Book Review: "A Future for Tomorrow" by Haley Hatch Freeman

By Nichole Giles

When my friend Tristi emailed me asking if I would be willing to do a review on this book, I knew it was going to be a tough read. Not because it isn’t a wonderful story or because it’s badly written, but she explained up front that this book is not for the faint of heart. It is actually a heart wrenching true story that involves a very serious disease. Of course, my heart has never been faint, and I have a strong opinion about eating disorders. So of course, I agreed.

Knowing what I was about to get into, I put off opening the cover for about a week. I actually worried that I might get bored. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong about that. Because as soon as I did start reading, I couldn’t stop until I was finished.

“A Future for Tomorrow” is the true story of Haley Hatch Freeman and her battle with the very serious disease, Anorexia. Unlike other diseases, this one starts as a little tickle in the mind of a young woman (or other person) and develops stealthily over time. In Haley, it grew like a cancer, forcing her to eat less and exercise more, even when her body was nearly too weak to stand, until both body and mind simply broke apart.

Tristi was right, this story is not for the faint of heart. However, I believe every young woman—and for that matter, every parent of a young woman—should read this book. Very often in our society we discount the importance—and the very validity—of eating disorders like Anorexia. But an eating disorder—believe it or not—is not a cry for attention. It is not a personal decision or a vain way of staying thin. Anorexia and Bulimia are diseases that have the potential of becoming every bit as life threatening as cancer.

For this reason, I was able to overlook the few editorial issues in this book, and see into the heart of the story. The fact is, you cannot read “A Future for Tomorrow” without feeling a great deal of heartache for not only Haley, but for her entire family (a few dear friends included) and the awful trials they endured to see her health restored. The truth is, by all reasons and accounts, this disease should have killed her.

Only when Haley realized that she has a purpose on this earth, was she able to fight her way back from brain damage, body dysfunction, and the ill effects of the disease that ravaged her mind and body at the tender age of seventeen.

No, this is not an easy read. But it is an important one.

Who do you know that suffers from an eating disorder? These days, chances are high that you know someone. The question is, who? Would you know if your best friend or daughter suffered from a cancer such as this?

To tell the truth, after reading “A Future for Tomorrow,” my eyes have been opened to others who are suffering, and certain signs have become clear to me. Still, it’s hard to know how to help a person who needs it. I still haven’t figured out how to approach the friend I’m worried about, but I’ll find a way. Thanks to Haley’s self professed mission in life (the writing of this very book) I will never again allow myself to be blind to this awful disease.

Oh, one last thing. The first section of this book is written backwards. It’s a little confusing to begin with, but don’t let that deter you. You’ll gain a better understanding of why later in the book.

I've had the opportunity to interview Haley, and will post our conversation at http://www.nicholegiles.blogspot.com/ next week.

To order your own copy of “A Future for Tomorrow” click Here. This book can also be found on Amazon.com and in your local Deseret Book in the self help section.

Visit Haley Hatch Freeman's blog