Review Detail

Who ever thought reading a book on different phobias would be fun? SCARED STIFF uses a fun approach on learning about 50 different types of phobias. Each one has the facts behind it along with some famous phobics from celebs and other famous figures plus how to overcome the fear. Also there are scary quotes.

Fun facts I discovered:

1. Pediophobia is the fear of...dolls.
**YA author Libba Bray is afraid of dolls. Love this quote from Bray: "You can't look them in the eyes. That's how it gets you."

**Plus check out the reference to Isla de las Muencas, or Island of the Dolls outside of Mexico City. This is home to hundreds of battered, creepy, and dirty dolls.

2.Thanatophobia-Fear of Death: Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar( Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has a fear of cemeteries and the thought of being buried alive. Well, remember that one episode where she had to dig her way out of her own grave? "It was horrible," Gellar said. "It's really hard to be a vampire slayer if you're scared of cemeteries."

3.Ornithophobia-fear of birds. Lucille Ball's earliest memory was when she was 3 years old, the day of her father's death. She remembered a bird that flew through the window, a picture fell of the wall, the doctor's visit, and mother's weeping. She developed a lifelong phobia of birds.

4. And for those who don't like mirrors-spectrophobia-best not play Bloody Mary. You know, the one where you go into a darkened room with a mirror that is lit by a candle and chant 'Bloody Mary'? Who knows what you might see? Though it's probably only an optical illusion because if you look into a dimly lit mirror for too long, you're sure to see something!

And my own phobia?

Claustrophobia-fear of confined spaces. I can't handle even the thought of being somewhere that has tons of people. Once I had a severe panic attack while at the Sacramento State Fair. Just too many people all over the place. And yes, the infamous painting The Scream by artist Edvard Munch, sums up how a panic attack feels.

An added bonus is included in the appendix on how to overcome these fears.

Fun way to show the different types of phobias out there. Includes little known ones like pogonophobia-fear of beards-to social phobias. A must have for nonfiction fans that love an unique twist in learning about fascinating fears.