Dell Publishing Company (Paperback),
ISBN 0440508835
If the notion of fear as a "gift" seems a tad paradoxical, crack the cover of this book and read a chapter or two. By the time you reach page 24 you'll see fear in a whole new light. And who better to illuminate the darkness than Gavin de Becker?

A childhood home more likely to smell of gunpowder than cooking odors functioned as de Becker’s personal academy for the acquisition of survival skills. His life depended on his ability to recognize the "pre-incident indicators" of violent behavior. As a boy he used his talent to keep himself and his baby sister alive. Today de Becker advises celebrities, corporations and law enforcement agencies on the prediction and avoidance of violence.

Arguing that we already possess the expertise needed to predict myriad varieties of human behavior, de Becker implores us to respect our intuition. Men prefer the term "gut feeling." Whatever you choose to call those hunches, persistent thoughts and doubts -- stop ignoring them.

The next time you drive in morning traffic pay attention to the role intuition plays in many of your decisions. Parents predict their child's response to a new teacher. Spouses become adept at "reading" one another. In fact, as de Becker points out, the root of the word intuition, "tuere," means "to guard, to protect." Some of the voices in which intuition speaks to us include curiosity, wonder, suspicion, apprehension, and even humor. Sound familiar?

Think of fear as your intuition shouting at you at the top of its lungs. Once you listen and take action the clamor subsides. Yet because so many of us deny our gut reactions we live in a constant state of anxiety. Fearing all people all the time not only depletes our lives of joy, but squanders the most potent survival signal in our arsenal.

De Becker uses stories from his career to highlight the benefits of listening to our intuitive perceptions. If you sometimes wonder how to keep your loved ones safe, this book may hold some answers for you. If you toss and turn all night after hiring a "nice" babysitter, this book may save your child's life. If your break-up lines contain phrases like "We can still be friends…" this book may save your life.

En route to discovering a new appreciation for your intuition you will also enjoy a good read. Although dealing with the gritty realities of daily life, de Becker's book reads like a novel. Have no fear.

Peggy Jones

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