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BOOKS

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Stalking

Safety for Stalking Victims: How to Save Your Privacy, Your Sanity, and Your Life, Lyn Bates

If you are being stalked, or if you are concerned about someone who is the target of this potentially very dangerous crime, safety should be at the top of your priority list. Being the target of an obsessed person is a frightening experience. But it isn't necessary to live in fear. Learning how to be safe is the key.

This book explains what stalking is, how to keep it from overwhelming your life, what is known about evaluating a stalker's potential to turn violent, and how to keep the situation from becoming worse, while being ready for anything. Using scenarios based on real stalking cases, this book overflows with detailed, practical strategies to put you in control of your life, and let you break the cycle of terror.

About the author:

Lyn Bates is a founder and vice president of the non-profit AWARE, an organization devoted to teaching women to protect themselves from stalking and lethal assault. An award-winning expert on anti-stalking defensive strategies, she has helped thousands of people to avoid potential dangers and, when necessary, protect themselves with defensive weapons from pepper spray to firearms.

Stalking and Psychosexual Obsession: Psychological Perspectives for Prevention, Policing, and Treatment, edited by Julian Boon and Lorraine Sheridan

This book is intended for advanced students, practioners, and researchers in clinical psychology, psychiatry, and personality psychology, and to practioners and policy makers in policing and criminal justice. It is a comprehensive international survey of what is known about stalking and psychosexual harassment. Topics include violence, risk assessment, case management, and aspects of therapeutic intervention for both stalking offenders and their victims.

About the editors:

Drs Boon and Sheridan are forensic psychologists at the University of Leicester, in the United Kingdom.

Exit the Game: For a Stalker-Free Life, Jane Davenport

"Cat and Mouse" is a dangerous game played between a stalker and the victim - a game in which the victim can spend years living a lifestyle of reaction to every move the stalker makes. But there is a way to exit the game, by changing your identity, completely, legally, and safely. This short, focused, how-to book was written by someone who successfully did just that.

About the author:

Jane Davenport is a native of Texas with B.A. degree in Sociology. She served on a mayor's committee against domestic violence on the board of directors for a women's shelter. She is the former victim of stalker.

Stalking Crimes and Victim Protection, edited by Joseph A. Davis

From an Amazon reader review:
Overall, this book is an excellent resource and handbook for any agency or professional who is actively working cases and providing direct services to targeted victims of this crime.

About the author:

Joseph H. Davis, PhD, is a nationally recognized expert in the field of public safety psychology, with a background in both psychology and law.

Stalking: Perspectives on Victims and Perpetrators, edited by Keith E. Davis, Irene Frieze, and Roland Maiuro

From an Amazon reader review:
This book provides the latst in scholarship on the clinical and legal literature on stalkers. Professionals who help stalking victims will value this book for its thorough coverage of victimization issues and perpetrator issues.

Courting Disaster: Intimate Stalking, Culture, and Criminal Justice, Jennifer L. Dunn

Intended as a text in sociology, women's studies, or criminology, this book explores the experiences of stalking victims and the ways in which we socially construct and confer meaning on intimate violence. The author details the kinds of actions women take in an attempt to control stalking, and how those actions may backfire when the criminal justice system becomes involved.

About the author:

Jennifer Dunn is a sociologist.

The Criminalisation of Stalking: Constructing the Problem and Evaluating the Solution, Emily Finch

This book is intended for lawyers and other professionals who deal with stalkiing victims. It describes the background of stalking laws in England, and analyzes their utility.

This book has two objectives. First, to provide a comprehensive account of the process by which stalking came to be regarded as a significant social problem which merited legal intervention and a thorough evaluation of the efficacy of that response. Secondly, to situate this within a wider theoretical context which addresses the role of the criminal law in dealing with social problems and the boundaries of criminalisation. This illustrates how a detailed consideration of a particular issue can inform a wider debate and provide a unique perspective on existing theoretical material.

About the author:

Emily Finch is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Reading and Associate Lecturer fo the Open University.

Boy Gets Girl, by Rebecca Gilman

Though fictional, this work touches on many of the practical and emotional aspects of being stalked. A provocative and unsettling play.

Theresa Bedell, a New York reporter, goes on a blind date and is drawn into a stalker's web. One critic says, "brilliantly delineating the kind of terror a woman in full control of her life feels when everything around her suddenly seems to be a threat."

Surviving a Stalker, Linden Gross

Most people believe that stalkers only target the rich and famous, not the average citizen. The truth is, stalking is one of the most prevalent yet overlooked forms of domestic violence in America today, with an estimated 1.4 million people nationwide stalked each year. And that figure does not even include the rising number of people being harassed on the Internet.

Surviving a Stalker, the ultimate practical guidebook to surviving stalking, provides all the necessary tools you need to handle obsessive attention and to regain control of your life. Journalist and stalking expert Linden Gross offers a wealth of invaluable guidance, including: How to recognize and control those natural reactions that might put you at risk; How to handle inappropriate attention on- and off-line and break the stalking cycle; How to protect your privacy and safety as well as that of your loved ones.

Gross explains how these dangerous obsessions begin, the patterns they take, and what potential victims can do before the nightmare becomes a reality. Through a multitude of case studies, medical and other professionals who deal with stalking will gain a clearer understanding of the crime, the toll it takes, and how to handle it. Surviving a Stalker will help all victims, as well as potential victims, keep themselves safe and be a vital resource for all professionals who counsel them.

