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The Gift of Fear

Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

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The Gift of Fear

Written by: Gavin de Becker
Narrated by: Gavin de Becker
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About this listen

A special edition of The Gift of Fear, with a new foreword by the author.

A stranger in a deserted parking lot offers to help carry a woman's groceries. Is he a good Samaritan, or is he after something else? A fired employee says "You'll be sorry". Will he return with a gun? After their first date, a man tells a woman it is their "destiny" to be married. What will he do when she won't see him again? A mother has an uneasy feeling about the nice babysitter she's just hired. Should she not go to work today?

These days, no one in America feels immune to violence. But now, in this extraordinary, groundbreaking book, the nation's leading expert on predicting violent behavior unlocks the puzzle of human violence and shows that, like every creature on earth, we have within us the ability to predict the harm others might do us and get out of its way. Contrary to popular myth, human violence almost always has a discernible motive and is preceded by clear warning signs.

Through dozens of compelling examples from his own career, Gavin de Becker teaches us how to read the signs, using our most basic but often most discounted survival skill - our intuition. The Gift of Fear is a remarkable, unique combination of practical guidance on leading a safer life and profound insight into human behavior.

©1997 Gavin de Becker; 2021 Gavin de Becker (P)2021 Audible, Inc.
Abuse Personal Development Psychology Mental Health
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What listeners say about The Gift of Fear

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great book

loved this book. a must read and especially for women. circumstances were very well explained

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Excellent book on safety with real life examples!

This book is a valuable resource for encouraging people (women especially, in my opinion) to trust their intuition or “gut instinct”. I appreciated the real world situations and the stories from Gavin’s personal security business.

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Everyone should read!

After over 20 years of wanting to read this book I finally got it done. Thank you Gavin and thank you Audible.

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Phenomenal

I can’t formulate the words to express how amazing this book is, as well as how exceptionally it was narrated.

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Everyone must read this!

Everyone needs to read this! I plan on making my kids read this when they are old enough. Schools should be teaching this!

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Wow

Amazing book for every woman ever. I learned so much. I strongly recommend. This may just save your life.

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I liked it

First half was really really good, the rest was ok to finish the book. Overall, I liked it.

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Powerful, informative & simple to apply.

I spent 15 years as a Police Officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Pollice, 8 of which I was directly involved in protection of high profile public figures.

The information about intimate partner violence and stalkers was the most impressive part of the book. Mr. De Becker is right. In Law Enforcment we rely heavily on court orders as a deterrent, but a piece of paper rarely prevents an offender from violently re-offending.

This book should be required reading in every Police Academy. Domestic Violence was by far the most common form of violence I encountered as a Police Officer. I think of the victims I could've helped more thoroughly with a safety plan, rather than going through the check the box mindset of seek court order & move on to the next problem.

Bonus: Mr. De Becker is a great narrator, enjoyable to listen to.

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Everyone should have this knowledge

This is an amazing book. I don’t even know how else to say it. It should be read by everyone. I have bought the softcover to give to my daughter, it it makes me feel like I have helped her to avoid any dangerous situation, before she even get into it. It’s like a manual on how to keep yourself safe.
I can’t recommend this book enough.
Thank you Mr. de Becker

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Great read.

the author put fear in perspective, bye bye fear of flying! I enjoyed all the real life examples. thank you

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