"Don't Fight Back"
And 10 Other Myths About Crime, Personal Safety, and Gender-Based Violence
Published on 5. May 2026
192 pages
978-0-8070-1625-1 (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:
- "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?
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Meg Stone | Julie Mckay
Don't Fight Back
And 10 Other Myths About Crime, Personal Safety, and Gender-Based Violence
Book
05/2026
Beacon Press
€21.50
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Meg Stone is the executive director of IMPACT Boston, an abuse-prevention and empowerment self-defense organization. Her writing has been published in Huffington Post, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Dame, and Ms.
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
