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Also by Allen Shawn:

Twin, January 2011
Hardcover
Wish I Could Be There, February 2007
Hardcover

WISH I COULD BE THERE
By: Allen Shawn

Notes From a Phobic Life

Viking
February 2007
On Sale: February 1, 2007
288 pages
ISBN: 0670038423
EAN: 9780670038428
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Memoir

A droll, inquisitive, and poignant memoir of agoraphobia from a member of one of New York’s premier literary families

Allen Shawn is afraid of heights, water, fields, parking lots, tunnels, and unknown roads. He avoids taking subways, using elevators, or crossing bridges. In short, he is afraid of both closed and open spaces and of any form of isolation. Yet this is a memoir of enormous bravery.

Shawn grew up in a lively but mysterious world. He is the son of the famous, longtime New Yorker editor William Shawn and brother to the brilliant playwright and actor Wallace Shawn. His twin sister is autistic, and when they were eight years old, she was put in a home. Though it was kept from him until he was in his thirties, his father led a double life that introduced strict taboos to his household. Shawn examines these influences, his father’s and mother’s phobias, and his own struggle with agoraphobia with generosity, wit, and insight, attempting to decipher the psychological and biological puzzles that have plagued him for so long.

Interwoven with both Freudian psychology and cutting-edge brain research, Shawn has written a profound examination of familial love and the universal struggle to face our demons.

Media Buzz

Morning Edition - March 5, 2007
Morning Edition - March 5, 2007
CBS Sunday Morning - March 4, 2007
Diane Rehm Show - NPR - February 28, 2007
Fresh Air - NPR - February 21, 2007