Rating: 
Summary: Gripping, clear and basic!
Review: Not only is Mr. De Becker's message pertinent to modern American society, it is especially a powerful ally for women. This non-fiction reads like a suspense thriller yet leads the reader out of the backseat of violence into the driver's seat. Thank you for being aware enough to make all of these observations, Mr. De Becker.
Rating:
Summary: A life saver.
Review: This book is wonderful. I just read a few pages on the explanation of the cause of fear and its given me the answer to a lingering fear I've carried for many (and I mean many!) years. I feel I can move on now and be my old self again. Thank you Mr. Gavin De Becker, Sir!
Rating:
Summary: Buy it for each of your loved ones.
Review: This book is incredible. Not only should every woman read it, but every man too. In my experience, men often seem to attribute women's fears about their safety to paranoia. This book reassures. It was helpful to me as an empowerment tool. It was helpful to my husband when he was in the position of firing a potentially hostile employee. I would urge people to buy this book to keep as a reference.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I am a seventeen year old female in this world, and as I read this book, I realized many of the mistakes I was making on a basis of not being "rude" to people I wasn't comfortable around. I believe that this book gave me incredible insight about myself, as well as other people, including the noncriminal. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to read this book because I have an anger problem and it helped me to realize how to not become abusive and what signs to look for in others, as well as myself, for potential abuse. I feel that Gavin DeBecker did a wonderful job in putting a personal touch, rather than a mechanic, unfeeling theme to the book, and this is what made me love, cherish, and relate to the book so incredibly well. Thank you Gavin.
Rating: 
Summary: A good premise, but ethnocentric and limited.
Review: The premise of this book is simple: respect your fear and trust your intuition, and you will be safer. It's excellent advice. However, that's all the book provides. There are no strategies for self-protection, no tips to making oneself less attractive to criminals. The emphasis is on reacting to the threat of violence instead of proactively avoiding it.It seems to be a common belief of American authors that there is an enormous net surrounding the United States which prevents their works from being read outside that country's borders. Mr. de Becker is a prime example. A reader living outside the US might find de Becker's assumptions annoying if not outright ludicrous. This book may also not sit well with relatives of violent criminals. It is de Becker's belief that poor parenting is at the root of most violent crime. Few would disagree that poor parenting can cause a child to grow up antisocial or criminal, but so can many other things; heredity, war, abuse by someone in trust other than a parent, the death of a parent, divorce, or poverty.
Rating:
Summary: A very important book for everyone to read!!
Review: I saw Mr. De Becker on Oprah before I actually read this book, but his description of the psyche of criminal people intrigued me. This book is interesting in the fact that it gives you a glimpse into the mind of people who may do you harm. Perhaps the most important aspect of this book, however, is the survival tips that will alert you to a potentially dangerous situation and perhaps keep you alive in spite of it. I especially recommend this book to women!!
Rating:
Summary: Very Useful Book: It can save your life
Review: Have you ever had the sudden urge to get away from someone or some situation, even though you couldn't put your finger on exactly why? To the point, this book confirms that those feelings of dread, danger, and fear that you may have felt in specific circumstances could save your life. The author, Gavin de Becker, clarifies what these perceptions mean, and how your intuition about events may save your life. This is an excellent, well written book, and is the best that I have read for some time. I recommend it for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: awakens our common sense which is sadly buried with time.
Review: So interesting, it feeds the curiosity and amazingly puts the truth up front, there, where everyone can see it and recognize it. It talks about the dark side of human behavior, and the why of it. It awakens our intuition, as a survival tool to PREVENT WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW IS GOING TO OCCUR, but because we THINK IT MAY NOT BE we just LET IT OCCUR. Great for anyone, I just wish this reading was required in centers of education. Everywere. Also, I am looking for a copy in spanish, for my family. Great book. Great help!
Rating:
Summary: The best self defense primer so far.
Review: This book should be required reading for serious self defense courses, and for professional martial arts teachers. In my long experience as a practicing martial artist, I have never come across a book, that is so valuable in that it can facilitate the avoidance of danger. This book will make you feel better. It is at times scary, but ultimately the reader feels empowered, because with the added information, one can see more options. I have already given a couple of copies to friends, who have called back with enthusiasm, after they have read it. The book may be lacking in a couple of areas, but that isn't a loss. Those areas will be adressed by other books that "The Gift of Fear" will inspire. I recomend this work to everyone, including people who may need psychological therapy for having a violent disposition, and that would include most of the action stars that fill the screens of our television sets and movie theaters.
Rating:
Summary: This book should be a high school textbook.
Review: This book should be required reading in high school, especially in girl's "health" classes. It is a practical, although at times scarey, outline of the threats that can be around us. The layout is particularly good in that each chapter is a different specific threat. Too bad we live in a world like this, but this book can give one an edge.
|