Every Breath You Take: Stalking Narratives and the Law, Orit Kamir

Every Breath You Take is a scholarly study that presents an engrossing examination of male and female stalkers in history, literature, and film, and their relationship to contemporary legislation against stalking. The book reveals how these stories have facilitated "moral panics" that have fueled the persecution of stalkers.

About the author:

Orit Kamir is on the faculty of Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and has taught at the University of Michigan.

How to be Invisible, J. J. Luna

The subtitle of this book is: a step-by-step guide to protecting your assets, your identity, and your life, and it delivers on that promise. Though written primarily for people who want to protect their assets by keeping a very, very low public profile, this book has lots to offer stalking victims. It gives detailed information on how to establish a "ghost address" that is completely separate from where you actually live. Other topics include home deliveries, house calls, FedEx, UPS, untraceable trash, anonymous utilities, and using corporations to protect one's privacy.

About the author:

J. J. Luna is the pseudonym of a highly trained and experienced security consultant.

The Stalking of Kristen: A Father Investigates the Murder of His Daughter, George Lardner, Jr.

"This is Kristin's story. I'd give anything not to have written it." Kristin Lardner's father won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of Washington Post articles about this promising young art student who was killed by a jealous ex-boyfriend. In this expanded book version he makes the important point that Kristin did everything right. She was educated and sophisticated, and had the time and resources to make the law work for her. And she was a member of the class of people who believe the law when it promises to protect them. With a parent's rage, and an impressive command of the facts and statistics, George Lardner refutes the widespread belief that the courts offer effective protection to battered women who do report their abusers and press charges. The book includes photos of Kristin's artwork about abuse of women and 80 pages of footnotes and bibliography about the legal system.

About the author:

George Lardner, Jr, is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post. The articles he wrote for the Post about the murder of his daughter, on which this book is based, were awarded a Pulitzer prize in 1993. He has also covered such stories as Watergate, Chappaquidick, the Kennedy assassinations, Iran-Contra, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the Unibomber case.

The Bogeyman, Stalking and Its Aftermath, Dr. Sherry L. Meinberg

This book presents the author's personal history as it pertains to stalking experineces and related information. She honed her survival skills long before any research, facts, and figures were available, and before the crime of stalking was coined. She learned everything the hard way - without books, advice, or professionals to guide her - through firsthand experience alone. Along with her personal saga, the book presents addded material, listing expert opinions, information and resources.

About the author:

Sherry L. Meinberg, Ed.D. has the unfortunate distinction of being the person in the United States who has been stalked for the longest time: 40 years as of the writing of this book.

Toxic Attention: Keeping Safe from Stalkers, Abuser, and Intruders, Dr. Sherry L. Meinberg

This book presents safety information in simple To-Do checklists so you can help yourself keep safe.

About the author:

Sherry L. Meinberg, Ed.D. has the unfortunate distinction of being the person in the United States who has been stalked for the longest time: 40 years as of the writing of this book.

The Psychology of Stalking, edited by J. Reid Meloy

The Psychology of Stalking is the first scholarly book on stalking ever published. Virtually every serious writer and researcher in this area of criminal psychopathology has contributed to this comprehensive resource. These chapters explore stalking from social, psychiatric, psychological, legal, and behavioral perspectives. New thinking and data are presented on threats, pursuit characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, offender-victim typologies, cyberstalking, false victimization syndrome, erotomania, stalking and domestic violence, stalking of public figures, and many other aspects of stalking. This landmark text is of interest to both professionals and other thoughtful individuals who recognize the serious nature of this ominous social behavior at the end of the millennium.

About the Author:

Dr. Reid Meloy is a diplomate in forensic psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He was Chief of the Forensic Mental Health Division for San Diego County, and now devotes his time to a private civil and criminal forensic practice, research, writing, and teaching. He is an associate clinical professor University of San Diego School of Law. He is also a Fellow of the Society for Personality Assessment, and is currently President of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. In 1992 he received the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology as a Profession Award from the California Psychological Association. Dr. Meloy has authored or co-authored over 100 papers published in peer-reviewed psychiatric and psychological journals, and has written or edited four books. He is a sought after speaker and psychological consultant on various civil and criminal cases throughout the United States, most recently the Madonna stalking case and the Polly Klaas murder case. In 1997, he completed work as the forensic psychologist for the prosecution in United States vs. Timothy McVeigh and the United States vs. Terry Nichols.

Violence Risk and Threat Assessment: A Practical Guide for Mental Health and Criminal Justice Professionals, J. Reid Meloy

This book provides an overview of risk assessment, with a good balance of actuarial data and clinical wisdom. It covers two decades of extensive research into the assessment of violent behavior (including, but not limited to, stalking). For clinicians and graduate students.

About the Author:

Stalking and Violence, New Patterns of Trauma and Obsession, Stephen J. Morewitz

Intended for professionals who work with stalking victims, this book offers a review of the literature on stalking and its impact, as well as a report of the author's own Stalking and Violence Project. Topics include cyberstalking, characteristics of victims and offenders, responses to stalking, use of the courts, police intervention, and treatment and incarceration.

Stalkers and Their Victims, Paul E. Mullen, Michele Pathe, and Rosemary Purcell

Discusses stalking as an issue of public, legal, and scientific concern, impact on victims, association of stalking with physical and sexual assault, international anti-stalking laws, support and practical advice for victims, and assessing and managing the stalker. Includes case studies. For clinicians and graduate students.

