The Gift of Fear

Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

By: Gavin de Becker

Narrated by: Gavin de Becker

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.

Everyone needs to listen!

I’d like to start off by saying this version of The Gift of Fear was updated in 2021. It’s a phenomenal book and I really feel like everyone could gain knowledge from reading/listening.

Thank you for writing this book.

Countless insights and actionable intelligence. “No.” (Is a sentence that needs no follow up conditions that inadvertently open up negotiation.) I wish my teenage self could have read this book. This should be required reading for everyone.

The best!

Do yourself a favor and get this book. A+ narration and content! I love it when the narrator is the writer.

Should be on everyone’s list

This book should absolutely be on everyone’s (especially womens’) “to read” list. I’d go so far to argue that it should be a mandatory part of every high school curriculum. I found it not only empowering, but also incredibly insightful. The fact that the author of this book is a man makes it all the better—he is a true ally!

Amazing book for a recovering victim

This book was incredible, I am now using it in a research paper that I am writing. As a recovering victim of sexual assault and rape, this book was reassuring, and everything that it said. The warning signs about intuition were expertly stated, and I felt compelled to listen because the real world, comparisons and stories felt more credible than something that was made up.