The Gift of Fear - Gavin de Becker

Title: The Gift of Fear
Author: Gavin de Becker
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 300
Date read: June, 2010

Victims of violent behavior usually feel a sense of fear before any threat or violence takes place. They may distrust the fear, or it may impel them to some action that saves their lives. A leading expert on predicting violent behavior, de Becker believes we can all learn to recognize these signals of the "universal code of violence," and use them as tools to help us survive. The book teaches how to identify the warning signals of a potential attacker and recommends strategies for dealing with the problem before it becomes life threatening. The case studies are gripping and suspenseful, and include tactics for dealing with similar situations.

Very engagingly written. I found the subject interesting, and the language easy to read (meaning that it wasn't as dry and technical as it could have been). Hopefully I'll never have to put any of this theory into practise, and Becker himself said that the book was more relevant for people in the US than anywhere else.

What I found especially fascinating about the book was the view it gave the reader into the psyche of violent people - how there are always warning signs, how a person never "just snaps" and how to trust ones instincts. For that reason alone, I found the first half of the book most interesting, and it more thoroughly focused on what to look for. The last chapters was more made up of examples met by Becker's firm than case studies the average Jane could learn from.

I guess you could accuse the book of fearmongering, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to somebody already suffering from an anxiety disorder, but Becker does make a case for not worrying unnecessarily, and I guess that's what it all boils down to.

A very quick read, which I found difficult to put down.