Monkey Mind
A Memoir of Anxiety

In the insightful narrative tradition of Oliver Sacks,Monkey Mindis an uplifting,smart, and very funny memoir oflife with anxietyAmericas most common psychological complaint. We all think we know what being anxious feels likeit is the instinct that made us run from wolves in the prehistoric age and pushes us to perform in the modern onebut for forty million American adults, anxiety is an insidious condition that defines daily life. Yet no popular memoir has been written about that experience until now. Aaron Beck, the most influential doctor in modern psychotherapy, says that Monkey Minddoes for anxiety what William StyronsDarkness Visibledid for depression.InMonkey Mind, Daniel Smith brilliantly articulates what it is like to live with anxiety, defanging the disease with humor, traveling through its demonic layers, evocatively expressing both its painful internal coherence and its absurdities. He also draws on its most storied sufferers to trace anxietys intellectual history and its influence on our time. Here, finally, comes relief and recognition to millions of people who have wanted someone to put into words what they and their loved ones feel.