Little Panic: When childhood is a Easy Bake Oven on the fritz and all you wanna do is bake a cake

Children’s book author Amanda Stern covers a lot of familiar territory that most of us would never be able to remember in her memoir, Little Panic: Dispatches From an Anxious Life. Opening the book with a childhood memory of stressing to the max whilst learning to tell time in kindergarten (it really doesn’t seem to make much sense: how do you explain why there are two twelves?). That journey of emotion from confusion to shame to understanding you are the only one in a class of little kids to not get it to faking it to just fucking wanting your MOM is repeated ad nauseam in Stern’s tale of growing up in Greenwich Village, New York with undiagnosed anxiety disorder. Plus, she grew up in the seventies, an era of the kidnapping of Etan Patz when kids walked to the bus stop and rode the subway on their own long before the helicopter parents of Williamsburg today.

Wendy Ward

http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

When I first started this memoir, I was concerned I wouldn't be able to handle it because my own anxiety was triggered. However that resolved quickly and I became fully immersed in Amanda's experiences. My own anxiety during childhood was not quite as severe and more generalized, and I didn't have siblings for comparison, though my relationship with my mother was similar. Even though I'm an adult now, hearing Amanda's story made me feel less alone. I wanted to reach out to comfort her and swap stories while reading!

I'm not sure how this memoir will affect someone who doesn't struggle with anxiety, but there are probably more who do than I realize. I also think it would be a game changer for someone who loves a person with anxiety/panic disorders who can't relate.

The writing is strong and vivid. Amanda's personality and those of her family are fully expressed and relatable. She captured her inner dialogue well and brings the reader inside herself with humor, grief, and raw vulnerability.

This was the most accurate portrayal of anxiety I've read. I loved how she was able to capture her childhood anxiety. Her writing is so beautiful. It seems insane that it took her that long to be diagnosed. I would have liked to hear more about her journey from diagnosis to where she is now

Amanda's experiences of growing up with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder is tragically common. It is so impressive that Amanda remembers growing up with the disorder and how it made her think and feel. From the outside it seems obvious that she has a family history of anxiety, it is sad that therapists, teachers, and family didn't diagnose it sooner.

I read this book very quickly and I loved her writing style and the flow of the book. I am a true crime reader and I liked hearing Amanda's experiences in dealing with Etan Patz's disappearance close to her home as a child.

I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and I can relate to so many of Amanda's experiences. I recommend this book to anyone who suffers from anxiety or anyone who wants to better understand the disorder. It is not something that you can just snap out of.

After reading the book, I understand the picture on the cover. However, I don't think that it will generally be appealing. (just my two cents) Don't let a book fool you by it's cover.