Customer Reviews

Fears of Your Life

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Michael Bernard Loggins sat down one day and wrote out everything he was afraid of. Through his work at Creativity Explored (an art program for developmentally disabled adults), his Fears of Your Life was chosen to be part of an exhibition at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. They were painted on the wall of the stairwell in his handwriting. Fears such as "Fear of Hospitals and Needles", "Fear of Heights", "Fear of being different" were there beside "Fear of Dragon", "Fear of Pirates" "Fear of something that you think that could be in the closet that might be scary is scary", and my personal favorite: "Feared that if you Put too much of toilet Paper in the toilet Bowl it will run over and get all over the Floor and on you and on someone else too. It would leak from up stairs to the Next Floor Below." "What is Fear? what does Fear tells you about a stranger? Does Fear makes you clever or Does it warns you that you and your Friends needs to Protect yourselves From Danger!" is there right next to "I better not stick my Feet out in the side of my bed or the monsters will bite me or wanting to eat me so I better stay Foot. That's Fear for you!!" All throughout the exhibition an amazing number of people could be seen each day sitting on the stairs and reading the Fears from start to finish. There was something amazingly freeing about it - as if we all were realizing just how petty those fears that we have within us really are. YBCA is a non-collecting institution that changes it's exhibitions quarterly, but for some reason it took around two years for the Visual Arts department to get around repainting that wall where the Fears were. Even when our galleries were borrowed for the DeYoung Museum's presentation of the Impressionists touring show, the Fears of Your Life remained - and people who came to see the Impressionist show would find themselves seated on the stairs, staring at the Fears with a fascinated look on their faces.

When the Fears were finally painted over, many of those of us who worked at YBCA felt like we had lost a friend. I am delighted to find out that the Fears of Your Life have been published as a book that I can now share with friends. (I've already purchased four copies!)

After living in a national culture of fear dominated by headlines about terror, terrorists, and boogeymen like Hussein and Bin Laden, it's refreshing to read a book that frames our REAL everyday fears in a way that makes them humorous.

Handwritten from beginning to end, Michael Bernard Loggins' book is completely charming and very fun... It's different from any other book I've ever seen - highly recommended!

This is a delightful book - full of fears most of us are too afraid to articulate. The list is a poignant portrayal of the traits that make us human - not just about fear - but love, longing, and the value of human connection. A quick read and a must read.....I gave this book to my holiday A-list, and all loved it.

You will miss out if you don't read this aloud. For some reason, hearing it, even if you read it to yourself, is critical - some people say this about poetry. I heard a portion of it read on NPR and I was so moved I had to pull the car over and wait till the reader stopped before driving again. I assume some of the proceeds go to the non-profit where the author goes regularly, so that makes me feel even better about buying this book for friends.

I heard a piece of this book read on "this american life" it was awesome. I found it online & received it as a birthday gift. I was expecting it to be a little photocopied zine type book, to my surprise it was hardbound book with good quality paper. This book is awesome...in content and presentation. I highly recommend it.

This was a book that I simply HAD to own. After random picking up from the local library, I was pleasantly surprised to read not a story, but a human being's feelings, thoughts and emotions transcribed to paper in what must be his own handwriting. The charm of this book not only comes from the self-made fonts, illustrations and word balloon notations, but the fact that this "developmentally disabled" man, Michael Bernard Loggins has let us in to his own world. If but for a few moments. We see, feel and hear what it is like to walk down the street, sit at home, and do everyday tasks while being incredibility in touch with that most intrinsic part of ourselves, FEAR. This book is in my opinion, life-changing, as it brings us to realize that there are many fears, that-no matter how silly or improbable- bother,haunt and hold us back (even with out us noticing) that we all share.

I bought this book for my ten year old son who has many fears...I thought it might help him. But both of us were absolutely captivated by it. The author has a gift for stating his fears in such a charming, natural and absolutely right-on-the-nose way. My son felt really good that there was another person who had some of the same thoughts as he. I would buy this book for anyone who likes to read, who is curious about life in general, has irrational (or so they think) fears, has children or who is charmed by refreshingly open honesty.

It's pure, because the fears cataloged make sense for the author, and on some level, we all could list our fears the same way. However, for me, a single reading is all I gave it. Started getting a little repetitive. But again, it's inside the head of a unique guy who sees life much differently than I do.

Enjoy it and pass it on.