Wasted: a memoir of anorexia and bulimia recalls marya hornbacher's personal nine-year battle with anorexia and bulimia. in the story, marya details childhood and personality factors that may have had a role in the development of her disorder. she also writes about the progression of her bulimia and her transition to anorexia. marya describes her plummet to her lowest point in her struggle with anorexia, a time when she is eating almost nothing and weighs only 52 pounds. finally, marya describes the circumstances that finally convince her to check herself into a hospital for treatment.