Fear is one of the most basic and powerful of human emotions. The fears of the present time often seem overwhelming. The spectre of the terrorist has taken on a god-like power; the horror of 9/11 has reawakened a pervasive fear of flying; bizarre weather conditions herald the imminent destruction of civilization as nature turns against humankind; fears for civil liberties spread in the face of state-run surveillance systems - all are defining concerns of the early twenty-first century. This astonishing book brings to the fore the terrified voices of hundreds of individual Britons and Americans.