I Know You Really Love Me: A Psychiatrist's Account of Stalking and Obsessive Love, Doreen R. Orion

In September 1989, Doreen Orion was just beginning her psychiatric practice when one of her female patients developed an erotomanic obsession with her. Over the next eight years, this patient skulked outside of Orion's house and at her workplace, leaving bizarre messages, watching her, and making her unwelcome presence known in virtually every aspect of her life. In I Know You Really Love Me, Orion recounts her legal and emotional struggles as she tried to take control of the situation.

As a psychiatrist, Orion has fascinating insights into the condition that causes some people to obsess inappropriately over others. She also describes compellingly the feelings of helplessness and fear that stalking causes its victims--but always with the compassion and understanding of someone who works with the mentally ill. Her unique perspective as both a victim and a professional makes I Know You Really Love Me not just a blow-by-blow account of a stalking, but a practical guide to understanding, avoiding, and discouraging stalkers. --Lisa Higgins

Surviving Stalking, Michele Pathe

This book is a practical and comprehensive survival manual for victims of stalking and related crimes. It offers sound, realistic, practical advice to victims and also gives guidance through each stage of the criminal justice processes in America, Britain, and Australia. It will be of interest to the health, law enforcement and legal professionals who work with stalker and their victims.

About the author:

Michele Pathe is Consultant Forensic Psyhchiatrist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health, Brunswick, where she has been treating stalkers in the world's first clinical outreach program since the early 1990s.

How to Stop a Stalker, Detective Mike Proctor

This indispensable handbook will give stalking victims the means to protect themselves, and also to help put the stalker behind bars. It explains the who, what, where, why, and how of stalking and teaches victims what to do, from simple home security measures to actual prosecution. Many examples are taken from actual cases, and will be of great use to current or potential stalking victims, victim advocates, law enforcement officials, personnel departments, and employers.

About the author:

Veteran detective Mike Proctor is a long-time officer of the Westminster, California, Police Department.

New Name, New Life: A Guide to Relocation and Legal Identity Change, Betsy Ramsey

A detailed guide to help you decide whether to make these changes in your life, and, if so, exactly how to go through that process, and how to protect your new identity. Targets have built a new life successfullty, and have not been found. You can, too! This very useful booklet was written by the Executive Director of an agency that assists victims of domestic violence.

Stalked! Breaking the Silence on the Crime of Stalking in America, Melita Schaum and Karen Parrish

For thousands of women, and a smaller but equally victimized number of men, stalking is a potentially deadly reality -- while the options to counter the crime have been limiting and confusing. Stalkers harass celebrities, politicians, and ordinary citizens - no one is exempt. Now, for the first time, here is a comprehensive resource that gives everyone practical strategies to take action against this crime.

How to Lose Anyone Anywhere, Michael Scott

This manual was written to assist people in taking legal, adequate measures to insure their privacy, and obtaining freedom from individuals who may be disrupting their lives. It is primarily written to assist victims of stalking.

Topics include the mind of the stalker, examining his thinking, motives and tactics, basic countermeasures to assist one in bringing to an end this unwanted intrusion, and dealing with the hard core stalker.

Everywhere That Mary Went, Lisa Scottoline

There isn't much room in this book selection for fiction, though novels about stalking abound. This one is an exception. Well plotted and superbly written, this novel captures the emotional impact of being stalked, from initial denial to understanding.

Mary DiNunzio has been slaving away for the past eight years trying to make partner in her cutthroat Philadelphia law firm. She's too busy to worry about the crank phone calls that she's been getting--until they fall into a sinister pattern. The phone rings as soon as she gets to work, then as soon as she gets home. Mary can't shake the sensation that someone is watching her. Following her every move. The shadowboxing turns deadly when her worst fears are realized, and she has to fight for something a lot more important than her partnership. Her life.

Stalking: A Handbook for Victims, Emily Spence-Diehl

When one has been the victim of stalking there are special needs to be met. If a stalker has begun to rob you of your sense of control over life, you may be overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn next. When arrived with resources, choices, safety tips, and stalker information you will be able to turn the tide against the stalker and regain some power over your life.

The book presents options not directions. It is a handbook not an instruction manual. There is no "one size fits all" approach to stalking intervention. Thus, options and resources are provided. Stalking laws across the nation are less than a decade old. Victims already know that most communities are not prepared to deal with the ongoing and unpredictable nature of stalking. It is critical to know the full range of your rights and options.

Teenagers need to learn about stalking, too. For books on stalking aimed at a teen audience, see the section on Children and Teens.

Personal Safety

The Truth About Self-Protection, Massad Ayoob

From an Amazon reviewer:
This book is one of the best "self defense" books on the market. Massad Ayoob, a legend in the law enforcement and personal protection world, goes beyond the standard "tips" for self defense. He address many different things such as locks, martial arts, weapons, psychological stress, and much more.

There are some draw backs such as poor illustrations on certain "hand to hand" combat techniques, but overall, it does not effect the top notch presentation.

This book is written for anyone, and especially the novice or the person who is trying to decide if "survivialism" (word used by Ayoob) is for them. Even if it isn't, there are tips that can still minimize the risk of being a victim without learning how to be an expert combat killing machine.

The book is realistic as he has chapters about the moral dilemmas and psychological trauma one may encounter when trying to defend themselves or someone else.

After working Law Enforcement for 12 years and being involved in the martial arts for over 20, I can give someone searching for self protection ideas a confident nod that this book is one of the best!

