A cultural history and memoir of stage fright, for anyone who has ever felt afraid in front of an audience

'This book will set you free' STEVE LOPEZ

'Sheds light so eloquently on such a widespread and too easily trivialised affliction' SUNDAY TIMES

'Captivating, fascinating and wide-ranging' OBSERVER
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Stage fright is one of our deepest fears, ranked higher than snakes or heights. But it can be tamed: Laurence Olivier, Salma Hayek, Paul McCartney and Adele have all battled it and learned to cope.

As a child, Sara Solovitch studied piano and fell in love with it. But as a teen she was overwhelmed by stage fright and gave up any hopes of a musical career. In her late fifties, Sara gave herself one year to tame performance anxiety and play before an audience. Resuming music lessons, she explored remedies including meditation, exposure and cognitive therapy, biofeedback and beta-blockers. Finally, the day before her sixtieth birthday, she gave a formal recital.

Drawing on Sara’s own journey as inspiration, Playing Scared is an insightful cultural history of performance anxiety and a tribute to pursuing personal growth at any age.

"Solovitch is a skilled, self-deprecating, wry, and quizzical writer, who fills her account both with diligent research into all relevant fields – from psychology and medicine to sports history – and wonderful vignettes" - The Times

"Heartfelt and moving … Sheds light so eloquently on such a widespread and too easily trivialised affliction" - Sunday Times

"Captivating, fascinating and wide-ranging" - Observer