Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Hi my name is Kire. I am a 8th grader who loves to read and write book reviews!
Louder than Hunger by John Schu is a novel in verse that follows Jake, a 13-year-old boy who struggles through multiple conditions such as an eating disorder.
The book starts with introducing us to Jake’s negative inner voice which is always putting him down. The only things that Jake finds comfort in are his grandma, who watches all sorts of movies and Broadway shows with him, and the poet Emily Dickinson which Jake quotes multiple times in the book. When Jake’s doctor explains that Jake isn’t in good condition and needs to find help immediately, Jake’s mom sends him to Whispering Pines which is an inpatient eating disorder treatment center. Here, Jake has a hard time following the orders of the workers but eventually after many weeks in the treatment center Jake becomes much better and is allowed to go back home. Then the unthinkable happens, Jake’s grandmother dies and just like that Jake goes back into his old habits and is forced to go back to Whispering Pines.
By the end of the book, Jake overcomes his inner voice and eating disorder completely and is allowed to go back home where he is in much better condition.
I read this book for the Idaho Battle of the Books, and I found it to be a good read. It was a pretty depressing story but sometimes those types of stories can be the most interesting especially because this was a novel in verse. Overall, I would recommend this book to others since it was so interesting.