Her Wits About Her, Denise Caignon and Gail Groves

This book offers the vibrant, empowering message that women can fight back, and do so effectively. Common media stories often reinforce the myth that women are helpless and should not defend themselves. Yet current research shows that women who resist do get away and often escape injury.

The positive, real-life accounts in this collection tell for the first time how women from all walks of life have successfully defended themselves. We see how they use a wide range of strategies -- from the ordinary to the spectacular -- including negotiating, shouting, running, kicking, teamwork, and using weapons at hand. Valuable guidelines for putting the lessons of the stories into everyday practice and an extensive listing of self-defense programs enhance the anthology.

The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker

Each hour, 75 women are raped in the United States, and every few seconds, a woman is beaten. Each day, 400 Americans suffer shooting injuries, and another 1,100 face criminals armed with guns. Author Gavin de Becker says 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.

People don't just "snap" and become violent, says de Becker, whose clients include federal government agencies, celebrities, police departments, and shelters for battered women. "There is a process as observable, and often as predictable, as water coming to a boil." Learning to predict violence is the cornerstone to preventing it. De Becker is a master of the psychology of violence, and his advice may save your life. --Joan Price

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane), Gavin de Becker

From an Amazon reader review:
Be warned: In many ways this is a terrifying book. It deals with a subject--violence against children--that most of us never want to consider. But, as Gavin de Becker stresses, such situations, though rare, can occur, so all parents must deal with the facts in order to protect their children properly. De Becker's aim is to create awareness of potential dangers and provide parents with the knowledge necessary for prevention and control. As he emphatically states in Protecting the Gift, much of this knowledge is already hard-wired in the form of intuition: "This natural ability is deep, brilliant, powerful. Nature's greatest accomplishment, the human brain, is stunningly efficient when its host is at risk, but when one's child is at risk, it moves to a whole new level, one we can justifiably call miraculous." The trick, he stresses, is trusting and acting on intuition.

In this valuable, even necessary, book, he shatters many myths about the typical profiles of regular offenders and the prevalence of such problems as sexual abuse and kidnapping. He also deconstructs the wisdom of traditional maxims such as "Never talk to strangers" and "If you are ever lost, go to a policeman." Without offering a compendium of every conceivable danger, he identifies warning signals and real risks that are often easy to spot once you know what to look for. He offers practical advice on recognizing signs of sexual abuse, choosing a baby sitter or nanny, how to prepare kids for walking to school alone, and how to teach children about potential risks without making them afraid to venture out of the house. And he continually stresses that denial and ignoring intuition are the biggest mistakes that parents make in protecting their kids from those that mean them harm. Well written and infinitely informative, Protecting the Gift affords parents more confidence and less reason for unnecessary worry.

Street Smarts, Firearms, and Personal Security, Jim Grover

Jim Grover's professional credentials in the art of crime avoidance and self-defense are as good as it gets: on-site security specialist in the world's hottest of hot spots, combatives instructor to ultrahigh-speed military and police units and hands-on security trainer to international corporations, among other sensitive assignments. Here is a compilation of the best of his wildly popular "Personal Security" columns in Guns & Ammo magazine. It covers the entire spectrum of personal security issues, with street-savvy ideas and twists you will find nowhere else. Learn how to vastly improve the physical security of your home; develop alert street smarts; stay safe while traveling in your vehicle, out of town or abroad; recognize and avoid crimes of the new millennium; keep your children safe; choose and use effective nonlethal weapons; engage in nasty unarmed combat; and utilize radically practical shooting skills that have been perfected in real-life situations. From spotting trouble before it happens to surviving a riot to handling a firearm like a pro, this book has it all!

Defensive Living: When Defensive Driving, Diets, and Exercise Aren't Enough to Keep You Alive and Well!, Bo Hardy

Defensive Living outlines 10 of the most common mistakes individuals make when assaulted or abducted, and details a common sense approach to avoid becoming the victim of personal assault or abduction. The Defensive Living concepts are "real world", and practical, and can be used by both children and adults. The concepts presented in Defensive Living emphasize "Outsmarting" rather than "Outfighting" an assailant. Defensive Living was selected as the 1993 "Self Help" Book of the Year by the North American Bookdealers Exchange (NABE), and is also being used as a text at several universities throughout the United States.

About the author:

Bo Hardy is the founder of Defensive Living, and since 1967 has taught assault prevention to literally thousands in law enforcement and civilian seminars. He is an 8th degree Black Belt in Karate & Ju-Jitsu,and a former law enforcement officer. He still teaches law enforcement classes in Defensive tactics, and the use of (OC)-pepper spray. He has conducted training programs for major corporations including the development of security training for flight attendants at American Airlines. Mr. Hardy has a Master of Education degree and a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Arkansas- Fayetteville. He recently permanently returned to Fayetteville, Arkansas where he teaches personal protection and Martial Art Classes.

Effective Defense: the Woman, the Plan, the Gun, Gila May Hayes

Written by a woman for women who are considering their options for personal protection, both lethal and less than lethal. Clearly written for easy understanding of both technical jargon and the overall concern a woman should have about her surroundings. Recommended reading for any woman who is concerned about her personal safety.

Eyes Wide Open, Bodyguard Strategies for Self-Protection, Kristie Kilgore

Kilgore is a martial arts expert who has gone far beyond that single discipline in this book. She covers many aspects of self-protection against "human preditors". Topics include information and identity theft, strategies for dating, awareness, advance work, use of force, and weapons Nicely illustrated with photographs and sprinkled with descriptions of actual situations, some of them from Kilgore's own experience.

