The Gift of Fear

Reviews / Votes

A thorough and compassionate primer for people concerned about their safety and the safety of their families. This book not only empowers the reader, but also captures your attention and doesn't let go until the end. -- Meryl Streep A how-to book that reads like a thriller . . . provocative . . . empowering. * Boston Globe * De Becker has a lot to say about crime and the fear of crime, and he says it persuasively...His blend of empathy, reassurance, and common sense wows readers. * Newsweek * The Gift of Fear offers the gift of survival. Read it. -- Linden Gross, author of TO HAVE OR TO HARM Superb and compelling, bringing into focus the complexity of human response to real or perceived danger. De Becker redefines the parameters of fear and challenges the basis of a fear response. This book is for everyone who has ever feared. -- Ann Wolpert Burgess, Professor of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania This book can save your life . . . It should be read by everyone who wants to triumph over fear. -- Scott Gordon, former Chairman of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council The ability to protect oneself from violent behaviour, largely through one's own intuition, is the central premise of de Becker's book - thus, fear is a gift. The book taps the anxieties of an era. * New York Times * Gavin de Becker's book is the first to explain that our powers of intuition are the best protection we have against violence. -- Daniel M. Petrocelli, lead counsel for plaintiffs in Fred Goldman v O.J. Simpson A tour de force . . . Riveting, instructive, a book that dissects the phenomenon of violence, unravels its mysteries, and shows us how to prevail. -- Erika Holzer, author of EYE FOR AN EYE Should be required reading for women and their loved ones. It offers potentially life-saving information in a style that is compelling. It is by far the best book I have read on how to handle violence, and I recommend it to one and all. -- Theresa Saldana, actress and founder of Victims for Victims Gavin de Becker's brilliant insights and encyclopedic familiarity with the minds of criminals have made powerful contributions to the successful prosecution of many cases, including mine, and now he shares that knowledge with his readers. -- Marcia Clark, prosecutor De Becker moves the reader from victim to victor as he identifies the God-given abilities we all have to avoid the risks we face from our society's predators. These real-life stories in The Gift of Fear create the picture better than any camera ever could. -- Casey Gwinn, City Attorney