FROM nerves associated with having to deliver a speech, to pondering our mortality as we await medical results - fear is something we all experience, while courage is the way we react to it when at our best.
Fear & Courage is a collection of real-life stories from everyday people who have faced their fears and found reserves of courage they did not know they possessed.
Edited by Renee Hollis, the book features 25 true stories from people from all over the world, all of whom are aged 65 or older.
Stories cover a wide range of experiences and associated fears, including stories from several Australians.
The book details stories such as that of a woman from Adelaide who received a bewildering phone call about her son that changed both their lives, to the harrowing experiences of a Queensland woman who travelled to Antarctica as a 65-year-old to fulfill a childhood promise to herself.
It features a tale about a man's battle with claustrophobia while having to have an MRI and a woman's emotional struggle of coming out about her sexuality to her parents.
Then there is the terrifying tale of a man's childhood memories of travelling by sea from London to Canada during the final stages of World War II.
Sometimes funny and often poignant, the book features stories bound to linger in the mind long after reading.
The stories are interspersed with memorable quotes about fear by a range of famous people and historical figures including Eleanor Roosevelt, Paulo Coelho and Marcus Aurelius.
- Fear & Courage (Timeless Wisdom), Renee Hollis (ed), RRP $29.99
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