How to Bodyguard Yourself: A Personal Protection Guide for Women, Stephan Kurr

Written by a former US Crmy counterintelligence special agent, this book pulls no punches when it comes to personal protection. This volume contains a large amount of good information in a small number of pages. Topics include operational security, criminal profiles, physical security, communications security, transportation security, counterssurveillance, firearms and weapons, martial arts and much much more.

Defensive Living , Ed Lovette & Dave Spaulding

From an Amazon reviewer:
Most books on self protection, especially those relating to armed confrontations, tend to focus on hardware, the equipment and the techniques. This book is different. Ed Lovette and Dave Spaulding give a concise and practical guide to the software aspect of violent confrontations. Mental preparation, situational awareness and winning attitude are presented in a way that allows the reader to apply these aspects. The physical skills and equipment considerations are discussed, but the main theme of DEFENSIVE LIVING is the adoption of a "tactical lifestyle" which allows anticipation of an encounter. Throughout the book the voice of experience is heard. The material presented is not theory it is the result of hard-won, hands-on experience. To sum up, we need this kind of information, we need to understand it, to apply it, to live it. It's never been better presented than in DEFENSIVE LIVING. Essential reading matter for times like this.

Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women's Self-Defense, Martha McCaughey

"I was once a frightened feminist." So begins Martha McCaughey's odyssey into the dynamic world of women's self-defense, a culture which transforms women involved with it and which has equally profound implications for feminist theory and activism.

Unprecedented numbers of American women are learning how to knock out, maim, even kill men who assault them. Sales of mace and pepper spray have skyrocketed. Some 14 million women own handguns. From behind the scenes at gun ranges, martial arts dojos, fitness centers offering "Cardio Combat," and in padded attacker courses like "Model Mugging," Real Knockouts demonstrates how self-defense trains women out of the femininity that makes them easy targets for men's abuse.

And yet much feminist thought, like the broader American culture, seems deeply ambivalent about women's embrace of violence, even in self-defense. Investigating the connection between feminist theory and women physically fighting back, McCaughey found self-defense culture to embody, literally, a new brand of feminism.

Illustrating how self-defense forces a confrontation with central tensions in feminist theory over the body, violence, pleasure, and resistance, McCaughey has given us a highly original treatise that will change the way we think of gender politics, the female body, and feminism itself.

About the author:

Martha McCaughey is an Assistant Professor of Women's Studies in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Drive to Survive!, Curt Rich

"Drive to Survive" (Motorbooks International, 1998) combines two unlikely groups of skills-combat survival techniques, and race car driving techniques-and aims them at the most dangerous thing most of us will ever do: driving on public roads. The average driver has an 86% chance of being in a serious accident during his lifetime, and the odds of being the victim of violence on the highway increases daily, including drive-by-shootings, carjackings, kidnappings, robberies, and deliberate attacks by other motorists.

The book begins with a system of situational awareness derived from combat survival techniques which will minimize your chances of getting into an accident or getting mugged, carjacked or robbed. This is the most important part of the book. Use this system, and you probably will not have an accident or become a crime victim because you will not be surprised and can avoid the accident or the carjacker. From there it goes on to several techniques to avoid accidents and basic high performance driving concepts applicable to street driving. Racing derived techniques are described which can be used on the road to avoid accidents or evade hostile pursuers. It gets into evasive driving techniques and how to avoid bootlegger hairpin, reverse J-turns, and how to run your assailant off the road instead of being run off yourself, how to use your car as a weapon, and what to do if you're kidnapped despite all your avoidance efforts. The techniques are profusely illustrated with diagrams and photographs.

In short, this book teaches all of the things they did not teach you in Drivers Ed., or taught wrong. Use all of the techniques in this book appropriately, and the odds of your being in a major accident or being mugged, kidnapped, or carjacked go way down. Criminals look for easy victims, and you will become a difficult victim, more dangerous to them than they are to you.

Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Women and Girls, Ellen Snortland

Women have been sold a bill of goods - that they are helpless in the face of attack. Nonsense, asserts author Ellen Snortland, and proceeds to trace her discovery of self defense training and how it changed her life. BEAUTY BITES BEAST is a clarion call to "sleeping beauties" to wake up and take charge of their own self-defense - both verbal and physical - and celebrates women (and kids) who fought back. Here is an irreverent, but deadly serious look at how family, religion, history, news and entertainment keep women thinking they are helpless, and how the author and other women have vanquished this self-defeating attitude.

About the author:

Ellen Snortland is a graduate of Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. In addition to being a self-defense advocate and instructor, Ms. Snortland has worked in the media and entertainment industries as a writer/producer/director/commentator/actor.

Firearms

In the Gravest Extreme, Massad Ayoob

From an Amazon reviewer:
This excellent book covers *all* the important issues related to owning a handgun for self protection. I had heard that Ayoob was the definitive writer on the subject, and after reading this book I see why. The book is short enough that it can be easily read in a couple evenings, but long enough to thoroughly cover all the important issues. No matter your experience level with hand guns, this book is a must read. There is something in it for everyone. I have passed the book on to very experienced friends, they have said the same thing. The book is just *excellent*.

Ayoob Files: The Book, Massad Ayoob

From an Amazon reviewer:
Ayoob has detailed some stunning accounts of real-life shootouts and the aftermaths. Some of these incidents are well known and received much publicity at the time. The attention to detail was so captivating that I couldn't help feel as if I was standing on the sidewalk observing all of these scenes. This book is more entertaining than the best episodes of TOP COPS. The other stunning aspect is the reality of each account. You are also made more aware of the consequences of people's actions. As with all of the Ayoob works, there are some lessons to be learnt here as well.

