I received this book through NetGalley and its publisher, Crown.  This is a book about the author’s experiences with anxiety and learning to cope with it.  It is definitely a journey through anxiety as noted in the title.  A significant amount of detail is provided on the physical reasons for anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues.  It has almost too much detail to give it an academic tone.  It is a worthy read but be prepared for more than her personal journey.

We all experience anxiety to some degree, and some amount of anxiety is helpful to decision making. But what happens when anxiety becomes disabling? In “On Edge”, Andrea Peterson tells us her story of struggling with anxiety, the ups and downs, the treatments that have worked or failed, and how she has come to terms with it. In addition to her personal story, she has interwoven the science behind what causes anxiety, what eases anxiety, and ways to cope with it. This book is a fascinating journey into the mental process that is anxiety and the many ways that it manifests itself in our daily lives.

I really enjoyed this book. The author has thoroughly researched every aspect of the topic, with chapters focusing on medications, alternative treatments, anxiety in children, and how anxious parents can avoid creating anxious kids. I like that in every chapter she tells a part of her story but then talks about the science that relates to that aspect of her journey. The book is very well organized and presents even the more difficult scientific pieces in an easy-to-read format. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who lives with anxiety, no matter how severe, or to someone who wants a better understanding of a friend or loved one’s anxiety experience. Anxiety is here to stay but understanding it can make it easier to cope with.

Great for an understanding of what goes on inside someone's head when anxiety takes over. Petersen balances her personal experiences with the science of therapy and medication to paint a picture of what a broad spectrum anxiety takes. Will definitely be recommending this to my colleagues to have a better understanding of our students (and parents) who deal with severe anxiety.

What I appreciated most about On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety was Andrea Petersen's personal story about her own anxiety. Although we had vastly different upbringings, and even different experiences with anxiety, I couldn't help but feel a kinship with the author. After all, my own journey through anxiety is a big part of this blog (see Comfortable in My Own Skin).

My first impression as I was reading through the various causes of adult anxiety, was that poor Bud was doomed from a very young age.  As the author says, "Anxiety disorders almost certainly have multiple causes - from genetics to childhood trauma to how your parents interact with you. And for any given person, the mix of these factors will be as singular as a fingerprint." However, some major factors popped up which specifically fit our youngest child.

First, there is evidence that what happens to the mother can alter the development of the fetus. According to Petersen, "This means that children of anxious moms don't just have a genetic predisposition to anxiety; anxiety may actually be transmitted in utero."

In addition, a study surveying nearly 700 high school students "found that a serious illness or infection during the first year of life strongly predicted anxiety disorders by the teenage years." Bud had chicken pox at 2 months and pneumonia at six months old.

The research is inconclusive on whether or not parenting can actually cause anxiety. However, it does seem that for a child who is predisposed to anxiety, an anxious, hovering parent certainly doesn't help. I'm sorry to say that I was that parent, in many ways. Bud remembers me telling him that he couldn't be out of my sight when he was playing outside because someone could "snatch him off the street." I suppose there is a fine line between teaching your child safety and leaving them permanently scarred.

There were so many insights in this book that I have decided to break my review into three parts. Look for part two next week.

This is a great read if you have ever wondered about what it is like to live with anxiety. I highly recommend it.

I loved the memoir portions, and the science sections were interesting, but it felt as if this book didn't know what it wanted to be . I was hoping for pure memoir, but invariably, just as the personal story would start gaining steam, the narrative would switch gears to, "just the facts, ma'am." In that way, On Edge missed the mark for me.

3 stars

Let me start off by saying that this book was definitely not what I expected it would be.  When I first read the book description, I had thought this would be a memoir of sorts, about a woman living with anxiety, how it manifests itself in her life and how she handles it, etc. with some factual information and research included as backup.  While the author did indeed recount her personal journey through anxiety in the book, it unfortunately fell a bit short for me because too much of her story was bogged down by facts and statistics as well as a lot of scientific and technical details that I felt was not all that necessary.  At times, I felt like I was reading a scientific journal rather than a memoir.   Don't get me wrong though – this book was absolutely well-researched and those looking for a more scientific explanation of anxiety interwoven with personal anecdotes and stories will probably appreciate the approach the author took with this book.  For me, I loved the personal stories the author told about her struggle with anxiety and the background with her family as well as the plentiful real-life examples she gave to illustrate particular points – these sections worked well for me and it helped to see how the author came to accept anxiety and learned to live in harmony with it.  I also appreciate the author's tremendous honesty in sharing some of the most intimate details of her life and the role her anxiety played during these moments.  However, on the flip side, there were too many times while reading where I got "lost" in the science, to the point that I felt overwhelmed with too many statistics dancing around in my head.  I've never been a science person, which is why I tend to avoid books that are overly scientific or technical, since I know my brain can't handle it and the information will just pass right through, as it did in this case.  It didn't matter how many times I tried to re-read those sections, nothing was sticking so in the end, I gave up trying. 

