookshops, reading about diseases I was not frightened of.
“Why?”
“Well, to see if I could displace the main disease with another disease”.
Naomi said, “It’s interesting that you keep talking about being trapped.”
“Yes?”
“And yet you keep telling me how you impose these traps on yourself.”

Here. I just saved you thousands of dollars in therapy, people. To express your gratitude, feel free to send the savings directly to me. You’re welcome. Oh, and don’t mention it. It was nothing. Really.

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