Reviews
"You don't need a Jewish mother, or a profound sweating problem, to feel Daniel Smith's pain in Monkey Mind. His memoir treats what must be the essential ailment of our time--chronic anxiety--and it does so with wisdom, honesty, and the kind of belly laughs that can only come from troubles transformed." --Chad Harbach, author of The Art of Fielding, "In this unforgettable, surprisingly hilarious memoir, journalist and professor Smith chronicles his head-clanging, flop-sweating battles with acute anxiety. . . . He's clear-eyed and funny about his condition's painful absurdities." - People (four stars), "Superb writing [and] marvelous humor . . . If you're chronically anxious and want to better explain to a loved one what you're going through, hand them Monkey Mind ." -- Psychology Today, "I read Monkey Mind with admiration for its bravery and clarity. Daniel Smith's anxiety is matched by a wonderful sense of the comic, and it is this which makes Monkey Mind not only a dark, pain-filled book but a hilariously funny one, too. I broke out into explosive laughter again and again." -Oliver Sacks, bestselling author of The Mind's Eye and Musicophilia, eoe[ Monkey Mind ] will be recognized in the years to come as the preeminent first-person narrative of the anxiously lived life.e e" Psychiatric Times, "I don't know Daniel Smith, but I do want to give him a hug. His book is so bracingly honest, so hilarious, so sharp, it's clear there's one thing he doesn't have to be anxious about: Whether or not he's a great writer." -A.J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy and The Year of Living Biblically, eoeFor fellow anxiety-sufferers, ite(tm)s like finding an Anne of Green Gablese"style kindred spirit.e e" New York magazinee(tm)s Vulture.com, "[Smith] adroitly dissects his relentless mental and physical symptoms with intelligence and humor. . . . An intelligent, intimate and touching journey through one man's angst-ridden life." -- The Star Tribune (Minneapolis), "Daniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. There are countless gems in these pages, including a fresh take on the psycho-pathology of chronic nail biting, an ill-fated ménage a trois-and the funniest perspiration scene since Albert Brooks' sweaty performance in Broadcast News . Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit." -Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss, eoeIn this unforgettable, surprisingly hilarious memoir, journalist and professor Smith chronicles his head-clanging, flop-sweating battles with acute anxiety. . . . Hee(tm)s clear-eyed and funny about his conditione(tm)s painful absurdities.e e" People (four stars), I read Monkey Mind with admiration for its bravery and clarity. Daniel Smith's anxiety is matched by a wonderful sense of the comic, and it is this which makes Monkey Mind not only a dark, pain-filled book but a hilariously funny one, too. I broke out into explosive laughter again and again., Eoea True Treasure-Trove of Insight Laced with Humor and Polished Prose.E E"Kirkus Reviews (Starred), " Monkey Mind is a perfect 10.... Hilarious, well-informed and intelligent, Smith conveys the seriousness of his situation without becoming pathetic or unrelatable, and what's more, he offers useful information for both sufferers and non-sufferers.... He gives us a reason to stay with him on every page."-- Newsday, "You'll laugh out loud many times during Daniel Smith's Monkey Mind . . . . In the time-honored tradition of leavening pathos with humor, Smith has managed to create a memoir that doesn't entirely let him off the hook for bad behavior . . . but promotes understanding of the similarly afflicted." -- O Magazine, "[Smith] adroitly dissects his relentless mental and physical symptoms with intelligence and humor. . . . An intelligent, intimate and touching journey through one man's angst-ridden life." - The Star Tribune (Minneapolis), This book will change the way you think about anxiety…. Daniel Smith's writing dazzled me….. Painful experiences are described with humor, and complex ideas are made accessible…. Monkey Mind is a rare gem., "I don't know Daniel Smith, but I do want to give him a hug. His book is so bracingly honest, so hilarious, so sharp, it's clear there's one thing he doesn't have to be anxious about: Whether or not he's a great writer." -A.J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically, "This book will change the way you think about anxiety.... Daniel Smith's writing dazzled me..... Painful experiences are described with humor, and complex ideas are made accessible.... Monkey Mind is a rare gem." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Here's one less thing for Daniel Smith to worry about: He sure can write. In Monkey Mind , a memoir of his lifelong struggles with anxiety, he defangs the experience with a winning combination of humor and understanding." -Heller McAlpin, NPR.org, eoe[Smith]adroitly dissects his relentless mental and physical symptoms with intelligence and humor. . . . An intelligent, intimate and touching journey through one mane(tm)s angst-ridden life.e e" The Star Tribune (Minneapolis), "Daniel Smith has a written a wise, funny book, a great mix of startling memoir and fascinating medical and literary history, all of it delivered with humor and a true generosity of spirit. I only got anxious in the last part, when I worried the book would end." --Sam Lipsyte, author of Home Land and The Ask, "For fellow anxiety-sufferers, it's like finding an Anne of Green Gables-style kindred spirit." -- New York magazine's Vulture.com, "Daniel Smith has a written a wise, funny book, a great mix of startling memoir and fascinating medical and literary history, all of it delivered with humor and a true generosity of spirit." -Sam Lipsyte, author of Home Land and The Ask, "Here's one less thing for Daniel Smith to worry about: He sure can write. In Monkey Mind , a memoir of his lifelong struggles with anxiety, he defangs the experience with a winning combination of humor and understanding." --Heller McAlpin, NPR.org, "You'll laugh out loud many times during Daniel Smith's Monkey Mind . . . . In the time-honored tradition of leavening pathos with humor, Smith has managed to create a memoir that doesn't entirely let him off the hook for bad behavior . . . but promotes understanding of the similarly afflicted." - O Magazine, "For fellow anxiety-sufferers, it's like finding an Anne of Green Gablesstyle kindred spirit." - New York magazine's Vulture.com, "I don't know Daniel Smith, but I do want to give him a hug. His book is so bracingly honest, so hilarious, so sharp, it's clear there's one thing he doesn't have to be anxious about: Whether or not he's a great writer." --A.J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy and The Year of Living Biblically, " Monkey Mind is a perfect 10.... Hilarious, well-informed and intelligent, Smith conveys the seriousness of his situation without becoming pathetic or unrelatable, and what's more, he offers useful information for both sufferers and non-sufferers.... He gives us a reason to stay with him on every page."- Newsday, eoe Monkey Mind does for anxiety what William Styrone(tm)s Darkness Visible did for depression.e e"Aaron T. Beck, father of cognitive therapy, "Daniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. There are countless gems in these pages, including a fresh take on the psycho-pathology of chronic nail biting, an ill-fated ménage a trois--and the funniest perspiration scene since Albert Brooks' sweaty performance in Broadcast News . Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit." --Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss, eoeThis book will change the way you think about anxietye. Daniel Smith's writing dazzled mee.. Painful experiences are described with humor, and complex ideas are made accessiblee. Monkey Mind is a rare gem.e e" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, " Monkey Mind does for anxiety what William Styron's Darkness Visible did for depression." -Aaron T. Beck, father of cognitive therapy, eoeSuperb writing [and] marvelous humor . . . If you're chronically anxious and want to better explain to a loved one what you're going through, hand them Monkey Mind .e e" Psychology Today, "Daniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. There are countless gems in these pages, including a fresh take on the psycho-pathology of chronic nail biting, an ill-fated mÉnage a troisand the funniest perspiration scene since Albert Brooks' sweaty performance in Broadcast News . Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit." Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss, "You don't need a Jewish mother, or a profound sweating problem, to feel Daniel Smith's pain in Monkey Mind. His memoir treats what must be the essential ailment of our time-chronic anxiety-and it does so with wisdom, honesty, and the kind of belly laughs that can only come from troubles transformed." -Chad Harbach, author of The Art of Fielding, "I read Monkey Mind with admiration for its bravery and clarity. Daniel Smith's anxiety is matched by a wonderful sense of the comic, and it is this which makes Monkey Mind not only a dark, pain-filled book but a hilariously funny one, too. I broke out into explosive laughter again and again." --Oliver Sacks, bestselling author of The Mind's Eye and Musicophilia, "[ Monkey Mind ] will be recognized in the years to come as the preeminent first-person narrative of the anxiously lived life." -- Psychiatric Times, Daniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. There are countless gems in these pages, including a fresh take on the psycho-pathology of chronic nail biting, an ill-fated ménage a trois-and the funniest perspiration scene since Albert Brooks' sweaty performance in Broadcast News . Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit., "[ Monkey Mind ] will be recognized in the years to come as the preeminent first-person narrative of the anxiously lived life." - Psychiatric Times, "For fellow anxiety-sufferers, it's like finding an Anne of Green Gables-style kindred spirit." - New York magazine's Vulture.com, You don't need a Jewish mother, or a profound sweating problem, to feel Daniel Smith's pain in Monkey Mind. His memoir treats what must be the essential ailment of our time-chronic anxiety-and it does so with wisdom, honesty, and the kind of belly laughs that can only come from troubles transformed., " Monkey Mind is fleet, funny, and productively exhausting." - Ben Greenman, The New York Times Book Review, " Monkey Mind does for anxiety what William Styron's Darkness Visible did for depression." --Aaron T. Beck, father of cognitive therapy, eoeYoue(tm)ll laugh out loud many times during Daniel Smithe(tm)s Monkey Mind . . . . In the time-honored tradition of leavening pathos with humor, Smith has managed to create a memoir that doesne(tm)t entirely let him off the hook for bad behavior . . .but promotes understanding of the similarly afflicted.e e" O Magazine, eoeI read Monkey Mind with admiration for its bravery and clarity.Daniel Smithe(tm)s anxiety is matched by a wonderful sense of the comic, and it is this which makes Monkey Mind not only a dark, pain-filled book but a hilariously funny one, too. I broke out into explosive laughter again and again.e e"Oliver Sacks, bestselling author of The Minde(tm)s Eye and Musicophilia, eoeHere's one less thing for Daniel Smith to worry about: He sure can write. In Monkey Mind , a memoir of his lifelong struggles with anxiety, he defangs the experience with a winning combination of humor and understanding.e e"Heller McAlpin, NPR.org, "Superb writing [and] marvelous humor . . . If you're chronically anxious and want to better explain to a loved one what you're going through, hand them Monkey Mind ." - Psychology Today, eoeI done(tm)t know Daniel Smith, but I do want to give him a hug. His book is so bracingly honest, so hilarious, so sharp, ite(tm)s clear theree(tm)s one thing he doesne(tm)t have to be anxious about: Whether or not hee(tm)s a great writer.e e"A.J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy and The Year of Living Biblically, I don't know Daniel Smith, but I do want to give him a hug. His book is so bracingly honest, so hilarious, so sharp, it's clear there's one thing he doesn't have to be anxious about: Whether or not he's a great writer., eoeYou don't need a Jewish mother, or a profound sweating problem, to feel Daniel Smith's pain in Monkey Mind. His memoir treats what must be the essential ailment of our timee"chronic anxietye"and it does so with wisdom, honesty, and the kind of belly laughs that can only come from troubles transformed.e e"Chad Harbach, author of The Art of Fielding, eoeDaniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. There are countless gems in these pages, including a fresh take on the psycho-pathology of chronic nail biting, an ill-fated mnage a troise"and the funniest perspiration scene since Albert Brookse(tm) sweaty performance in Broadcast News . Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit.e e"Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss, "In this unforgettable, surprisingly hilarious memoir, journalist and professor Smith chronicles his head-clanging, flop-sweating battles with acute anxiety. . . . He's clear-eyed and funny about his condition's painful absurdities." -- People (four stars), In this unforgettable, surprisingly hilarious memoir, journalist and professor Smith chronicles his head-clanging, flop-sweating battles with acute anxiety. . . . He's clear-eyed and funny about his condition's painful absurdities., Superb writing [and] marvelous humor . . . If you're chronically anxious and want to better explain to a loved one what you're going through, hand them Monkey Mind ., "This book will change the way you think about anxiety.... Daniel Smith's writing dazzled me..... Painful experiences are described with humor, and complex ideas are made accessible.... Monkey Mind is a rare gem." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, eoeDaniel Smith has a written a wise, funny book, a great mix of startling memoir and fascinating medical and literary history, all of it delivered with humor and a true generosity of spirit. I only got anxious in the last part, when I worried the book would end.e e"Sam Lipsyte, author of Home Land and The Ask, Daniel Smith has a written a wise, funny book, a great mix of startling memoir and fascinating medical and literary history, all of it delivered with humor and a true generosity of spirit. I only got anxious in the last part, when I worried the book would end., "Daniel Smith has a written a wise, funny book, a great mix of startling memoir and fascinating medical and literary history, all of it delivered with humor and a true generosity of spirit. I only got anxious in the last part, when I worried the book would end." -Sam Lipsyte, author of Home Land and The Ask, eoe Monkey Mind is a perfect 10e. Hilarious, well-informed and intelligent, Smith conveys the seriousness of his situation without becoming pathetic or unrelatable, and whate(tm)s more, he offers useful information for both sufferers and non-suffererse. He gives us a reason to stay with him on every page.ee" Newsday
