“You don’t need a Jewish mother, or a profound sweating problem, to feel Daniel Smith’s pain in Monkey Mind. His memoir treats what must be the essential ailment of our time—anxiety—and it does so with wisdom, honesty, and the kind of belly laughs that can only come from troubles transformed.”

“I don’t know Daniel Smith, but I do want to give him a hug. His book is so bracingly honest, so hilarious, so sharp, it’s clear there’s one thing he doesn’t have to be anxious about: whether or not he’s a great writer.”

“Daniel Smith maps the jagged contours of anxiety with such insight, humor, and compassion that the result is, oddly, calming. There are countless gems in these pages, including a fresh take on the psychopathology of chronic nail biting, an ill-fated ménage à trois—and the funniest perspiration scene since Albert Brooks’ sweaty performance in Broadcast News. Read this book. You have nothing to lose but your heart palpitations, and your Xanax habit.”

“Smith does a skillful job of dissecting the mechanics of anxiety as well as placing the reader in his fitful shoes.”

“Intimate, compelling memoir exploring the boundaries of the author’s severe anxiety…A true treasure-trove of insight laced with humor and polished prose.”

“The book is one man’s story, but at its core, it’s about all of us, and anyone who reads it should find a few takeaways.” 

“I read Monkey Mind with admiration for its bravery and clarity. Daniel Smith’s anxiety is matched by a wonderful sense of the comic, and it is this which makes Monkey Mind not only a dark, pain-filled book but a hilariously funny one too. I broke out into explosive laughter again and again.” 

“Daniel Smith has written a wise, funny book, a great mix of startling memoir and fascinating medical and literary history, all of it delivered with humor and a true generosity of spirit.”

“Monkey Mind does for anxiety what William Styron’s Darkness Visible did for depression.” 

“Monkey Mind is fleet, funny, and productively exhausting.”