My Rating: 3 stars
Let me start off by saying that this book was definitely not what I expected it would be. When I first read the book description, I had thought this would be a memoir of sorts, about a woman living with anxiety, how it manifests itself in her life and how she handles it, etc. with some factual information and research included as backup. While the author did indeed recount her personal journey through anxiety in the book, it unfortunately fell a bit short for me because too much of her story was bogged down by facts and statistics as well as a lot of scientific and technical details that I felt was not all that necessary. At times, I felt like I was reading a scientific journal rather than a memoir. Don't get me wrong though – this book was absolutely well-researched and those looking for a more scientific explanation of anxiety interwoven with personal anecdotes and stories will probably appreciate the approach the author took with this book. For me, I loved the personal stories the author told about her struggle with anxiety and the background with her family as well as the plentiful real-life examples she gave to illustrate particular points – these sections worked well for me and it helped to see how the author came to accept anxiety and learned to live in harmony with it. I also appreciate the author's tremendous honesty in sharing some of the most intimate details of her life and the role her anxiety played during these moments. However, on the flip side, there were too many times while reading where I got "lost" in the science, to the point that I felt overwhelmed with too many statistics dancing around in my head. I've never been a science person, which is why I tend to avoid books that are overly scientific or technical, since I know my brain can't handle it and the information will just pass right through, as it did in this case. It didn't matter how many times I tried to re-read those sections, nothing was sticking so in the end, I gave up trying.
I initially chose to read this book because I struggle with anxiety myself and so I was interested in seeing how the author's experience was similar or different to mine. Subconsciously, I guess I was also looking for some "best practices" of sorts – some insight into how others deal with their anxiety that I could perhaps apply to my own situation. While I got this partially through the author's personal story, I think I would've been able to connect more with the author's experience if the focus had been more on her story rather than the science and statistics behind it.
In terms of recommendation, I would suggest reading other reviews before making a determination. I think for those who don't have a problem with too much science or technical facts, this would be an excellent read, as the author's story truly was interesting and there was much to offer in terms of practical application for others who may be similarly struggling with anxiety. It didn't quite work out for me, but I would still consider this a good, solid book that I don't regret reading.
Received advance reader's copy from Crown Publishing via NetGalley
No comments:
Post a Comment