Self Defense: A Woman's Handbook: How to be safer in the streets, in the home, at work and when travelling

Self defense! is a handbook for all women who want to live full and independent lives, fearlessly, and with minimum risk to personal safety. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on preventing theft or attack rather than on self-defense.

Self defense! will reassure and make you feel freer, safer and less vulnerable. It is packed with sensible and practical advice on how to avoid danger, whether you are in the street, in the home, at work or travelling. It suggests strategies you can use when faced with potentially difficult or dangerous situations and, in the unlikely event that your prevention techniques fail, it tells you what you should do if you are attacked.

“It is sad that we need to discuss how to protect ourselves. But the truth is that almost all women feel scared at times. Like the author of this book, I look back at the things I did in my youth and feel worried for my former self! I am angry that I have lost that innocence and freedom. But there is no doubt I am worried when I walk home through dark streets late at night.
I am aware of course that the statistical chance of anyone of us being attacked is small, and I keep telling myself and my friends that young males are more likely to be attacked in the streets at night. But my instincts tell me to be frightened. It was a woman who told me to cross over when male footsteps caused me to be worried. Before that I kept walking - grimly.
I was mugged, fairly recently, in a car park. He thumped me in the back and ran off with my bag. I bawled and shouted and chased him. He dropped the bag and a policeman heard my shouting and continued the chase. I got everything back and felt very proud of myself. It would have been devastating to lose my keys and diary and papers, and perhaps it was the loss of my constituency papers that made me brave. The experience has somehow made me less scared but more careful.
What is important is that we learn how to protect ourselves and each other - without losing our freedom. That is what this book is about. Warnings that scare us make things worse.
Sensible advice like this will make us brave and strong. I hope that by reading Self defense!, you will grow in awareness and strength and demand the changes in society that will make us all safe .” Sarah Knight