Book review: Eating in the Light of the Moon

“Storytellers speak in the language of myth and metaphor, they tell us a truth that is not literal, but symbolic. If we hear the stories with only the outer ear, they can seem absurd and untrue, but when listened to with the inner ear, they convey a truth that can be understood and absorbed on a deeply personal level. In this way, stories help us connect with our inner world, to the natural rhythms and cycles of the earth, and to the power of our intuitive wisdom."

- Anita Johnston, Ph.D, author of Eating in the Light of the Moon


When you are given a book recommendation that ends up in your top handful of favorite reads (those ones that stay on your bookshelf forever and you hesitate to lend out), you know that the person who gave you the recommendation has a strong grasp on your character, an almost intuitive read on your personality. Such was the case when a dear friend of mine stuck a book in my purse and simply said “read this, I’m pretty sure you’ll take something from it.”

I read the book nearly two years ago and it remains in that few set of books I haul around whenever I move, those few books that I hesitate to lend out for fear that it won’t make it back into my collection. Eating in the Light of the Moon is a story that reminds us of the female tradition, the necessity of female energy and the importance of staying connected to our heritage as women.

Living in the globalized world of twenty-first century, bombarded with media images and absurd beauty standards, it is no wonder that diseases like anorexia, bulimia and other negative self-perceptions are rampant amongst young women today. We are constantly reminded of what we ‘should’ look like, the roles we ‘should’ fullfill, while forgetting that our bodies, our minds and our spirits are sacred, and that we should be proud of and cherish each cell.

Nani Anderson...reading by the light

The book subtly addresses the misguidance that has occurred as a result of the straying from the fundamentals of female. The author, Anita Johnston, Ph.D, takes us through the reverence that ancient cultures around the world have always held for women via myths and stories from countries across the globe. While she rarely specifically talks about eating disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, or other routes that women take to strive to meet the image expectations of society, the message is clear: we have strayed from a simple, and ancient appreciation for the female that was once a natural part of daily and spiritual life.

I am continuously surprised to find out that friends I never would have expected have gone through eating disorders, and continuously upset by women I know who don’t believe that they are beautiful because ‘beauty’ is this bottled-marketed-type that is (pardon my french) B@$#.  



Eating in the Light of the Moon takes us on a journey back through our roots with reverance, reminding us that women are powerful, women are healers, mothers, nurturers, and lovers. Through these stories that span centuries and cultures the author brings us to the present, subtly asking us women to soften our criticism of ourselves and one another and honor the feminine in us, the curves, the mystery, the intuition and the connection to spirit. Any woman who has ever, even once, questioned their ‘beauty’ needs to read this and be reminded of the inherent fabulousness that lies in us all and the tradition of woman hood that we are perpetuating.

Anita Johston is the co-founder and director of the Anorexia and Bulimia Center of Hawaii and also developed Hawaii’s first inpatient eating disorder program at Kahi Mohala Hospital in 1986. In addition, she is also the Clinical Director and the founder of the ‘Ai Pono Intensive Out-Patient Eating Disorders Programs in Honolulu. To find out more about Eating in the Light of the Moon, Dr. Johnston, and her other published works, visit this website.