Thanks to Melville House inviting me on the tour, I am thrilled to be an early reader of this book.
What is this non fiction about?
Jacqueline Alnes was a Division One runner during her freshman year of college, but her career was cut short by a series of inexplicable neurological symptoms. What started with a cough escalated to Alnes collapsing on the track and experiencing months of episodes that stole her ability to walk and speak. Undiagnosed and desperate for answers, she turned to an online community centered around a strict, all-fruit diet which its adherents claimed could cure depression, addiction, anxiety, eating disorders, vision problems, and pretty much anything else that might ail a person. Initially attracted by the promise of a miraculous full recovery, Alnes instead discovered a cult of personality, rampant with toxic masculinity and abuse, that preyed on people like her: those dismissed by doctors and longing for a remedy.
In The Fruit Cure, Jacqueline Alnes takes readers on an unforgettable deep dive into the world of fruitarianism, populated by eccentric internet personalities and people in pain, ultimately placing her own powerful narrative within the wider problematic history of fruit-based, raw food lifestyles. For readers plagued by mysterious symptoms, inundated by messages from media about how to attain “the perfect body,” or caught in the grips of a fast-paced culture of capitalism, The Fruit Cure offers a powerful critique of the failures of healthcare, and an inquiry into the dark world of wellness culture schemes, scams, and diets masquerading as hope.
Bobs and Books honest review:
This book is a timely and pertinent reminder not to get too wrapped up in "wellness culture".
At a time of year when lots of set New Years resolutions, I suspect a lot of us that partake would think about wellness, being healthy, maybe losing weight too.
Part memoir, part social commentary, this gives an opinionated take based on the author's own experiences of fad diets, recommendations, and the extremes medical experts can suggest.
Having all of this encapsulated into one book was educational, thought provoking, surprising and at times, hard hitting. I think to call this out is very brave.
About the author:
Jacqueline Alnes is a writer, runner, and assistant professor of creative writing. Her work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, Guernica, Jezebel, Iron Horse Literary Review, Longreads, Ploughshares, Tin House, Electric Literature and The Boston Globe. She has a PhD in creative writing from Oklahoma State University and an MFA in nonfiction from Portland State University. She teaches at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
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