Rand, nationally recognized as an author and senior editor on public radio, was one of those quietly successful perfectionists on which the intellectual market sector relies. However, while he was in Moscow researching a book he experienced his first panic attack. Soon they were taking over his life, and he lived in a shadow of the fear of fear for over two years. A seemingly casual question by his therapist ("When is the last time you had fun?") sent Rand to the dance floor, where he eventually found that Cajun and zydeco dance, music, and culture could fill the spaces that had gaped wide in his life. Rand includes a discography of zydeco music, just in case readers need to take a few steps themselves. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)