I initially chose to read this book because I struggle with anxiety myself and so I was interested in seeing how the author's experience was similar or different to mine.  Subconsciously, I guess I was also looking for some "best practices" of sorts – some insight into how others deal with their anxiety that I could perhaps apply to my own situation.  While I got this partially through the author's personal story, I think I would've been able to connect more with the author's experience if the focus had been more on her story rather than the science and statistics behind it.  

In terms of recommendation, I would suggest reading other reviews before making a determination.   I think for those who don't have a problem with too much science or technical facts, this would be an excellent read, as the author's story truly was interesting and there was much to offer in terms of practical application for others who may be similarly struggling with anxiety.  It didn't quite work out for me, but I would still consider this a good, solid book that I don't regret reading.

Received advance reader's copy from Crown Publishing via NetGalley

Peterson has significant anxiety disorder and "On Edge" chronicles  her anxiety and explores the research around anxiety. She is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, so the book is meticulously researched and although she reveals intimate details about her anxiety and hypochondria, there is a dispassionate nature to the work. I debated the "stars" and would give it between a 3-4, a 3.5. I care for patients who have anxiety, and her need to go to emergency rooms frequently/excessively clarified a pattern I've seen. Her descriptions of her anxiety were extremely detailed and almost painful to read. In her exploration of her anxiety, from the point of view of a reporter, Peterson has somehow both revealed herself and yet hasn't explored the topic with the insight I would have wanted. Her final summary of how anxiety has enriched her life was barely a page long, but that kind of true insight and self revelation would have made this careful and detailed exploration of a woman who is highly functional despite almost crippling anxiety rise to another level.

As an anxiety sufferer for many years, this book was incredibly helpful and enlightening. The mix of memoir, research and statistics made this the best book I've read on anxiety.

Could not finish the book. Unfortunately while I loved the premise about the author's anxiety I coudn't get past all of the scientific/medical jargon.

As a crisis counselor and someone living with anxiety, I was excited to see a memoir about this subject, but it missed the mark. I was totally bored by the stilted attempts to weave in diagnostic criteria. The author's descriptions of her panic attacks seemed removed, which did nothing to paint a picture of how it really feels to live with anxiety.

A courageous and engaging mix of personal account, scientific information, and historical background about anxiety and related disorders. As someone who has experienced an anxiety disorder first hand, I found this book highly accurate, relatable, and encouraging. Although the author's experience is much more extreme than my own, it was vindicating to read about this condition from such a reliable and respectable source.

One in three Americans will have at least one anxiety disorder in their lifetime. One. in. Three. I don't doubt these numbers, Because I am one of the ones. I suffer from anxiety, and "suffer" truly is the word to describe it. Clearly, I am far from the only one. 

Health and science writer Andrea Petersen is one too. She has suffered from anxiety for many years, and so she did what any smart journalist would do--she studied it from every angle and shared it all with us in her new book On Edge. 

With intimate stories about her own personal anxious moments (days, weeks, months, years), Petersen shows exactly how anxiety can rob you of happiness, of relationships, of self-confidence, of ambition, of almost everything you hold dear. She talks about the aches and pains, the sleeplessness, the heart palpitations, the trouble breathing, and all the other myriad symptoms that make anxiety so debilitating, and make it so hard to diagnose. 

But more than just talking about her own experiences with anxiety, she also does her homework. She looks at every aspect of anxiety disorders, from its history to current research on where anxiety resides in the brain. She looked at medications as well as therapy and natural remedies. She looked at anxiety from every perspective, so that we can all find ways to feel better and be successful. 

For me, reading this book was a two-edged sword. Reading about Petersen's anxiety brought back a lot of memories of panic attacks and generalized anxiety that I'd be okay with leaving in my past. But knowing that I'm not alone in having these memories means a lot. Petersen actually made me feel like I'm part of a tribe, and that helps ease my heightened tension. It's not a tribe that I would have chosen for myself--anxiety definitely chose me--but at least I know that there are others out there like me, who understand all this exactly. 

So if you're a part of the tribe, or you know or love someone who is and want to understand what it's like, pick up On Edge. You'll understand exactly what it's like to have anxiety, or if you already understand that better than you want to, you'll be reminded that you're not alone. There is help. 



Galleys for On Edge provided by Crown Publishing through NetGalley.com.

One Edge: A Journey through Anxiety by Andrea Peterson is a 2017 Crown publication. 

