The Gift of Fear
and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence
by Gavin de Becker
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More Recommenders
“@JonZilla___ Get a book called “The Gift of Fear” | I don’t read a lot of selfhelp books, but I buy a lot of them. I usually give up when the first chapter hasn’t magically transformed me into someone wonderful. The one exception is Gavin de Becker’s “The Gift of Fear.” It should be required reading for all women, and men for that matter. Maybe men would then get why we reject their advances in poorly lit parking lots — it’s not because we’re bitches, it’s because we don’t want to get murdered. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I?d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I’d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless.”
Source →“@JonZilla___ Get a book called “The Gift of Fear” | I don’t read a lot of selfhelp books, but I buy a lot of them. I usually give up when the first chapter hasn’t magically transformed me into someone wonderful. The one exception is Gavin de Becker’s “The Gift of Fear.” It should be required reading for all women, and men for that matter. Maybe men would then get why we reject their advances in poorly lit parking lots — it’s not because we’re bitches, it’s because we don’t want to get murdered. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I?d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I’d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless.”
Source →“@JonZilla___ Get a book called “The Gift of Fear” | I don’t read a lot of selfhelp books, but I buy a lot of them. I usually give up when the first chapter hasn’t magically transformed me into someone wonderful. The one exception is Gavin de Becker’s “The Gift of Fear.” It should be required reading for all women, and men for that matter. Maybe men would then get why we reject their advances in poorly lit parking lots — it’s not because we’re bitches, it’s because we don’t want to get murdered. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I?d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I’d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless.”
Source →“@JonZilla___ Get a book called “The Gift of Fear” | I don’t read a lot of selfhelp books, but I buy a lot of them. I usually give up when the first chapter hasn’t magically transformed me into someone wonderful. The one exception is Gavin de Becker’s “The Gift of Fear.” It should be required reading for all women, and men for that matter. Maybe men would then get why we reject their advances in poorly lit parking lots — it’s not because we’re bitches, it’s because we don’t want to get murdered. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I?d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I’d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless.”
Source →“@JonZilla___ Get a book called “The Gift of Fear” | I don’t read a lot of selfhelp books, but I buy a lot of them. I usually give up when the first chapter hasn’t magically transformed me into someone wonderful. The one exception is Gavin de Becker’s “The Gift of Fear.” It should be required reading for all women, and men for that matter. Maybe men would then get why we reject their advances in poorly lit parking lots — it’s not because we’re bitches, it’s because we don’t want to get murdered. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I?d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I’d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless.”
Source →Recommended by 7 notable people, including Tim Ferriss and David Heinemeier Hansson
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Reading this feels like sitting through a series of real-world safety briefings: short, anecdote-driven chapters that foreground moments when gut feelings mattered. Main value is practical attention to warning signs and concrete examples of signals that precede violence; it trains a risk-aware frame more than technical methods. Main limitation is repetition and a heavy reliance on vivid anecdotes—readers wanting systematic checklists or hands-on drills may find it thin. Tone can feel urgent and occasionally prescriptive.
Read this if...
- •retail loss-prevention manager updating staff guidance after a troubling incident — useful for concrete, memorable examples to illustrate warning signs in front-line conversations
- •a parent shaken by a nearby break-in who wants clearer language for noticing and acting on uneasy instincts — offers practical scenarios to help override social politeness
- •hr professional drafting initial workplace-safety messaging after a threat who needs plainspoken phrases and examples to brief colleagues and leaders
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the same warning signs get restated through multiple long anecdotes; repetition is a common drop-off point
- •annoying if you prefer statistical studies or formal protocols — the book leans on cases and judgments rather than systematic data or procedural templates
- •not a hands-on training manual: lacks step-by-step exercises or drills if you're looking for practice tasks to train others
Protect yourself by learning how to trust ? and act on ? your instincts with the "empowering" #1 bestseller from personal safety expert Gavin de Becker (Boston Globe).A carjacker lurking in a shopping mall parking lot. An abusive husband pounding on the door. A disgruntled employee brandishing a gun. These days, no one is safe from the specter of v...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- retail loss-prevention manager updating staff guidance after a troubling incident — useful for concrete, memorable examples to illustrate warning signs in front-line conversations
- a parent shaken by a nearby break-in who wants clearer language for noticing and acting on uneasy instincts — offers practical scenarios to help override social politeness
- hr professional drafting initial workplace-safety messaging after a threat who needs plainspoken phrases and examples to brief colleagues and leaders
- you'll likely put it down when the same warning signs get restated through multiple long anecdotes; repetition is a common drop-off point
- annoying if you prefer statistical studies or formal protocols — the book leans on cases and judgments rather than systematic data or procedural templates
- not a hands-on training manual: lacks step-by-step exercises or drills if you're looking for practice tasks to train others
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 9 sources and appears in Criminal Psychology, Survival, and Books Recommended by Tim Ferriss.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Nicholas C. Zakas
“@JonZilla___ Get a book called “The Gift of Fear” | I don’t read a lot of selfhelp books, but I buy a lot of them. I usually give up when the first chapter hasn’t magically transformed me into someone wonderful. The one exception is Gavin de Becker’s “The Gift of Fear.” It should be required reading for all women, and men for that matter. Maybe men would then get why we reject their advances in poorly lit parking lots — it’s not because we’re bitches, it’s because we don’t want to get murdered. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I?d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless. | If I had a daughter, girlfriend, or wife, I’d highly recommend this book to them. Less useful for men unless you have reason to fear assassination, but an interesting read theless.”
View sources (3) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.