Exploding The Myth of Self-Defense, by Judith Fein, Ph.D

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his is the second book by Dr. Fein: "Exploding the Myth of Self-Defense - A Survival Guide for Every Woman". You'll find the other one here: "Are You a Target? - A Guide to Self-Protection and Personal Safety".

In her second book the author continues to discuss the issues from "Are You a Target?" in more detail. And I'm happy to say that it has become a great book indeed! Dr. Fein focuses on all the arguments that have been attempted used against women fighting back, and she brings all the hard facts that shows the opposite - women can (and should) without a doubt fight back! There are very few times when this isn't the best option. There are a number of studies on this, and she refers to these studies. Very clarifying and solid work!

A point that I personally find to be both true and very positive - is when Fein talks about how a woman can gain more control by targeting what she calls the "inner enemy" more than the outside enemy (the perpetrator/s). The way I see this is that it's better to focus on what you can do something about (yourself), rather than what you can not do something about (others). Ah... music to my ears! And by all means, this is something that is equally true about both genders - this is not solely a "woman thing"!

Fein wants to give women a stronger sense of empowerment, trust in their own strengths and possibilities. In chapter two these goals are targeted by self-defense training, awareness, attitudes, communication and such. The whole of chapter three is dedicated to inspiring stories of women who chose two fight back.

Throughout the book, which I recommend without any reservations, there are different strategies for resisiting rapes, strategies towards acquaintance rapes as well as against sexual harassments. You will receive tips on being more "street-smart", various myths about physical self-defense etc. You will not find any such techniques shown - a fact that only adds to the quality of the book. There are plenty of those books already! Do get this inspiring and de-mystifying book - Abebooks is a good place to start looking!

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