You Are Ready For Takeoff

A Short Trip

By: Susan Orlean

Narrated by: Susan Orlean

As we struggle with new anxieties, the New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book tackles an old fear in this insightful and hypnotizingly funny essay about taking off and letting go.

Susan Orlean has a full-on phobia of flying - an epic inconvenience for an author on a national book tour. With her trademark curiosity, she decides to rewire her thinking through hypnosis. Along the way, Susan discovers a lot about the unconscious mind, suggestibility, Mesmer, Freud, today’s cutting-edge treatments, and the dulling power of a sonorous voice. Most of all, she learns what it takes to close her eyes, open them again at thirty thousand feet, and finally be able to exhale. And you can too.

©2021 Susan Orlean. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Author Susan Orlean, who is most known for her book The Orchid Thief, narrates a short essay about overcoming her fear of flying.… As she switches from first- and second-person points of view, Orlean's experience is shared in an introspective manner with just a touch of humor.… Clocking in at approximately 40 minutes, this short audiobook is an enlightening production for listeners who are interested in the topic.” (AudioFile Magazine)

So that’s where the term “mesmerized” came from

Well, it’s no “Orchid Thief” - but it was an interesting short story that intermingled the author’s personal experiences with hypnotism and a brief history of the practice quite well. Would I try it? Well, maybe ...

A Little Jewel from Quarantine

My vision isn't what it used to be. I listen to books and podcasts more than reading with my eyes. What a delight, then, to discover the option of listening to one of my favorite essayists share new work here.

Debbie Millman (Design Matters) mentioned this essay during a recent podcast interview with Susan Orlean. Debbie refers to Susan's work as taking "what appears to be ordinary corners of everyday life—and brings them to the page with startling wonderment and wit". A lovely description. I love the way Susan Orlean can lead us into curiosity about the history of nearly anything by writing through the lens of her experience. More please! A+