I had believed anorexia nervosa was about dieting to achieve a "supermodel" look. In fact, during Elena's worst years, she never once looked at herself. Elena dieted because not eating was the only thing that brought her a sense of peace. Anorexia had so altered the pattern of her mind that following her into that inner world was like stepping through a fun-house mirror: everything I took for granted seemed to twist into something else.

Most important, I had believed eating disorders were relatively rare. In fact, around ten percent of the American population will suffer from an eating disorder at some point -- the vast majority of them while they're in their teens or twenties. Now that I know what to look for, I see them everywhere.

But this isn't the story of anorexia nervosa. It's the story of a person. It's the story of Elena Dunkle, a remarkable young woman who fights her demons with grit and determination. It's the story of her battle to overcome trauma, to overcome prejudice, but most of all, to overcome that powerful destructive force, the inner critic who whispers to us about our greatest fears.

Elena is a fighter, a survivor -- but never a victim. This is an inside view of her life-and-death struggle with anorexia nervosa: what she once called "the good girl's suicide."