Fear Less: Real Truth About Risk, Safety, and Security in a Time of Terrorism

by Gavin de Becker

Gavin de Becker's landmark book The Gift Of Fear showed millions of readers how to better protect themselves from violence and unwarranted fear. Now, in Fear Less, de Becker answers the questions many Americans have been asking since September 11th.

Can air travel be safe? What is the risk of biological or chemical attack? Can the government detect and prevent future acts? How can we best talk to our children about what has happened and what might happen? What can we do to reduce fear and worry? What specific steps can we take to reduce terrorism? What are terrorists likely to do next? Most simply, is everything going to be all right?

De Becker says, "Just as your imagination has placed you in frightening situations, it is now time to place yourself in empowering situations, time to see that you have a role to play, and contrary to so many TV news stories, it isn't just victim-in-waiting." Fear Less offers specific recommendations that can enhance our national security and our individual safety--and help put fear into perspective.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Science, Survival, Politics, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Gavin de Becker is an expert on the prediction and management of violence. He has served on President's Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Governor's Advisory Board at the California Department of Mental Health; he now runs a consulting firm which advises government agencies, universities, police departments, corporations, and media figures on the assessment of threats and hazards.

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a VERY good reason why the title of this book is two word's rather than one. I am no political buff but you don't have to be to read and understand this book. It tell's the reader, among other thing's, to listen to their instinct's, specifically reguarding situation's where you see sometheing or someone that makes you nervous yet you do nothing. One example it give's is were someone placed a travel (carry-on size) bag on a public transit train that had the word BOMB written in big bold letter's on it, but everyone that reported haveing seen it, after it went off, said they thought it was a scare tactic by an idiot. The only person that reported it prior to the explosion actually got off the train as soon as he saw it, because althought he thought it was a hoax, he played it safe and called 911 any way. Turnned out to be something after all. There are many other example's in the book, real life examples of people that called in strange thing's they've seen at night on their way home or what have you, thinking it was possibly just their imagination working over time but they called just to be safe. Not to say that everyone should get 911 happy and call about every single thing that makes 'em nervous, but it is true that FAR too many people are FAR removed from listening to that inner voice that tell's you something isn't right, for what reason you have no idea, so you shrug it off as nothing. Everyone in their right mind should listen to that inner voice. More often than not you will find out sooner than later just why you had the "bad feeling" in the first place, much sooner even still if you go against your own instinct's!

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read The Gift of Fear by the same author. While I did pull a few nuggets of new wisdom from this book, much of it was either a repeat of The Gift of Fear or focused heavily on terrorist attacks and the mass hysteria following 9/11.

Slightly dated, but interesting nonetheless. If safety and security is your jam, especially for a business or a large group of people, this is probably worth your read. Otherwise, I would just recommend everyone in the world read The Gift of Fear.

The couple nuggets of truth I really enjoyed were: 1) how he broke down the blatant fear-mongering and sensationalizing the media pedals (specifically, key words to look out for and how to interpret them rationally). For example, "Doctors admit they are not prepared for a mass casualty event...blah-blah" means they kept feeding irrationally hypothetical situations to a doctor who finally said, "Sure...I guess if 5,000 victims came through our door in the next 4 minutes, we wouldn't be ready for it." This turns into, "Local doctors admit they are not ready..." Or another example: "Possible connection/potential link between...." means, "Sure, there could be a connection between this person's truck breaking down and the climate change." In other words, they've found no evidence this individual's truck had anything to do with CLIMATE CHANGE or they WOULD have led with that.

Also, the bit about navigating how to talk to a child about tragedies and mental bullying from news' outlets was wonderful!

The author sneaks in a fair bit of political bias. Calling CNN fair and least prone to sensationalizing made me choke on my spit. But it wasn't constant, so it can slide.

I'd rate this a PG-13 for thematic/mature topics.

Original review posted 8/16/23.

[Juan Carlos Ortiz-Giró · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of common sense. Gavin emphasizes the keywords that we should pay attention and filter to get the truth in news reports and media. We receive daily a tremendous amount of information that is intended to impart fear by exaggerating facts or by sensationalism. De Becker books, in my experience, are intended to stimulate our natural instincts and critical thinking abilities. Very good read!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read.

It is not a rehashing of The Gift of Fear.

DeBecket presents information about how to recognize problematic behaviors in more public settings, like terrorism, and learn how to balance the reality of our situations to give us realistic expectations, rather than living in fear.

He takes the media to particular task for sensationalizing and sometimes artificially magnifying some risks.

The audiobook was well done.

