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

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Hansen takes readers deep into the world of child predators to show what we can do to protect ourselves and our families.

Police sergeant Rick Woody thought he was doing everything in his power to protect his thirteen-year-old daughter, Kacie, on and off line.

He kept the computer in the living room facing out, he sometimes checked her chats and e-mails, and he made sure Kacie knew not to give out her address or any other personal information. But neither Kacie nor Rick knew that her "seventeen-year-old" friend Dave from California was actually a forty-nine-year-old child predator until it was too late.

Such victims inspired Dateline to create the "To Catch a Predator" series that investigates online predators. Now, correspondent Chris Hansen shares the many stories of the victims who have motivated him to speak out.

These are stories of parents, children, wives, and families, who have had their lives shattered by child predators. Their accounts expose the twisted psychology and workings of men who prey on children and teens, how they manipulate their victims and their loved ones, and the way they've destroyed children, families, and communities. Hansen also explores effective punishment and treatments to stamp out the crime.

We live in a new online world where the time-tested rules of parenting no longer sufficiently protect children. See the real dangers facing teenagers today and learn what you can do to keep them safe.

To Catch a Predator takes you beyond the broadcast into a shadowy world that every parent needs to understand. Inside the pages you will find:

* What motivates child predators and how they choose their prey.
* An in-depth look at child victims and what made them targets.
* What happens to families who suddenly discover they are living with a child predator.
* What detectives, therapists and child predators feel are the best deterrents and treatments to prevent this crime.
* What parents must do to protect their kids online, what sites to block, and what software to get.
* And, most important, how parents can talk to children about on-line safety WITHOUT scaring them.

About the Author

Chris Hansen is the correspondent for the successful "To Catch a Predator" series. For the last twelve years, he has been an on-air correspondent for NBC's Dateline. Since the Dateline specials have aired, the show has exposed over two hundred potential child predators in its stings. Chris Hansen has testified before Congress on this issue as a nationally known authority on protecting children from child predators.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1 edition (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525950095
• ISBN-13: 978-0525950097
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #237,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOT TO BE MISSED IN THE INTERNET AGE......!!!!!!, April 12, 2007

By	Dana Y. Bowles "DYB" (West Chester, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this revealing and no-holds-barred book based upon his dateline expose, Chris Hanson takes us back into the dark underworld of the sexual predator, more specifically those that lurk online looking for opportunities to steal the innocence of our children. For readers who have seen the series on dateline, some of the information may be a bit repetitive; for those that have not, the book will be especially intriguing. Hanson does an excellent job of driving home the importance of not "inviting" strangers into your home via the internet; of impressing upon parents the need to know exactly what your children are doing online, and with whom. Just as parents know who their children's friends are offline, they should be just as informed with regard to their online activities.
Chock full of information on how to keep your children safe from cyber predators; disturbing case studies on victims, and the perpetrators themselves. Most interesting perhaps is the impact upon the families and friends of the perpetrators....interesting, compelling and disturbing reading.


DYB

12 of 18 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 (REAL NAME)

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.

(...)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goes beyond the telivision edition, May 7, 2007

By	Richard W. Morris "Rich Morris" (Eureka, CA) - See all my reviews

To Catch a predator written by Chris Hansen is a breath of freash air. Chris deals with a unpleasant subject in a dignified way. It goes way beyond the information we learned as Chris Hansen the television reporter on Dateline NBC'S "TO CATCH A PREDATOR" Series. Chris goes into detail how to protect your kids from online enemies already in your home.

The book version deals with What motivates child predators and how they choose their prey. Chris takes a in-depth look at child victims and what made them targets. The book answers the questions of what happens to families who suddenly discover they are living with a child predator.

The most important thing the book touches on is how parents can talk to their children about online safety without scaring them. If the TV show left you desiring more this book will answer those unanswered question in detail that only Chris Hansen has the ability to do.

Well worth the small investment to help you and your children why you may become a target and how to prevent either of you from becomming a victim. I highly recommend this book to anyone whose lives Chris Hansen has touched with his very important series on child predators.

Rich Morris