The first time Rebecca Brown walked to elementary school without her parents, three adult men got out of a dented van and headed in her direction. Her mother, an Italian-American from Brooklyn, had prepped her for dangerous situations she might face in Santa Monica, so Rebecca did what she had been trained to do and ran away from the men, screaming wildly to neighbors for help. The men were gardeners. Stop, Drop, and Panic...and Other Things Mom Taught Me is a classic coming-of-age memoir that follows a young woman as she struggles to overcome the anxieties and fears she inherited from her mother and find her way in the world. It's an authentic story about what it's like to live with panic.