[Michael Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gavin De Becker does a fine job drawing out the differences between risk, threat, hazard, anxiety, worry, and true fear vs unwarranted fear. Where Bruce Schneier (in his also excellent Beyond Fear) credits government with whipping up unwarranted fear, De Becker is more inclined to credit the news media. Published in 2002, when 9/11 and the anthrax letters still burned in everyone's imagination, it holds up very nicely. I’m a little surprised and disappointed that De Becker recycles large chunks of his 1997 book, The Gift of Fear, but in the context of developing an effective response to the fear of terrorism I recommend this quick and satisfying read

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Let’s be certain we don’t accept any… security proposals that reduce anxiety… when… security proposals that reduce risk… are actually less expensive and more effective...The key precaution in airline security is in the air, not on the ground. It is an effective entry-resistant cockpit door that is religiously kept closed throughout every flight.” Gavin de Becker, FEAR LESS, Real Truth about Risk, Safety, and Security in a time of Terrorism.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

June 2013 - I find it ironic that I read most of this post-9/11 book while sitting in airports or actually on the planes themselves. It's an easy book to read, with clear, thoughtful writing. de Becker manages to make tough truths about security and risk in today's terror-focused world more accessible and less scary to those who are inundated with reasons to be afraid. It's well worth the time to read (and it doesn't take long) and is definitely one I'll be recommending.

[Ginger K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Covers some of the same ground as The Gift of Fear, but in less detail. The focus is on terrorism and dealing constructively with fear on a national level, more than personal safety. If you've read The Gift of Fear, this one is almost unnecessary.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to return to this space and write a longer , fuller review worthy of such an important and essential work - and not the day after a 3 hour dental appointment, followed by stupor-sleep.

But in brief, today: he wrote this book immediately after the Sept 11th attacks, to give tools of wisdom (and some compassion sprinkled in in the final chapters too - where it made sense). And if the reader skimmed (though I don't recommend it) everything only about planes, air travel and terrorists (which again, I don't recommend you do), you'd be left with a book that actually also directly feeds wisdom for understanding and living in - and through - a pandemic. Please read it, the entire thing.

Personally I would love to see all of his books be required reading for life.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read 2 other books by Gavin de Becker and enjoyed them. I feel like I came across this book too late. It is 2019 and this book was published in 2002. A lot has changed since then, so much of the info felt dated. Still had some good info regarding intuition and denial. That said, I'd recommend reading "The Gift of Fear" as it was referenced in this book, and those were the parts I enjoyed the most.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Mr. de Becker's work. This book is somewhat dated, given its prevalence to 9/11, but is still very much worth a read. The last two chapers are the best, and the humor is a nice touch to heavy subject matter. I'm not in love with his frequent references to his seminal book, The Gift of Fear, but that book is so impactful that it is definitely worth a read first, if you get the chance.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book came out just after the events on 9/11 and tends to focus on that day, much of the information is still valid, today. Every year, or so, everyone should pick up a book like this to read, just to be mindful of the statistically real risks in everyday life. Also really liked the chapters on how to deal with what the media constantly pushes out and how to interpret their verbiage.

[Jim Cullison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penned in the days and months following 9/11, De Becker's masterpiece on realistic fear assessment is no less relevant today, especially in his incisive and withering evisceration of TV news. It could easily have the subtitle of "A Guide for De Catastrophizing In The Modern Age." Each sentence brings some manner of relief, and in this day and age, relief is water in the desert.

[HappyGSDmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is always been one of my very favorite authors, and he provides incredible insight and education regarding all topics surrounding terrorism, and also some excellent education as far as managing the emotional side of dealing with stress in intense situations. I bought this book and I happily would’ve paid double to have this in my personal collection

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While primarily dealing with terrorism, this book has a lot of timeless information that is applicable to any kind of fear, particularly those arising from national or worldwide crisis. Fear vs anxiety vs worry and valuable reminders like most public measures don't reduce risk just anxiety seem especially timely in the wake of covid-19.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was extremely relevant 2001-2004- ish. It speaks to the state of security and what every citizen can do to support homeland security from an incredibly qualified security expert. I read this because I'll read anything that Gavin de Becker writes. There were pieces of information that make so much sense for anyone, what's worth noticing and what isn't when it comes to what to fear.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would love to see an updated book as this one is focused after the events of 9/11 and the threats we faced as a nation following. So much has changed as have our threats. Still a good read.

How did this book find me? My boss has recommended the author. It is going away from Audible at the end of October 2024.

[Chad Schomber · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s part psychology, part practical safety advice, part myth-busting. Real stories, no fluff. A good one to read with a highlighter.

Fear isn’t always bad—but unmanaged fear can ruin your life.
Instinct > worry.
The media profits off your panic.
Violence is rarely random.
You can learn to spot warning signs early.

