In Under My Bed and Other Essays, Jody Keisner searches for the roots of the violence and fear that afflict women, starting with the working-class midwestern family she was adopted into and ending with her own experience of mothering daughters.
University of Nebraska Press
“Vulnerable and smart, thoughtful and thought-provoking, gorgeously written and poignantly tender, Under My Bed shines a light into darkness and shows us all the messy glories of what it means to be human.”
“Moving and thoughtful in equal measure, Jody Keisner sifts through the fears embedded in girls and women in a culture where men’s violence against women is a constant threat. Under My Bed is a most memorable read as well as a fruitful work to inspire classroom discussion.”
“Under My Bed and Other Essays offers compelling insight into the fears and anxieties that assault our daily thoughts and that seem embedded at times in our very nerves and tissues. Jody Keisner knows the pain and compulsion firsthand and writes of it with compassion and surprise. A vivid and absorbing book.”
“This book explores our aversion to scary things, as well as the emotional, physical, cultural, and psychological allure of fear. Keisner examines everything from horror movies to giving birth—and does it fearlessly. This should be a paradox, but it’s not. Instead, it’s a literary achievement. Yes, soldiers, astronauts, and refugees overcome their fears, but so do the rest of us. To do so with grace is another thing. This book is that thing.”
“Keisner courageously maps the dark corners of her psyche, extracting difficult insights without resorting to the saccharine in putting these fears to bed.”
“Fear has many faces, and terror knows no single name. From wildfires to haunted houses, horror films to the monster beneath the bed, Jody Keisner grapples deep within this darkness, riding the line between paranoia and pure evil in this journey from the outside world into her own interior. . . . Eerie, elegiac, and empowering most of all. Don’t run, don’t hide, just read.”