To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home [Hardcover]

Chris Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2007

A never-before-written exposé on catching child predators, from the creator of the powerful NBC Dateline series

Over 40,000,000 Americans have seen Dateline NBC’s ongoing “To Catch a Predator” series, with an average of 11 million viewers per episode. So far, the Dateline series has led to the arrest of 183 men and shown that child predators can be anyone—even those most trusted in the community—including rabbis, doctors, and teachers.

In his book To Catch a Predator, Chris Hansen, the creator and on-air correspondent for Dateline’s most successful series, looks deeper into the world of child predators. The book expands beyond the Dateline series to include commentary from psychological and criminal experts about the origins and methods of child predators, and includes substantive advice for both parents and children on how to protect kids on the Internet. Hansen also looks at the current methods for treating child predators and interviews several of the men seen on the Dateline show to follow up on their lives since being arrested. To Catch a Predator presents a strong analysis of what some feel is a child predator epidemic and a startling look at the shortcomings of our systems and society.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Hansen, who created the successful “To Catch a Predator” series, is a correspondent for NBC’s Dateline. Since the Dateline specials have aired, Chris Hansen has become a nationally known authority on protecting children from child predators, and he recently testified before Congress.

From AudioFile

The millions of fans of the popular Dateline television show will love Chris Hansons complete story of catching Internet predators red-handed and the support people who make the stings work. Parents can learn how predators gain young teens trust online and lure them into traps that may harm--even kill--them. Listeners will swear that narrator Todd McLaren sounds exactly like show host Stone Phillips, deep and articulate. The sound-alike narration makes a clever transition from the small screen to the audiobook. McLaren reads the many quotes with a subtle change in his voice to distinguish the dialogue from the narrative, but the voices arent characters. The predators graphic language in the chats doesnt get bleeped out as on TV. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1 edition (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525950095
• ISBN-13: 978-0525950097
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected but more than I asked for, May 6, 2007

By 

Charles D. Maynard (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home (Hardcover)

I bought this book for the same reason I watched all of the 'Predator' shows: To see creatures who live under the rocks among us and watch their reactions when they are exposed to the light. Each creep who slanks through the door at the 'Predator' house is caught in the glow; they are forced into lying. Chris Hansen does a marvelous job of letting them get caaught in their own web then with those magic words "I'm Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC and we're..." we watch them melt in their own goo. It's voyeuristic on our part but also in the confusing world of greys we are presented with a clear vision of black and white and the bad guys in black hats are caught. So I assummed the book would be more of the same stories, each with a little twist (this one is a rabbi; this one a periodontist, this one a...etc.)

But to expect that is to forget that even though he is a good entertainer and story teller, Chris Hansen is in his heart a journalist. He wants to tell a good story, but instead of simply telling the same one over and over (which he could easily have done and walked away with a healthy pocket of change) Hansen wants to tell the whole story. In this book he looks at the epidemic of child sexual abuse via computer from all sides. Rather than simply rehash what we have seen on the television he uses the book to explore the depths of this silent and terrifying epidemic in ways that television doesn't allow. The reader who expects to be 'entertained' by watching the predators walk into the trap and get snapped up over and over may be dissappointed. Chris Hansen's book will require thought and effort by the reader. Instead of merely sitting back and being spoon-fed stories the book digs into this horrible epidemic and examines it from many angles. It is required reading for any household with a computer and children under the age of eighteen.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Surprised By This Book, April 9, 2007

By 

Frederick S. Goethel "wildcatcreekbooks" (Central Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home (Hardcover)

I was leery of this book from the beginning. I am not a fan of the show and I have a very big problem with a group like [...] Justice doing vigilante type work. I was, therefore, rather pleasantly surprised by the book.

The information in the book was better than I had thought it would be. Although there is a lot of hype for both [...] Justice and for the show "To Catch A Predator", there is also a good deal of factual information which will be useful to parents and other adults who have to confront this issue. I was very pleased to see that the book presented both sides of the problem and that it was not a diatribe dedicated to merely locking up the individuals who have been caught. In fact, I think one of the best arguments made by the book is that many of the 1 strike laws that are currently sweeping the nation are actually detrimental to law enforcement.

The book did have stories which I think were more "filler" than necessary information, and I wish the book had gone into more detail about some of the subjects. The author was very forthcoming about the lack of statistics on this issue, and detailed how that was causing fear than may be unjustified.

The only area where I thought the book was lacking was in the area of various laws around the nation regarding the legal age of sexual consent. From reading the book, it would be hard to figure out what is legal where. In California, for instance, the age is 18, while the age of consent for females in South Carolina is 14. In addition, there are numerous other laws involved. A simple chart in the back would have been a great addition so that parents would know at what age children can do what in each state.

Overall, I think the book has some good information and is worth reading. The disclaimer is, however, that there is some pretty graphic sexual information present and it can be tough to read.

14 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It will help everyone stay safer and be smarter online...., March 18, 2007

By 

Parry Aftab "Parry Aftab" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home (Hardcover)

I've written several books on the subject and am generally considered a leading expert on cybersafety, especially when it comes ot kids online. When Chris first approached me asking what I thought about kids on (...)and cyberbullying, I was surprised. I had heard he was writing a book, but thought it would just be more of the kind of thing he was doing on Dateline.

It turns out it is much more. And, it's a fast and good read. Easy, not techy. Compelling. Passionate. Inspiring. Touching. Empowering.

It shares real stories. (Which we have learned is the best way to convey the safety messages in a compelling way.) It uses common sense. It brings together expertise from many of us in the field.

I told Chris that I won't be writing another book for parents about overall cybersafety. He did too good a job in this for me to need to write any more.

So, don't buy my book. Buy his.

It's more than a guide on cybersafety, more than a book adaptation of the Dateline To Catch a Predator series. It's a primer on living with kids in this new world where everyone is wired and wireless 24/7.

Thanks Chris.

and thanks to all of those incredible people who helped tell the story of kids online, by sharing their own personal stories, and pain, and sacrifices and passion.

(...)