From a nationally recognized violence-prevention expert, an accessible guide that debunks the most pervasive myths about crime and offers evidence-based strategies that make us safer
A specific image of violence and how to avoid it lives in a lot of our imaginations. And what some of us fear most is shaped not by the strongest evidence, but the most viral horror stories.
Meg Stone, an abuse and violence prevention expert, dives deep into dangerous safety myths and helps us understand what the evidence shows and what men in positions of authority just expect us to believe because they said so.
Meg debunks myths about:
- how attackers behave (“Don’t Fight Back. It Will Make the Attacker Angry and You’ll Get Hurt Worse”),
- what (or who) to fear (“Crime Is at an All-Time High and Going Up”),
- what you should never do (“Don’t Wear a Ponytail. An Attacker Could Grab It”); and
- what you should always do (“Trust Your Intuition”)
Each chapter offers practical strategies for protecting ourselves that also contribute to the activism it takes to change the conditions that cause or contribute to violence.
You don’t have to diminish yourself or restrict your life to avoid being attacked. Critical thinking, not following simplistic directives, is the real way to be “smart” about safety.
“Meg Stone debunks the myths about sexual assault with humor, passion and piles of data. This is an essential book for anyone who plans to walk up stairs, wear a ponytail and feel empowered.”
—Pagan Kennedy, author of The Secret History of the Rape Kit
“Finally, a book that empowers rather than weakens, a book that tells women we can and should expect more. We no longer have to be eternal victims. Meg Stone has delivered.”
—Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises and Women We Buried, Women We Burned
INTRODUCTION
Dumb Women Who Get Attacked and the Men Who Try to Save Them
PART 1: HOW ATTACKERS BEHAVE
MYTH 1
“Attackers Can Tell Who Makes a Good Victim by the Way They Walk”
MYTH 2
“Don’t Fight Back. It Will Make the Attacker Angry and You’ll Get Hurt Worse.”
PART 2: WHAT (OR WHO) TO FEAR
MYTH 3
”I Read in the News There’s an Attacker on the Loose, So I Need to Be More Careful Out There”
MYTH 4
”Treat Anyone Who Looks Out of Place with Suspicion”
MYTH 5
“Crime Is at an All-Time High and Going Up”
PART 3: WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO
MYTH 6
“Don’t Wear a Ponytail. An Attacker Could Grab It.”
MYTH 7
“Don’t Park Next to a Van (Especially White Vans or Vans with Tinted Windows)”
MYTH 8
“Make Sure People Can’t See Through Your Windows, Especially When You’re Undressed”
MYTH 9
“Don’t Go Shopping Alone. Otherwise You Could Be a Target of Human Traffickers.”
PART 4: WHAT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO
MYTH 10
“Always Take the Elevator. Attackers Hide Out in Stairwells.”
MYTH 11
“Always Trust Your Intuition”
CONCLUSION
How to Be Safe(r) in an Evidence-Poor World
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index