A review by erica_palmisano
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker

informative medium-paced

3.0

I read this for a book club. I have heard of this book before and some things about it surprised me, but overall, I think the focus on individual action to the exclusion of systemic cultural issues kinda drove me nuts. I mean, the crime wave in the US had already crested and violent crime was down year-over-year for a while before the book was written, but you'd never know that if you picked this up. I appreciated the support he gave women and their instincts, but he could have come down harder on the patriarchy and the ways we encourage men to violate women's comfort, let alone bodily autonomy. It's just a very 90s away of looking at crime and its prevention, and I wish it had been updated instead of reissued with absolutely no new content. Also, one can write for the layperson and still help them see the underpinning of your thought and research, but unfortunately, no citations are offered for the content in the book. 
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