If you liked Daisy to the Rescue: True Stories of Daring Dogs, Paramedic Parrots, and Other Animal Heroes, you might also like Scared Stiff: Everything You Need to Know About 50 Famous Phobias by Sara Latta.

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 hair on end. Scared Stiff takes readers on a journey through these experiences—using biology, psychology, and history to explain where our phobias come from, how they affect us, and how we might eventually overcome them.

INSIDE YOU’LL FIND:

• An explanation of the history behind each of these fifty phobias, 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 the various phobia treatments have been
• A foreword by Dr. Elizabeth McMahon, an award-winning psychologist whose work with virtual techniques has offered new hope to people suffering from phobias

Phobias are no laughing matter, but sometimes the first step to overcoming our anxiety is understanding that we’re afraid of some really weird things. So whether you’re looking for perspective, information, or just want to know what keeps Madonna and David Beckham up at night, this is the book for you. (Bibliophobes, however, should probably keep their distance!)

Keep reading to preview a sample of Scared Stiff: Everything You Need to Know About 50 Famous Phobias...