Reviews
"With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, Anker tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "Not everyone experiences the fear of flying, or water, or sharks, or the dark, but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid. Happily, everyone can give themselves the joyous gift of Patty Chang Anker's insightful, funny, and brave book." Josh Hanagarne, author of The World's Strongest Librarian "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant, Praised by Elizabeth Gilbert as "a compelling story of everyday courage." Declared "downright inspiring" by Oprah.com Prominently featured in Marie Claire , USA Today , Redbook.com, WallStreetJournal.com, and Spirit Magazine Named a Parents Magazine "Mom Must-Read" Called "a hilarious and instructive romp sure to inspire" by American Way "Honest and inspiring" ( Kirkus Reviews ) "Downright inspiring." Oprah.com (featured Book That Will Make You More Confident, Happy and Spontaneous) "Patty Chang Anker['s]… first book blends memoir and journalism in her quest to understand and conquer fear… Anker grounds her observations in her own generous, warm world view. She's at her wisest, funniest best when describing conversations with her two daughters, capturing both their fears and their fierce, childish courage." Boston Globe "A hilarious and instructive romp sure to inspire the most faint of heart to venture forth and discover what it is to be truly alive." American Way "This warm memoir is not a traditional self-help book, yet the joy that Anker and her peers feel when they allow themselves to be beginners-even after the age of 40-will be motivation enough for can't-do readers to take steps toward making their lives a little bigger and better." Publishers Weekly "[A] humorous account of how [Anker] transcended her 'nervous nature… bookish upbringing and midlife responsibilities' to discover her courage… inspiring." Kirkus Reviews "With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, Anker tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "Not everyone experiences the fear of flying, or water, or sharks, or the dark, but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid. Happily, everyone can give themselves the joyous gift of Patty Chang Anker's insightful, funny, and brave book." Josh Hanagarne, author of The World's Strongest Librarian "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant, Named as a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Awards Praised by Elizabeth Gilbert as "a compelling story of everyday courage." Declared "downright inspiring" by Oprah.com Prominently featured in Marie Claire , USA Today , Redbook.com, WallStreetJournal.com, and Spirit Magazine Named a Parents Magazine "Mom Must-Read" Called "a hilarious and instructive romp sure to inspire" by American Way "Honest and inspiring" ( Kirkus Reviews ) "Downright inspiring." Oprah.com (featured Book That Will Make You More Confident, Happy and Spontaneous) "Patty Chang Anker['s]… first book blends memoir and journalism in her quest to understand and conquer fear… Anker grounds her observations in her own generous, warm world view. She's at her wisest, funniest best when describing conversations with her two daughters, capturing both their fears and their fierce, childish courage." Boston Globe "A hilarious and instructive romp sure to inspire the most faint of heart to venture forth and discover what it is to be truly alive." American Way "This warm memoir is not a traditional self-help book, yet the joy that Anker and her peers feel when they allow themselves to be beginners-even after the age of 40-will be motivation enough for can't-do readers to take steps toward making their lives a little bigger and better." Publishers Weekly "[A] humorous account of how [Anker] transcended her 'nervous nature… bookish upbringing and midlife responsibilities' to discover her courage… inspiring." Kirkus Reviews "With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, Anker tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "Not everyone experiences the fear of flying, or water, or sharks, or the dark, but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid. Happily, everyone can give themselves the joyous gift of Patty Chang Anker's insightful, funny, and brave book." Josh Hanagarne, author of The World's Strongest Librarian "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant, "I am so much more inspired by Patty Chang Anker's memoir than I am by all those books people write about scaling Mount Everest or hiking across the Gobi Desert. This is the tale of a very normal woman, beset by very normal fears, who decided at the age of 40 that she was simply tired of living in a state of constant anxiety. With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, she tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant, A Good Housekeeping "Blogger We Love" A "Top 25 Mom" at Circle of Moms A top 40 Mom Blog on Babble.com, A Good Housekeeping "Blogger We Love" A "Top 25 Funny Mom" at Circle of Moms A Top 40 Nominated Mom Blog on Babble.com, * Glowing early reviews from Publishers Weekly , Kirkus and Booklist * First serial excerpt in Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine * Named a "downright inspiring" read by Oprah.com * A Parents Magazine "mom must-read" * Called "a hilarious and instructive romp sure to inspire" by American Way * Prominently featured in Marie Claire , USA Today , The Boston Globe , on The Wall Street Journal Speakeasy blog and more * Praised by Elizabeth Gilbert, Lee Woodruff, Josh Hanagarne and many others "Downright inspiring." Oprah.com (featured Book That Will Make You More Confident, Happy and Spontaneous) "Patty Chang Anker['s]… first book blends memoir and journalism in her quest to understand and conquer fear… Anker grounds her observations in her own generous, warm world view. She's at her wisest, funniest best when describing conversations with her two daughters, capturing both their fears and their fierce, childish courage." Boston Globe "This warm memoir is not a traditional self-help book, yet the joy that Anker and her peers feel when they allow themselves to be beginners-even after the age of 40-will be motivation enough for can't-do readers to take steps toward making their lives a little bigger and better." Publishers Weekly "[A] humorous account of how [Anker] transcended her 'nervous nature… bookish upbringing and midlife responsibilities' to discover her courage… inspiring." Kirkus Reviews "With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, Anker tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "Not everyone experiences the fear of flying, or water, or sharks, or the dark, but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid. Happily, everyone can give themselves the joyous gift of Patty Chang Anker's insightful, funny, and brave book." Josh Hanagarne, author of The World's Strongest Librarian "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant, A Good Housekeeping "Blogger We Love" A Top 25 Funny Mom at Circle of Moms A Top 50 Mom Blogger on Babble.com, "This warm memoir is not a traditional self-help book, yet the joy that Anker and her peers feel when they allow themselves to be beginners-even after the age of 40-will be motivation enough for can't-do readers to take steps toward making their lives a little bigger and better." Publishers Weekly "With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, Anker tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "Not everyone experiences the fear of flying, or water, or sharks, or the dark, but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid. Happily, everyone can give themselves the joyous gift of Patty Chang Anker's insightful, funny, and brave book." Josh Hanagarne, author of The World's Strongest Librarian "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant, "This warm memoir is not a traditional self-help book, yet the joy that Anker and her peers feel when they allow themselves to be beginners-even after the age of 40-will be motivation enough for can't-do readers to take steps toward making their lives a little bigger and better." Publishers Weekly "[A] humorous account of how [Anker] transcended her 'nervous nature… bookish upbringing and midlife responsibilities' to discover her courage… inspiring." Kirkus Reviews "With humor, humility and (most of all) self-compassion, Anker tells a compelling story of everyday courage-one that is sure to touch and help countless other people like her, like me, like all of us who have made worry into an art form. She proves that it's not too late, that we can truly change ourselves and enlarge our worlds as a result." Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love "Not everyone experiences the fear of flying, or water, or sharks, or the dark, but everyone understands what it is like to be afraid. Happily, everyone can give themselves the joyous gift of Patty Chang Anker's insightful, funny, and brave book." Josh Hanagarne, author of The World's Strongest Librarian "This book is for anyone who needs to be reminded that it is possible to conquer our greatest fears at any age, and in the process learn more about what it feels like to really live." Lee Woodruff, co-author of In an Instant