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Louder Than Hunger

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Louder Than Hunger

By: John Schu
Narrated by: John Schu, Jeff Ebner
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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 mom 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.©2024 John Schu (P)2024 Penguin Random House Audio Coming of Age Difficult Situations Family & Relationships Illness & Health Problems Literature & Fiction
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Not sure where I heard about this from, but it was on my radar for a while. Perfect format for this, the audiobook, with short verse-like chapters, our narrator and protagonist the author's alter ego for his own experiences growing up with an eating disorder and an internal monologue constantly telling him he's worthless and must stop eating.

Jake is only 13, it's heart-breaking to see a young ma (or anyone of course) feel this way about themselves, to be killing themselves through isolation, bullying and feeling out of control.

Jake adores his grandmother, who loves red, musicals and TV quiz shows, but even she sees past the baggy clothes Jake is wearing. We follow Jake as his family learn that he's not eating, that he's lying to them and making himself ill, and we follow him into a residential rehab facility called Whispering Pines. Refusing to believe he has a problem, refusing to talk, refusing treatment, it's going to take a lot of make Jake let go of his control and see the truth about his situation.

There's anger and pain in here, and it was hard to listen to, especially knowing the author means and experienced this himself. But it is powerful and it is insightful and something that has to be faced. And conquered. And supported.

I loved the structure of this, the personal narration, the ups and downs, steps forward and back, the gradual change in mindset and slow journey to recovery. It's not a fairy tale, it's not easy, but it's possible.

A very necessary sort of story, and very well conveyed.

Upsetting, real-life eating disorder journey

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