[Beckie Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell 4 the kangaroo part. U got me. Ur so right about the last chapter or 2 about the media. The bk is dated because it focused A LOT on 9/11 but terrorism is far from being eradicated. WE WILL NEVER 4GET!

[Amy Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve read the gift of fear , you might be bored with this. It has a lot of the same stories directly from that book.

The post 9/11 terrorism discussions were pretty interesting

Overall it’s a great book , just very similar to the gift of fear. Read that one

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit outdated but some of the key principles are still very relevant. It definitely contains some good nuggets for thought.

[Kelly Nuño]

Started it on accident because I confused it with his other book “the gift of fear” DNF around 46%

[Alex Hoskinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the information is now outdated, but this quick read is still worth it for the timeless aspects.

[Tika Sampract · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights into fear mongering and strategies to hone in on the truth while keeping your sanity.

[Jana Botkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost 5 stars, but it is outdated, written shortly after 9/11. Wow, this guy writes all kinds of practical sense. I particularly enjoyed his explanation of how TV news is designed to alarm folks.

[Amber Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very educational

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read The Gift of Fear, by the same author a couple of years ago, and I loved it. I was really thrilled with what I was learning about fear, human instincts, intuition, protection, etc. I ran into this book in an old books store, and got it thinking it was going to be as exciting as The Gift of Fear. However I never felt I was getting any new information regarding security issues. I still think The Gif of Fear is much better.

It didn't hurt to read it, but it was not that enlightening as his prior work. The only reassurance I got out of it is that I shouldn't watch any more TV News, and if I ever do, I should be very selective as to what I let in and what I should disregard. It does seem like the TV News have as their secret mission to spook every viewer with their gore comments and images. And more than being truly informed they only feed our personal paranoia. He's right when he says that the news should simply open with phrases like: "Welcome to Channel Two News; we're surprised you made it through another day. Here's what happened to those who didn't". And this applies to most industrialized countries around the world I think.

Last week I decided not to watch any more news, for good, nor even read the papers. If something really important happens I will find about it for sure, without having to go through the stress and endless indignation of watching how the world boils in hate and violence. And knowing I can't do anything to change that, or even stop that apocalyptic reality from happening day after day, especially in my country. So, if you read The Gift of Fear you can skip this one without missing much, but if this is the first of his books that you read, I invite you to get a copy of The Gift of Fear too because it's really worth reading and having.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm treading lightly here because I recently admonished some reviewers for judging one book based on the author's content or style in another. That being said I was criticizing them because they were rating the author badly because one fiction book was not as amazing as another and such a departure from one book to the next. In this case I honestly feel that DeBecker wrote the same book with a different context.

I love The Gift of Fear. It is one I reference regularly in my work and practice. This book is all the same information repackaged into a new way of looking at it. The Gift of Fear focused more on the person, Fear Less focused on global threats. The concepts are exactly the same. Even reading the first few paged DeBecker stated that he wrote this book in response to 9/11 and it feels that way as I read it. It is still very well organized but for someone who has read DeBecker before, especially The Gift of Fear, it is repetative and boring.

That said, if this is your first DeBecker book and you honestly have fears regarding terrorism and things of that nature then this book is a good read. It helps you understand how your fears can often be realized (and sometimes overdramatized) and how we as humans are much more adept at protecting ourselves than we give ourselves credit.

It is still a good book which is why I still gave it four stars. I can still reference and use it in my practice and it does reenforce concepts related in previous books. But as someone who has already heard it once, I didn't feel like I needed it again.

[Jonathan Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book from Gavin de Becker. I have only read this and Gift of Fear. I see this as an addendum to GoF. He reviews some of the core ideas from that and adds new information about terrorism.

I find de Becker's writing style to be brisk, concise, and engaging. He balances humor with seriousness. He is direct and opinionated but also fair and compassionate.

Funny quote about the manipulative tricks of the media, under the heading of "warning signs":
"Next up, criminals who hide out in your purse and rob you when you get home! Warning signs: purse feels extra heavy; strange noises coming from purse."

I like how he conceptualizes the differences between fear, anxiety, and worry. Finally, I appreciate the call for recognizing shared humanity as our ultimate way of understanding one another, becoming more alert for true danger, and working collaboratively toward a better tomorrow. Really good stuff.

[Melanie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gift of Fear -- arguably de Becker's best known book -- is one I'd recommend everyone read, if not own. While it focuses on unstable situations, largely, its lessons are universal and always relevant.

The same, too, with this book, though de Becker was writing it when September 11th happened, and it was released in 2002. It's very much of its time, and in some ways, a lot has changed since then. In most ways, though, not much has changed since then.

My favourite section of the book was his deconstruction of "newsspeak", the sneaky words and phrases the media use to give stories weight, make them scary, or impart shock value.