As a long -time sufferer from panic/anxiety disorder, this book truly resonated with me. 
This book chronicles the author’s own personal journey with the disorder, but also offers some insight into why people develop anxiety, including a look at her family history and genetics. 

Most of the key areas one might expect are covered here, such as treatment, types of anxiety, phobias, isolation, predisposition, symptoms and most importantly, how to cope and live with the disorder without completely withdrawing from the world. 

Her personal story is mixed in with medical and scientific facts and research, some of which sailed over my head, although I am interested in the results, it was mind numbing in a few places and I zoned out. 

But, for the most part, I understood where the author was coming from and my own behavior mimicked hers on many occasions. 

Her story is frank, honest, and practical, and I took inspiration from her as she fights daily with this debilitating disorder and mostly wins out in the end. Fear is the main theme and I completely agree. The anticipation of anxiety is the most difficult part to gain control of. 



Overall, I think this is an insightful, knowledgeable look at living with anxiety, that anyone who has been diagnosed with the malady will relate to, sympathize with and learn from. Not only that, if you have a friend or a family member with an anxiety disorder, this book will give you valuable insight and information so you can understand how better to support them. 

There is no cure for anxiety, but this book does offer understanding and advice, along with the hope of a medical or scientific breakthrough someday, for future generations. In the meantime, fighting fear and anxiety is a battle we must fight daily with a determination to keep it from affecting or diminishing our quality of life.

I am impressed with the author's honesty and her diligent research. This portrayal of anxiety disorders should be a comfort to the millions who suffer from this illness and whose suffering is badly treatment and/or dismissed. I also liked her pointing out that one's fearfulness can also be a positive thing in the workplace.

This book is part memoir, part research paper. I think that both parts are important, though I was drawn more to the author's personal story of anxiety and think that's where the strength of the book lies. 

In today's world, it sometimes seems impossible not to live "on edge." The cited studies and statistics gave me a lot to think about as someone who has never been diagnosed with anxiety but wonders if she exhibits too many of the symptoms. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

A valuable resource for anxiety sufferers or parents of an afflicted child. Gets bogged down at times with scientific details, but overall a nice mix of personal insights with historic facts.

As someone without a background in medicine or psychology, I'm pleased to report that it all makes sense for this unsophisticated reader. It didn't read like a scientific book, but like a story told by someone who knows about the personal and relational implications of anxiety. I especially liked the parts where the author told about her life. 

I only felt slightly lost at the history parts in the beginning and during the "medication" chapter. But don't abandon this book because of this. However, she had my full attention when she mentioned researches and experiments. While I don't think I'll ever be able to remember much info to show off at a dinner party, the book helped me see anxiety from a different angle. It made me more sympathetic and aware that just like the word "depression", "anxiety" or "panic attack" shouldn't be loosely used. And shouldn't we all learn how to show more sympathy? 

I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether they know someone dealing with anxiety or not. If it seems too hard to grasp in certain parts, persevere and do your fellow humans a favor and learn more about this mental affliction.

Finally! A mental health book that is more than just science and statistics. This is a personal memoir of a professional adult who has dealt with anxiety for most of her life and came out of it with an understanding of how to live with it. She is open and honest and very detailed about each stage of discovery. She does include the science as well, but it supports her stories, rather than hinders them.

Dealing with a parent with severe anxiety has been challenging and a lot of the time, I am clueless how to deal with it. Reading this has helped me understand it a little better. I can relate to their actions better and know how to respond. Sadly, even though I struggle with light bouts of it, I still have trouble deciphering all the many ways anxiety manifests itself. 

I would strongly recommend you read this book if you have loved ones who have anxiety so you can see what they go through and how you can help support them. She covers everything from childhood anxiety to anxiety in the workplace. There is a chapter on college  students dealing with anxiety ...and another one on anxiety treatments throughout history. It's written with great honesty and accuracy. I may even add this one to my personal library for future reference. Thanks to net galley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC to me in advance!

I am going to review the book "On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety," by Andrea Petersen. This book is hot off the press as it was published on May 16, 2017 by Crown Publishing Group. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. Andrea Petersen is a journalist who writes about health and travel for the personal journal section of "The Wall Street Journal." This is Andrea Petersen's debut novel. This book an autobiography on the author's life and struggles with anxiety.
     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was an excellent book. It was extremely well researched and very informative. I loved how this book interwove Andrea Petersen's personal struggles with all the scientific research on anxiety. Reading this was very interesting because I have anxiety, so I have learned a lot about myself while reading this. I am highly satisfied reading this book, it was a great experience and I highly recommend it.
     I would like to thank Netgalley, Andrea Petersen, and Crown Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.