Gunproof Your Children, by Massad Ayoob

From an Amazon reviewer:
This is a short well written book designed to gunproof your children. It examines the fallacy of locking up your guns as a viable option. While locks help it won't protect your kids when they may face a weapon away from the home. Today's kids need this info even if you don't personally own firearms.

People For and Against Gun Control, Marjolijn Bijlefeld

The debate over gun control is a complex and compelling one that has created a deep divide between gun rights and gun control supporters. Student researchers can use this reference source to explore the issue through the lives of fifty people who have become actively involved in either supporting gun control and stricter laws, or in supporting the rights of people to own and carry guns. This unique approach to the debate provides profiles of these individuals, highlighting the different reasons for each person's deep involvement in the debate and the different elements involved in the debate as a whole.

This book profiles several members of AWARE's board and advisory board.

About the author:

Marjolijn Bijlefeld is a freelance writer and editor who worked with the Coalition to End Gun Violence and served as the Director of The Educational Fund to End Gun Violence.

Black Man with a Gun: A Responsible Gun Ownership Manual for African Americans, Kenneth V.F. Blanchard

This no nonsense guide to the emotional isues and practical concerns regarding responsible gun ownership belongs on the bookshelf of every African American, male and female, no matter what present position they may take on the gun question. Starts with "A Letter to my Sisters," and a dedication to "The unconquerable spirit of the black woman."

About the author:

Kenneth Blanchard served as a U.S. Marine and a federal police officer. He is currently a security specialist with the federal government. He is the executive director of the Tenth Cavalry Gun Club, promoting the safe advocacy of firearms ownership in untraditional America.

The Law of Self-Defense: A Guide for the Armed Citizen, Andrew F. Branca

Increasingly, law-abiding citizens are arming themselves with deadly weapons (usually licensed handguns) in order to defend themselves against lethal attack. Unfortunately, the law of self-defense contains many dangerous traps waiting to strip the well-meaning citizen of the right to claim self-defense at trial. It is very possible for the informed citizen to effectively defend themselves without violating the laws of self-defense, but they must first learn the legal principles that will be used to judge their conduct in the aftermath of their acting in self-defense. The Law of Self-Defense: A Guide for the Armed Citizen describes and illustrates the legal principles that govern the law of self-defense throughout the United States, and is an invaluable guide for any citizen contemplating the use of deadly force in self-defense. The author is a lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts.

Effective Defense: the Woman, the Plan, the Gun, Gila May-Hayes

From an Amazon reviewer:
Written by a woman for women who are considering their options for personal protection, both lethal and less than lethal. Clearly written for easy understanding of both technical jargon and the overall concern a woman should have about her surroundings. Recommended reading for any woman who is concerned about her personal safety.

Street Smarts, Firearms, and Personal Security, Jim Grover

Women & Guns, Deborah Homsher

Editorial Review from Booklist:
In the gun-control debate, Homsher argues, it's not simply guns that are at issue, and focusing on women and guns clarifies other values and meanings that polarize opinions. Homsher first reviews frontier stories, examining both the experiences of women on the American frontier and folkloric male frontier heroes, often wedded to guns but not to wives, families, and responsibilities. She meets with women hunters, interrogating the impact of gender on non-hunters' easy stereotypes. In two chapters, Homsher addresses self-defense, exploring the objectives of women who advocate concealed-carry laws, and the disagreement between conservative and liberal women about whether defense is needed against "the feral stranger, (or) the outwardly respectable, familiar batterer." She talks with women who participate in gun sports and militias, and with African American women from neighborhoods where guns are all too omnipresent. In all her journeys, Homsher aims to redirect the debate, to move beyond the "talking points" of both pro- and anti-gun campaigners, to demonstrate that "partisan, gendered, politicized discourses serve (only) to camouflage central issues and to polarize discussion." Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Restricting Handguns: The Liberal Skeptics Speak Out, Don B. Kates

From an Amazon reviewer:
I was first introduced to Kates' book when it came out and was shocked at the frankness of the information. The book contains a number of contributors - various experts in their field - all of which destroys many of the notions and myths about gun control. I've used the book (and actually I bought a second copy after the first was worn out) as the bible to educate people to the realities Kates brings to light. Kates continues to write and debate his stand and has written other books continuing this theme.

Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America, Gary Kleck

Editorial Review from Book News, Inc.:
Kleck (criminology and criminal justice, Florida State U.) assesses the evidence, adduced with the tools of social science, on the issues of gun control and gun ownership--ideology, politics, and propaganda, as well as data on who owns guns, how they acquire them, and why; the effects of guns on violence--self-defense, violent crime, suicide, accidents; regulation--types, public opinion, impact on violence rates; and policy lessons. His findings indicate that guns do contribute to violence, but in complex ways that are not acknowledged by either activists or academics. From the mass of evidence, he draws informed recommendations for a national policy. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

More guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws, John R. Lott, Jr.

Editorial Review from Amazon.com:
Multiple regression analyses are rarely the subject of heated public debate or 225-page books for lay people. But John R. Lott, Jr.'s study in the January 1997 Journal of Legal Studies showing that concealed-carry weapons permits reduced the crime rate set off a firestorm. The updated study, together with illustrative anecdotes and a short description of the political and academic response to the study, as well as responses to the responses, makes up Lott's informative More Guns, Less Crime.

