The Gift of Fear

July 12th:

So yesterday my neighbor/friend came over to chat with my mom and brought along with her a little pre-college gift for me: a book titled "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker. I thought it was a bit of a weird gift to give a teenager, but I accepted it graciously and planned on tucking it away with all of the other strange little books I've gotten from people throughout the years. However, last night I thought I'd give it a chance, so I plopped down to read the first chapter, named "In the Presence of Danger". Immediately I was sucked into the story of a young woman who at first didn't listen to her intuition, but later did - which saved her life. Despite being a little creepy, the first chapter (and the next) were extremely real, down-to-earth, and eye-opening about how fear and gut feelings are a gift in any situation in which violence may occur: from carrying one's groceries to one's car, to walking through a park.

I had planned on sticking "The Gift of Fear" on a shelf to be forgotten and gather dust, however now I'm not only a third of the way through it (page 106 out of 315), but I also want to recommend it to all of my female friends - young AND old. "THIS BOOK CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE" is written on the cover, and although I thought at first that that was just a tag line to get you interested, now I actually believe it. I am truly convinced that any and every person who reads this book will be more prepared to get out of any possibly dangerous situation and protect those they love.

Every story in the book is true, and although they are in most cases disturbing, I have come to the conclusion that as a young woman I have been too sheltered from the truths of violence in every day life.

Reading this book is really thought-provoking and I think if I was put into one of the many situations described in the book NOW, having read even just a third of it, I would be much better prepared to avoid violence.

So, I DO encourage you to read "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker (assuming you are... 15 or older). Tell me if you decide to pick it up and we can talk about it! Keep it classy my friends~