NERVE, Eva Holland
NERVE, Eva Holland
1 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

NERVE
Adventures in the Science of Fear

Author: Eva Holland

Narrator: Kirsten Potter

Unabridged: 7 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/14/2020


Synopsis

Award-winning long-form journalist Eva Holland had always felt that her deepest fear was the death of a loved one. When her mother suddenly passes away, shes sent spiraling into an odyssey of confronting fear itself. Along with investigating the science of fear, Holland uses herself as a test subject, jumping out of airplanes, rock climbing, and delving into her fears of loss to better understand what her research in the science, medicine, and history of fear reveals. Along the way, Holland meets the scientists who are developing a pill to leech the fear and horror from traumatic memories and seeks out the sufferers of a rare disease that prevents them from ever feeling fear. She sifts through what we know about the dynamics of how fear spreads in a crowd (and, too often, how it metastasizes into anger and hate). And she applies what she learns to manage her own fears. A mix of Mary Roach and Cheryl Strayed, Holland explores the universal human questions: Why and how do we feel fear? Why does fear seem to spread through groups and crowds like an airborne virus? And, most importantly, is there a cure for fearand, if so, is facing our fears really that cure?

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ben on June 11, 2020

Sheesh, what a bad book. All emotion and nothing really educational. It was like a memoir. With books like this, I want content, not emotion. I'd truly recommend retitling this book to "Eva's Scared: A Journey AND JOURNAL Of What I Fear" instead of the title used. 1.8/5......more

Goodreads review by Brandon on April 25, 2020

Both a wonderfully moving personal account of overcoming your fears, as well as a fascinating scientific examination of what we understand about that process, Eva Holland’s NERVE reminded me of some of Bill Bryson’s best work. It’s funny, deeply human writing that leaves you wanting the author to gu......more

Goodreads review by Erin on November 10, 2019

I've always been fascinated by the study of fear - how our brains react when we're afraid and how we can get past the things we're terrified by. Eva Holland's new book is an interesting take on this subject. The reader follows along on her journey to work on her own personal phobias (of heights, dri......more

Goodreads review by Maria on April 28, 2020

Fear. It can be a daily part of our lives, but does it have to be? What are the benefits and costs of having fears? Holland, a jouranalist, feared heights and the death of her mother. When her mother passes away, she sets off on a journey to learn how to manage her fears and even overcome them. Why......more

Goodreads review by Janelle on May 01, 2020

The author weaves her personal experiences with fear and phobia with scientific and medical research. She explores ways to conquer fears and how she applied various theories to her own life. I enjoyed the psychology and brain function parts of the book. Overall it kept my interest. I will be ponderi......more