Synopses & Reviews
Fear is a primal human emotion, and it often does play an important role in keeping us safe from threats. Itand#8217;s part of our evolutionary makeup, after all. But fears can also spiral out of control, and if your perfectly reasonable fear of snakes has metastasized to the point that you run screaming from every uncoiled hose, then (news flash!) youand#8217;ve got yourself a phobia. Human phobias are strange, diverse, and actually have the power to teach us a lot about who we are and where we came from. And in this book, author Sarah Latta blends biology, psychology, history, and pop culture to provide a comprehensive account of 50 essential fears, from arachnophobia to zoophobia. Additionally, the book includes:
- An explanation of the history behind each phobia, and a discussion of notable people who have suffered from the fear
- Sidebars that highlight famous phobic moments from history and pop culture
- Updates on how successful various phobia treatments have been
Phobias are no laughing matter if youand#8217;ve got one, but sometimes the first step to overcoming your fear is understanding that sometimes weand#8217;re afraid of a lot of really weird things. So whether youand#8217;re looking for perspective, information, or just want to know what Madonna and David Beckham are afraid of, this is the book for you. (Bibliophobes, however, should probably keep their distance.)
Review
"Imparting the ideas that phobic people are in good company and that hope exists for eliminating persistentand#160;fears, this is factual, fun, and encouraging." and#8211;Booklist
Synopsis
Everyone knows what it is to be afraid. But phobias take the normal (and even helpful ) human emotion of fear to a much more visceral, even primal, place. For some people, it's a spider that does it. For others it's a clown, or a trans-Atlantic flight, or even just a puddle of water. It's the thing that stops us in our tracks, sets our hearts racing, and stands our hairs on end. Scared Stiff takes readers on a journey through these experiences--using biology, psychology, and history (not to mention pop culture) to explain where our phobias came from, how they affect us, and how we might eventually overcome them.
Synopsis
Fear is a primal human emotion, and it often plays an important role in keeping us safe from threats. Itand#8217;s part of our evolutionary makeup, after all. But fears can also spiral out of control, and if your perfectly reasonable fear of snakes swells to the point that you run screaming from every uncoiled hose, then (news flash!) youand#8217;ve got yourself a phobia. Phobias are as strange as they are diverse, but they actually have the power to teach us about who we are and where we came from. Sara Latta blends biology, psychology, history, and pop culture to provide a comprehensive account of fifty fears, from arachnophobia to zoophobia.
About the Author
Sara Latta is the author of eight books for children and young adults, including the recently released STELLA BRITE AND THE DARK MATTER MYSTERY (Charlesbridge Publishing) and the I LIKE THE SEASONS! series (Enslow Publishers). Sara recently earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her next book, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE SLIMY: THE SECRET LIFE OF MICROBES (Enslow Publishers) is due out in September 2006.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTSFOREWORD .................................................................10