A deep and thoughtful book by an emeritus professor of psychology which takes a new look at the issue of anxiety in modern life and how it affects us all. He takes the long view, considering the history of anxiety and asking important questions about the nature of these anxieties and how they have turned into more serious disorders for some of us, such as phobias, social anxiety, panic disorder, OCD and PTSD, among others. He also wonders whether anxiety might serve us in some way, whether it has a role, what it might be good for - strange questions perhaps, but ones that we need to ask in order to fully understand and appreciate the relevance of anxiety to all our lives.