In retrospect, it perhaps should not have been surprising that increasing the number of civilians with guns would reduce crime rates. The possibility of armed victims reduces the expected benefits and increases the expected costs of criminal activity. And, at the margin at least, people respond to changes in costs, even for crime, as Nobel-Prize winning economist Gary Becker showed long ago. Allusions to the preferences of criminals for unarmed victims have seeped into popular culture; Ringo, a British thug in Pulp Fiction, noted off-handedly why he avoided certain targets: "Bars, liquor stores, gas stations, you get your head blown off stickin' up one of them."

But Lott's actual quantification of this, in the largest and most comprehensive study of the effects of gun control to date, a study well-detailed in the book, provoked a number of attacks, ranging from the amateurish to the subtly misleading, desperate to discredit him. Lott takes the time to refute each argument; it's almost touching the way he footnotes each time he telephones an attacker who eventually hangs up on him without substantiating any of their claims.

Lott loses a little focus when he leaves his firm quantitative base; as an economist, he should know that the low number of rejected background checks under the Brady Bill doesn't demonstrate anything by itself, because some people may have been deterred from even undergoing the background check in the first place, but he attacks the bill on this ground anyway. But the conclusions that are backed by evidence--that concealed-weapons permits reduce crime, and do so at a lower cost to society than increasing the number of police or prisons--are important ones that should be considered by policymakers. --Ted Frank

The Gun Control Debate: You Decide, edited by Lee Nisbet

From an Amazon reviewer:
This collection of essays contains many of the classics in the gun control debate including Sanford Levinson's classic "The Embarrassing Second Amendment" as well as the infamous "43-to-1" study by Arthur Kellerman. Of interest is the manner in which essays were collected for this volume. Nisbet contacted the two major lobbying organizations, HCI and NRA, and asked them to recommend articles and essays that best put forth their respective positions. Using that as a base, Nisbet narrowed the selection down based on his own research, reading and conversation with the experts.

The resulting collection is telling. If the best that the gun control advocates could muster is the ingeniously specious 43-to-1 study, then they've lost the debate. It's also interesting to note that almost none of the pro-control articles were published in criminological or law journals but instead were published in pro-control public health journals like NEJM or JAMA.

The pro-gun side fairs much better. There are many excellent essays by such notables as Gary Kleck and Don Kates, Jr. Kleck, Kates and others skillfully dissect the poor arguments of the pro-control authors.

No matter what your position is on gun control, this book is a must-have for your collection if you are going to try and debate this issue intelligently.

The Seven Myths of Gun Control, by Richard Poe

In the past, I tacitly believed many of these myths. If you believe any of these statements, then you must read this book:
- Guns increase violent crime
- Pulling a gun on a criminal endangers you more than the criminal
- Guns pose a special threat to kids
- The 2nd Amendment applies only to miliamen
- The 2nd Amendment is obsolete
- We should treat guns as cars, requiring licenses
- "Reasonable" gun control is not a threat
The author writes in an easy-reading style, working in statistics as well as many anecdotes. If you haven't thought deeply about these issues and your opinion has been shaped by the mainstream media, then you MUST read this. Everybody else should read it anyway -- no matter which side of the fence you are on.

Armed and Female, Paxton Quigley

The first complete book on one of the hottest subjects in the media today--gun ownership. Quigley offers women sound advice about everything from whether to buy a gun to choosing the proper weapon to training yourself to use it. Personal stories and crime victims' accounts help her make her case for women arming themselves.

A Nation of Cowards: Essays on the ethics of gun control, Jeff Snyder

For those who want to read about firearms public policy issues without being drowned in statistics, this is a book by a thoughtful lawyer who isn't afraid to criticize both sides of the issue.

Gun Women, Mary Zeiss Stange and Carol Oyster

Women, we are told, should not own guns. Women, we are told, are more likely to be injured by their own guns than to fend off an attack themselves. This "fact" is rooted in a fundamental assumption of female weakness and vulnerability. Why should a woman not be every bit as capable as a man of using a firearm in self-defense?

And yet the reality is that millions of American women--somewhere between 11,000,000 and 17,000,000--use guns confidently and competently every day. Women are hunting, using firearms in their work as policewomen and in the military, shooting for sport, and arming themselves for personal security in ever-increasing numbers. What motivates women to possess firearms? And who exactly are these women? Crucially, can a woman be a gun-owner and a feminist too?

Women's growing tendency to arm themselves has in recent years been political fodder for both the right and the left. Female gun owners are frequently painted as "trying to be like men" (the conservative perspective) or "capitulating to patriarchal ideas about power" (the liberal critique). Eschewing the polar extremes in the heated debate over gun ownership and gun control, and linking firearms and feminism in novel fashion, Mary Zeiss Stange and Carol K. Oyster here cut through the rhetoric to paint a precise and unflinching account of America's gun women.

About the Authors:

Mary Zeiss Stange is Associate Professor of Religion and Women's Studies at Skidmore College and author of Woman the Hunter. Carol K. Oyster is Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse and author of Groups: A User's Guide.

The Best Defense: True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves With a Firearm, Robert Waters

Documented cases of self-defense with a firearm.

