I have to admit I ended up with this book in error. I was looking for another book on Eleanor Roosevelt in the library catalog and saw this listed. I misread the author's name as Hickock and jumped to the mistaken conclusion that she was a relative of E.R.'s friend and confidant Lorena Hickok and had spent time with the inimitable Eleanor. Since I'm a big fan of all things Eleanor Roosevelt, I requested the book. I realized my mistake when it arrived but decided to give it a go and it grabbed my attention quickly.
Noelle Hancock is a free-lance journalist who has written articles and celebrity gossip columns and blogs for various magazines. After losing her job she realized she had also lost her confidence and was now riddled with fear and anxiety. Taking a cue from the Eleanor Roosevelt quote "Do one thing every day that scares you," she embarks on a year of facing fear. In that year she balances mastering small fears with experiences like shark diving, flying in small planes, sky diving, trapeze artist school, performing stand-up comedy, and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. During that time she also tries to tame an addiction to sleeping pills. On days when she couldn't come up with a fear to tackle she would run naked in the hallway of her apartment building. Interspersed in her experiences are brief anecdotes of Mrs. Roosevelt as well as quotes. Parts of Hancock's story are touching and other parts very funny. It was a worthwhile mistake.
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