Meg Stone – författare

A violence prevention expert helps targets of gender-based violence discern fact from fiction around what keeps us safe and support social changePersonal safety shouldn’t mean living in fear, nor should it come at the expense of political progress.Questionable advice to avoid violence, like “don’t go shopping alone,” comes mostly from the police or other men in authority. But gender-based violence is often enacted in the most intimate spheres of our lives, not when we’re out grocery shopping. To stop this violence, we need strategies that are just as intimate.In The Cost of Fear, nationally recognized violence prevention expert Meg Stone helps readers separate fact from fiction. It’s full of practical, research-based strategies that readers can use to keep themselves and their communities safer. Increased safety comes from developing the skills to resist coercive control, especially from people we know or people in authority, not from complying with rigid rules or avoiding homeless people on the street.This deeply researched book draws timely connections between personal safety and political change—from Latina organizers in California working to stop sexual violence against night shift janitorial workers to teenage girls who call out double standards.Work to change laws and change people’s minds is essential, but without practical strategies, the change is incomplete. The Cost of Fear will show us how we can make safety choices that expand our worlds and contribute to the fight for social justice.

From a nationally recognized violence-prevention expert, an accessible guide that debunks the most pervasive myths about crime and offers evidence-based strategies that make us saferA specific image of violence and how to avoid it lives in a lot of our imaginations. What some of us fear most is shaped not by the strongest evidence but by the most viral horror stories.Meg Stone, a violence prevention expert, traces the origins of these myths and how they are used to scare us into submission. While political leaders and social-media influencers use myths about crime to divide us, this book equips readers with facts and concrete action steps.Stone breaks down these myths into four parts:“How Attackers Behave: what the research shows about whether fighting back makes attackers more angry“What (or Who) to Fear”: a treatise on the impact of media inaccurately reporting a “crime wave”“What You Should Never Do”: including the myth that an attacker could grab your ponytail—very unlikely!“What You Should Always Do”: should you really always trust your intuition?Each chapter offers practical strategies for people to keep themselves safer and how to contribute to social change that builds a safer world.You don’t have to diminish yourself or restrict your life to avoid being attacked. Critical thinking, not following simplistic directives, is the real way to be “smart” about safety.

A violence prevention expert helps targets of gender-based violence discern fact from fiction around what keeps us safe and support social changePersonal safety shouldn’t mean living in fear, nor should it come at the expense of political progress.Questionable advice to avoid violence, like “don’t go shopping alone,” comes mostly from the police or other men in authority. But gender-based violence is often enacted in the most intimate spheres of our lives, not when we’re out grocery shopping. To stop this violence, we need strategies that are just as intimate.In The Cost of Fear, nationally recognized violence prevention expert Meg Stone helps readers separate fact from fiction. It’s full of practical, research-based strategies that readers can use to keep themselves and their communities safer. Increased safety comes from developing the skills to resist coercive control, especially from people we know or people in authority, not from complying with rigid rules or avoiding homeless people on the street.This deeply researched book draws timely connections between personal safety and political change—from Latina organizers in California working to stop sexual violence against night shift janitorial workers to teenage girls who call out double standards.Work to change laws and change people’s minds is essential, but without practical strategies, the change is incomplete. The Cost of Fear will show us how we can make safety choices that expand our worlds and contribute to the fight for social justice.