"The Best Defense: True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves with a Firearm" is a dramatic portrait of what is at stake in the fight against crime at the level where it occurs: victim vs. perpetrator. Each year, hundreds of thousands of American citizens successfully use guns to defend themselves and others. Often lost in the numbers, however, is the dynamic of what happens when ordinary, law-abiding citizens are attacked. What thoughts and feelings go through their minds as the events unfold? How do they react when suddenly thrust into a life-or-death situation?The fourteen chapters include twenty documented true stories. Charley Reese wrote, "Some chapters read like a suspense story, and they put the reader in the shoes of people whose normal, peaceful lives suffered the sudden and horrifying shock of a criminal attack. You will see that neither the police nor the courts can offer much protection...Trust me, this book is an exciting read, and the stories are true. It'll make a believer in the Second Amendment out of any sensible person."While there are many books debating the pros and cons of gun control, the Second Amendment, and the legal aspects of gun ownership, few if any relate true stories of encounters between criminals and victims. In these accounts, the victims survived and lived to tell about it.

Children and Teens

Gunproof Your Children, Massad Ayoob

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane), Gavin de Becker

Be warned: In many ways this is a terrifying book. It deals with a subject--violence against children--that most of us never want to consider. But, as Gavin de Becker stresses, such situations, though rare, can occur, so all parents must deal with the facts in order to protect their children properly. De Becker's aim is to create awareness of potential dangers and provide parents with the knowledge necessary for prevention and control. As he emphatically states in Protecting the Gift, much of this knowledge is already hard-wired in the form of intuition: "This natural ability is deep, brilliant, powerful. Nature's greatest accomplishment, the human brain, is stunningly efficient when its host is at risk, but when one's child is at risk, it moves to a whole new level, one we can justifiably call miraculous." The trick, he stresses, is trusting and acting on intuition.

Stalking: Perspectives on Violence, Gus Gedatus

This book covers the essence of stalking issues for teens, including defining stalking and the various types of stalkers, the effects of stalking, and what to do if you, a friend, or a loved one is stalked.

I'm Not Who You Think I Am, Peg Kehret

From Kirkus Reviews:
In an age of missing children, Kehret spins an exciting tale about a deranged mother and the child, not hers, she stalks. Ginger has long had the feeling that somebody is watching her; during her 13th birthday party in a restaurant, she sees a strange woman staring at her, who also appears to write down the license plate number when Ginger's family drives away. Questions nag at Ginger but she brushes them off, facing other, more ordinary problems. A meddlesome parent, Mrs. Vaughn, is trying to get Mr. Wren, Ginger's basketball coach, fired; wanting more playing time for her own daughter, Mrs. Vaughn has concocted a list of complaints, claiming that Mr. Wren doesn't teach basic skills. Ginger, an aspiring sports announcer, has videotaped many of the practices and has the evidence to prove Mrs. Vaughn wrong, but is afraid as is most of the communityof getting on the woman's wrong side. The stalking of Ginger, her near-kidnapping, and her attempt to live honorably by coming forward to save Mr. Wren converge in a dramatic climax. While the story reads like a thriller, the character development and moral dilemmas add depth and substance.

Stalking in Children and Adolescents, Joseph T. McCann

The author is a psychologist and attorney in Binghamton, NY. This book provides a tour of stalking, the dark side of child and adolescent attachments. Draws on research, theory, and clinical insight to illuminate the dark inner life of the stalker and sets out strategies for psychological and legal prevention, intervention, and protection.

The book also explores related forms of obsessional harassment such as bullying, sexual harassment, and dating violence. It provides a psychodynamic conceptualization of stalking with a particular emphasis on developmental issues related to attachment, identity formulatin, and emotional states involving jealousy, envy, and anger.

Practical recommendations for managing stalking cases, implementing policy, and maintaining personal safety make this an invaluable resource for mental health professionals, parents, and school officials.

Are You in the House Alone?, Richard Peck

Fiction for teens.

"Forget it," Alison counseled. "It never happened." But it was happening. The obscene notes. "Stop reading that garbage!" Alison shrieked and grabbed the neatly lettered page from Gail's frozen hands. And whenever Gail was alone, the phone rang and went dead as soon as she answered it. As her world shaded into a nightmare, Gail, surrounded by friends, family, and teachers, found herself utterly alone.

Then one evening her nightmare became fact when she learned an even more tragic truth; in spite of violence and degradation, she was still alone, the victim of a crime that punished the innocent and let the criminal go free.

Pursued, Patricia H. Rushford

Fiction for teens.

Allison Beaumont is beautiful, popular, wealthy, and she's just been crowned the Rose Festival Princess. But when dead roses start ariving on her doorstep and threatening phone calls follow, Allison realizes she's paying a high price for her throne.

Jennie McGrady has only one goal in life: to find her father. But Allison's plea for help tears Jennie away from her search and involves both of them in a dangerous race to hunt down the Portland Stalker.

Everything You Need to Know about Dealing with Stalking, Cynthia Wright

This book begins with a high school stalking scenario. After providing a clear definition of the term, Wright offers solid advice on ways to counteract stalking. The tone throughout is personal, making teens feel that the author is speaking directly to them. The book concludes by repeating the opening scenario and listing the steps the victim used to make herself less vulnerable. Carrying the characters from the opening scene into the narrative keeps readers engaged. A list of organizations to contact for help or information is appended. Teens should find it interesting and relevant.

Stalking: A Hot Issue, David Goodnough

In this book for teens, David Goonough explores this invasive crime, including the motives and capabilities of these perpetrators. Through actual stories of people who have been stalked, Goodnough exposes its grim reality and stresses the need for stronger legal action to be taken in punishing these criminals. Along with mentioning famous celebrity stalking cases, a number of teen stalking cases are also discussed.

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