Defending Ourselves: A Guide to Prevention, Self-Defense, and Recovery from Rape [Paperback]

Rosalind Wiseman (Author), James Edwards (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994

A straightforward approach to handling date rape instructs readers on how to understand the psychological makeup of potential attackers and practice actual defense tactics while offering advice on what to do after a physical assault. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this levelheaded and compassionate book, the founder of an organization that teaches self-defense to all ages addresses some of the key issues of women's safety. Made up of case histories, personal anecdotes, experts' commentary, and solid advice, the book explores what rape is and isn't; how to identify situations in which sexual assault can occur; how to avoid sexual assault; physical self-defense techniques; what to do during and after a rape; how to report assaults and what to expect from police, hospital staffs, and legal systems; how to cope with rape's aftermath; steps toward recovery; and how to get needed help. Wiseman adopts a nonjudgmental stance toward women who have experienced assault; always, she speaks as an advocate and tries to present as many choices for dealing with assault as possible. Because of those qualities, her book may prove particularly useful to younger women still unsure of their rights and boundaries. It is an excellent resource for all women, however, especially on account of the long list of sexual assault crisis centers throughout the U.S. appended to its main text. Mary Ellen Sullivan

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Noonday Pr; 1st edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374524157
• ISBN-13: 978-0374524159
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,924,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rosalind Wiseman is an internationally recognized expert on children, teens, parenting, bullying, social justice, and ethical leadership.

Wiseman is the author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence (Crown, 2002). Twice a New York Times Bestseller, Queen Bees & Wannabes was the basis for the 2004 movie Mean Girls. In fall 2009, an updated edition of Queen Bees & Wannabes will be republished with a chapter on younger girls, insights on how technology has impacted kids' social landscapes, and new commentary from girls and boys. Her follow???up book Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads was released in 2006, and she is a monthly columnist for Family Circle magazine.

Additional publications include the Owning Up Curriculum, a comprehensive social justice program for grades 6???12, and a forthcoming young adult novel, Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials, in stores in January 2010.

Since founding the Empower Program, a national violence???prevention program, in 1992, Wiseman has gone on to work with tens of thousands of students, educators, parents, counselors, coaches, and administrators to create communities based on the belief that each person has a responsibility to treat themselves and others with dignity. Audiences have included the American School Counselors Association, Capital One, National Education Association, Girl Scouts, Neutrogena, Young Presidents Association, Independent School Associations and the International Chiefs of Police, as well as countless schools throughout the U.S. and abroad.

National media regularly depends on Wiseman as the expert on ethical leadership, media literacy, bullying prevention, and school violence. She is a frequent guest on the Today Show and been profiled in The New York Times, People, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, USA Today, Oprah, Nightline, CNN, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio affiliates throughout the country.

Wiseman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Occidental College. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and two sons.

For more information visit rosalindwiseman.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good info on personal responsibility, some glaring errors, October 9, 1999

By 

Laura Binns (Hillsdale, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defending Ourselves: A Guide to Prevention, Self-Defense, and Recovery from Rape (Paperback)

Much information with regards to what to expect after an assault, from emotional reactions to the legal system. I agree wholeheartedly with the author's feelings on the subjects of date rape and the problems caused by extreme feminist views on the subject. However, the section on guns contained many errors which worked to destroy some of the book's credibility (one wonders, if the author is this ill-informed with regards to guns, how accurate is the rest of her information?) Specifically, she states that a revolver has intrinsic safety features, such as the capacity for being stored half cocked, so the firing pin is not in contact with the cartridge (which she mistakenly refers to as a bullet). It is far easier for the firing pin to strike the cartridge when the gun is cocked or half-cocked, than when it is uncocked with the firing pin resting on the cartridge. Many modern double action revolvers cannot be half-cocked. Some single action revolvers can be half-cocked and the mfgs caution users NOT to leave them in a half-cocked position. Half cocked is anything but safe. When she speaks of the distance a bullet can travel (one mile) and the ability to penetrate walls, she does not specify handgun v. rifle, which makes a huge difference. Nor does she discuss the use of defense handgun ammunition which has great stopping power when it hits flesh but does not penetrate walls. Her shotgun discussion is equally off-base and dangerous. She advises loading with buckshot which she states has much stopping power but will not penetrate walls. Yes, buckshot has a lot of stopping power. If she thinks it doesn't penetrate walls, I suggest she load a shotgun with buckshot and fire it at a sheet of drywall, and then rewrite her section on firearms or better yet, omit it altogether and refer her readers to well written, accurate firearm defense books or classes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile book but with a few errors, July 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Northeast Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defending Ourselves: A Guide to Prevention, Self-Defense, and Recovery from Rape (Paperback)

As a self defense instructor I am always looking for new sources of information on effective methods. Defending Ourselves teaches methods that I feel are more appropriate in the dojo than on the street. The section on firearms contains many errors and over simplifications. The author should have made an effort to consult an expert on the topic or eliminated the section altogether. The book encourages women to take responsiblity for their own safety and well being. Something I agree with completely.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A superficial book - at best!, March 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Defending Ourselves: A Guide to Prevention, Self-Defense, and Recovery from Rape (Paperback)

This book is little more than a rehashing of other works written by someone who apparently thinks she has something special to offer - she does not! While her book does offer some practical post rape advice, the safety and self defense sections are full of errors; it reads like someone who took a few classes but lacks the voice of real experience. Her self defense advice reads like pseudo-feminist exercise lessons. No where does she even address the intensity of fear or how violent real attacks can be, or even the most basic martial concepts of speed and power - the might and force it takes to repel or incapacitate a comitted attacker. All in all, Wiseman's book has a juvenille, rich girl feeling - certainly not grounded in streetwise reality. My best advice to her is to stay on the pretty college campuses - and stay off the mean streets.