Don't Fight Back
And 10 Other Myths About Crime, Personal Safety, and Gender-Based Violence
Published on 5. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-8070-1624-4 (ISBN)
Description
From a nationally recognized violence-prevention expert, an accessible guide that debunks the most pervasive myths about crime and offers evidence-based strategies that make us safer
A specific image of violence and how to avoid it lives in a lot of our imaginations. What some of us fear most is shaped not by the strongest evidence but by the most viral horror stories.
Meg Stone, a violence prevention expert, traces the origins of these myths and how they are used to scare us into submission. While political leaders and social-media influencers use myths about crime to divide us, this book equips readers with facts and concrete action steps.
Stone breaks down these myths into four parts:
You don’t have to diminish yourself or restrict your life to avoid being attacked. Critical thinking, not following simplistic directives, is the real way to be “smart” about safety.
A specific image of violence and how to avoid it lives in a lot of our imaginations. What some of us fear most is shaped not by the strongest evidence but by the most viral horror stories.
Meg Stone, a violence prevention expert, traces the origins of these myths and how they are used to scare us into submission. While political leaders and social-media influencers use myths about crime to divide us, this book equips readers with facts and concrete action steps.
Stone breaks down these myths into four parts:
- “How Attackers Behave: what the research shows about whether fighting back makes attackers more angry
- “What (or Who) to Fear”: a treatise on the impact of media inaccurately reporting a “crime wave”
- “What You Should Never Do”: including the myth that an attacker could grab your ponytail—very unlikely!
- “What You Should Always Do”: should you really always trust your intuition?
You don’t have to diminish yourself or restrict your life to avoid being attacked. Critical thinking, not following simplistic directives, is the real way to be “smart” about safety.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Boston, MA
United States
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
238 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8070-1624-4 (9780807016244)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Meg Stone
"Don't Fight Back"
And 10 Other Myths About Crime, Personal Safety, and Gender-Based Violence
E-Book
05/2026
Beacon Press
€17.49
Available for download
Persons
Meg Stone
Content
INTRODUCTION
Dumb Women Who Get Attacked and the Men Who Try to Save Them
PART 1: HOW ATTACKERS BEHAVE
MYTH 1
“Attackers Can Tell Who Makes a Good Victim by the Way They Walk”
MYTH 2
“Don’t Fight Back. It Will Make the Attacker Angry and You’ll Get Hurt Worse.”
PART 2: WHAT (OR WHO) TO FEAR
MYTH 3
”I Read in the News There’s an Attacker on the Loose, So I Need to Be More Careful Out There”
MYTH 4
”Treat Anyone Who Looks Out of Place with Suspicion”
MYTH 5
“Crime Is at an All-Time High and Going Up”
PART 3: WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO
MYTH 6
“Don’t Wear a Ponytail. An Attacker Could Grab It.”
MYTH 7
“Don’t Park Next to a Van (Especially White Vans or Vans with Tinted Windows)”
MYTH 8
“Make Sure People Can’t See Through Your Windows, Especially When You’re Undressed”
MYTH 9
“Don’t Go Shopping Alone. Otherwise You Could Be a Target of Human Traffickers.”
PART 4: WHAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO
MYTH 10
“Always Take the Elevator. Attackers Hide Out in Stairwells.”
MYTH 11
“Always Trust Your Intuition”
CONCLUSION
How to Be Safe(r) in an Evidence-Poor World
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Dumb Women Who Get Attacked and the Men Who Try to Save Them
PART 1: HOW ATTACKERS BEHAVE
MYTH 1
“Attackers Can Tell Who Makes a Good Victim by the Way They Walk”
MYTH 2
“Don’t Fight Back. It Will Make the Attacker Angry and You’ll Get Hurt Worse.”
PART 2: WHAT (OR WHO) TO FEAR
MYTH 3
”I Read in the News There’s an Attacker on the Loose, So I Need to Be More Careful Out There”
MYTH 4
”Treat Anyone Who Looks Out of Place with Suspicion”
MYTH 5
“Crime Is at an All-Time High and Going Up”
PART 3: WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO
MYTH 6
“Don’t Wear a Ponytail. An Attacker Could Grab It.”
MYTH 7
“Don’t Park Next to a Van (Especially White Vans or Vans with Tinted Windows)”
MYTH 8
“Make Sure People Can’t See Through Your Windows, Especially When You’re Undressed”
MYTH 9
“Don’t Go Shopping Alone. Otherwise You Could Be a Target of Human Traffickers.”
PART 4: WHAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO
MYTH 10
“Always Take the Elevator. Attackers Hide Out in Stairwells.”
MYTH 11
“Always Trust Your Intuition”
CONCLUSION
How to Be Safe(r) in an Evidence-Poor World
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index