"Allen Shawn is afraid of heights, water, fields, parking lots, tunnels, and unknown roads. He avoids subways, elevators, and bridges. He is afraid of both closed and open spaces and of any form of isolation--yet this is a memoir of enormous bravery. He is the son of New Yorker editor William Shawn and brother to playwright/actor Wallace Shawn. His twin sister is autistic. 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, interwoven with both Freudian psychology and cutting-edge brain research, attempting to decipher the psychological and biological puzzles that have plagued him for so long.--From publisher description."--From source other than the Library of CongressThe agoraphobic son of "New Yorker" editor William Shawn describes his relationship with his actor brother Wallace, his twin sister's institutionalization for autism at the age of eight, and the strict household taboos that affected his own mental state. Read Less