Feeding Eden

Imagine rushing your child to the hospital, terrified for his life…just because he took a mouthful of the wrong food or a few drops of milk touched his skin. Susan Weissman knows how that feels. From birth, her son Eden suffered from allergies so intense that an errant bite could be deadly: Dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, fish, shellfish, and several fruits all wreaked havoc with his body. Susan had to make food the focus of her existence just to lead him safely through a world filled with edible landmines.
In Feeding Eden, Susan writes with poignancy, honesty, and humor about her quest to help her son--including trying a cluster of alternative therapies-as well as the effect of Eden's illness on their entire family. More than just a story for parents with severely allergic children, this is a stirring account of one woman's recipe for motherhood as she rises to a challenge she has no choice but to conquer-and successfully restores her entire family's appetite for life

Susan Weissman is an active member of national organizations focused on food allergies, including the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network and the Food Allergy Initiative. She is published in several electronic and print publications including Allergic Living magazine, Mom Writers Literary Magazine, and The Huffington Post. She maintains an online presence through her blog peanutsineden.com and through Twitter at twitter.com/susanweissman. She lives in New York City.

“Susan Weissman gives a powerful, candid account of her family's struggle to adapt-and thrive-in the face of her young son's life-threatening food allergies. But her insights aren't limited those coping with allergies; Feeding Eden will resonate deeply with people facing many different kinds of challenges.”--Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

“Susan Weissman has produced a remarkable, clear-eyed account of the difficulties of raising a child with severe allergies into something humane and beautiful. Feeding Eden is an honest, hopeful book, coming at a propitious moment in our complicated lives of food and family.”--Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones and The Great Failure

“Susan Weissman tells a gripping story of her son Eden's struggles with food allergies. Feeding Eden is not only a beautifully written personal tale, but also a sharp-eyed and harrowing exploration of all the misunderstandings that face those to whom food itself - the very stuff of life - is toxic.”--Amanda Hesser, co-founder of FOOD52.com

“Stark, lyrical, and often funny, Susan Weissman leads the reader on a mother's epic journey to raise a severely allergic son in a nutty world. Even if you don't have kids, Feeding Eden will grab you on the first page and never let you go.”--Robert Wilder, author of Daddy Needs A Drink