Based upon the title, readers might expect Feeding Eden to be focused upon recipes and cooking strategies for allergic children. However, the vast majority of the book is focused more upon the struggles of the Weissman family to first diagnose and then treat a child with severe allergies. Susan Weissman writes the book as a stream of consciousness. This method causes the flow of the book to jump from one thought to the next without warning, but also allows the reader to really imagine what was happening inside Weissman’s head. Those who have experienced similar situations to Weissman will relate easily to both the challenges and the successes described. Following the main body of the text, an appendix provides a well-organized section of resources for those looking for more detailed information on allergies. Thankfully, after mentioning Eden’s chocolate cake multiple times throughout the book, one can find the recipe in the appendix.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Sterling Publishing
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 13 religious exclamations; 4 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 2 scatological words; 2 anatomical terms.
Sex/Nudity: Non-married characters hug, not sexual in nature; married characters spooned on a bed; masturbation mentioned with no detail; comparison of sex to desire for food, not graphic; character refers to herself as “therapy slut” and having “orgasmic confessions;” character indicates she and her spouse were “free to have a child.”
Mature Subject Matter:
Masturbation, severe illness, divorce, discrimination, mental breakdown.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Comparison of an action to a 12 year old drinking dregs of his father’s beer; character sporting a hangover; whiskey used on infant’s sore gums.
