Flaca by Leslie DJ - Book Tour + Giveaway
This is my stop during the book blitz for Flaca by Leslie DJ. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 20 April till 3 May. See the tour schedule here.
Flaca: an honest account of a Latina with an eating disorder
By Leslie DJ
Genre: Non-fiction/ memoir
Release Date: 20 February 2020
Blurb:After an intervention during the summer of 2018 Leslie finds herself in a treatment center for an eating disorder she was unaware she had. In her own words, Leslie DJ, author of That Girl and Luz digs deep into her own struggles and battle with anorexia and bipolar II disorder in a brave and sometimes comical account of her life.
You can find Flaca on Goodreads
You can buy Flaca here on Amazon
Excerpt
Baby, Maybe
“I
want to get better so that I can become a mother someday,” one of my community
members shared during a goal-setting rehabilitation exercise.
I was about
four weeks into treatment for an eating disorder I was still struggling to admit.
And the outpatient treatment facility consisted of one-on-one counseling, group
therapy, nutrition classes, group activities that sometimes included cooking
and the dreaded dinner time.
This got me
thinking about my own prospects as a parent. Like most little girls, I grew up
playing with baby dolls, pushing toy strollers and placing a pillow under my
nightie and pretending it was a pregnant belly.
I was always
the first to volunteer to help change diapers and watch over my younger cousins
and longed for a sibling of my own.
When I was
eleven my sister was born and I took pride in pushing her stroller down the
street and dressing her up. She was cool until she got a bit older, began to
follow me around and embarrass me in front of my friends with her childhood
wonderment. In her defense, she hadn’t done anything wrong, I was just a
hormonal bratty teen.
When I got
married at twenty-two I convinced myself that having a baby was for me. After
all, I was married and that’s what you did. I never actively tried to get
pregnant but wasn’t opposed to it happening naturally. A part of me knew it
wasn’t the proper environment to bring up a child in—it was toxic and often
violent—but I grew tired of being asked, “When is the baby coming?”
Thankfully that baby was never conceived, cutting any ties from that
man.
As I enter my mid-thirties I feel the pressure hovering over my
shoulders, the heaviness on my chest, and can hear the clock ticking, mirroring
the beat of my heart.
My mental
health and eating disorder are time-consuming and must be as closely watched as
one would a child. The idea of going nine months without antidepressants and
mood stabilizers and having to carry out a proper diet terrifies me. I often
question if my genetics are worth passing along. Would I ruin my child with my
disordered rituals and uneasiness around food? Would my baby inherit my mood
disorder? Would it suffer from crippling anxiety, depression, and lash out in
fear of rejection?
Not every
day is bad, but the bad ones are the worst. I’ve managed to cope with it but
wouldn’t wish that upon anyone else.
“Who else
wants to be well enough to have children?” the group leader asked. A couple of
timid hands rose and for a second I felt a twitch. I looked down at my arm; it
was making its way up and I immediately readjusted in my seat and sat on my
hands.
“I don’t want a baby,” I told myself as my inner voice hissed, “Maybe.”
About the Author:
Leslie DJ was born to write, photographs of her holding pen to paper can be found within the confines of this book. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the New School of New York and is an on-air talent at 94.3 FM WBMB Baruch College radio. She is the host of two podcasts including Sinister Girlz a female-centric music podcast that promotes local talents in music and could be found on Stitcher and Apple Podcast. She is a native New York and resides with her pet Chihuahua, Joey and precocious parrots Perry and Cocoa.
You can find and contact Leslie DJ here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Flaca. One winner will win a signed copy of both "That Girl" and "Luz" by Leslie DJ (US and Canada only).
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
0 Comments
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