From Faith Middleton: Roughly 40 million Americans reportedly say they have struggled with anxiety issues. Why wouldn't we in such a surprising world? Still, there are anxiety sufferers and there are anxiety sufferers. Scott Stossel is one of the latter.
His book, My Age of Anxiety, unflinchingly reveals his countless episodes of crippling anxiety, anxiety so severe and unusual at times, that you wonder how he has managed to live. But he has lived, and thrived, in some ways, managing through the torture of his wiring to research and report on the history of anxiety, causes to solutions. My Age of Anxiety is fascinating, sometimes hilarious, and considered a landmark in the psycho-biology world.
If creative achievement begins with using what you have to make something of interest and use, then Stossel's book is a remarkable work of art, providing company for those who cannot find words to describe this particular kind of suffering—the rattle of nerves so severe you feel you might once and for all come undone.
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GUEST:
- Scott Stossel? is the author of My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind.
MUSIC:
- “Gne Gne,” Montefiori Cocktail
- “Carnival,” Natalie Merchant
- “Riders on the Storm,” The Doors
- “Safe from Harm,” Massive Attack