Available soon the download: Amazon | Audiobooks | Barnes & Noble | Libro.fm
A self-defense expert helps women and other targets of gender-based violence discern fact from fiction, improve their personal safety, and support social change
Personal safety shouldn’t mean avoiding danger or living in fear
There are 2 kinds of safety choices: those that disrupt power structures and those that leave them unquestioned. Gender-based violence is a social and political problem, but it’s often enacted in the most intimate spheres of our lives.
In this book, nationally recognized leader in abuse prevention Meg Stone debunks baseless advice we get about personal safety. Tips like “don’t go shopping alone” and “don’t wear a ponytail” are not based on any evidence, but that doesn’t stop police officers and other men in authority from telling women to restrict our lives.
Sharing stories from a Black transgender woman building a grassroots group to defend her community, to a would-be Taekwondo Olympian fighting back in the courts, to a pharmaceutical scientist fighting back in the lab, Stone argues there are 2 opposing philosophies of how to make people safer, one of which exacerbates victim-blame (safety through compliance) and the other challenges it (safety through resistance).
Stone gives readers practical strategies for keeping themselves and their loved ones safer in ways that that affirm their right to be full participants in social, political and professional life.
“Intriguing . . . This is sure to stir debate.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The Cost of Fear delivers a compelling critique of the shortcomings of conventional safety practices. Through meticulous evidence-based research and personal stories, Stone suggests more effective strategies for eliminating gender-based violence.”
—Wendy Rouse, author of Her Own Hero
“Meg Stone offers her incredible knowledge with love and compassion, an essential guide for resistance-based self-defense training. Drawing from her decades-long experience, Stone empowers you to build mental resilience and vital techniques for developing situational awareness to defuse gender-based violence quickly for your safety. The Cost of Fear is a must-read for people of all genders and ages, regardless of their fitness and experience levels.”
—Rev. Irene Monroe, co-host of All Rev’d Up on Boston Public Radio
“Meg Stone has written a powerful, accessible, and devastatingly acute analysis of the pervasiveness of gender-based violence and why our efforts to prevent it have failed, packed with expert insight drawn from her decades-long career and practical tips to empower women and others who are targeted. The Cost of Fear moved me, enraged me, and educated me. I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about it. I wish this book weren’t necessary. But until we live in a better world, get this book.”
—Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body
“In The Cost of Fear, Meg Stone weaves together stories—from the individual to the organizational—and extensive research to offer a comprehensive understanding of the problem of gender-based violence. She makes a clear, compelling case for safety through resistance to both protect individuals and change society. Valuable for everyone from policy-makers to individuals wanting to increase their safety, this book can change the world.”
—Lauren R. Taylor, founder-director of Defend Yourself