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TOP 10 SELF-DEFENSE BOOKS
Author: Susan Bartelstone
Self-defense is not just about fighting off bad guys. It encompasses everything in your life that protects and empowers you, including mental strength, health, fitness and spiritual questioning. The books listed below represent my personal choices for the 10 best self-defense titles. You might see some of your own favorites here, but if not, Self Defense for Women invites you to write in with your suggestions and comments.
1. Kill or Get Killed
by Rex Applegate (Paladin Press, 1976)
Trained in England during World War II by the legendary W. E. Fairbairn (who developed the fighting system used by elite English and American commandos) and often called the “father of modern close-quarters fighting,” Applegate teaches a brutal, bottom-line method for defending yourself. The book contains one of the most realistic descriptions of the “winning mind-set”
you’ll ever find.
2. Self-Defense: Steps to Success
by Joan M. Nelson (Human Kinetics, 1991)
A veteran self-defense teacher, Joan M. Nelson takes you through 14 progressive steps that develop physical, mental and emotional safety skills. This book gives simple defensive techniques, prevention and confrontation strategies, behavioral and psychological insights, exercises, checklists and performance goals.
3. Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)
by Gavin De Becker (Dell Publishing Company, 2000)
If you have kids, worldfamous security expert Gavin De Becker shows you how to keep them safe. Terrific advice on choosing babysitters, safety skills for kids, recognizing signs of sexual abuse, teen violence and much more!
4. Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Women and Girls
by Ellen Snortland (Trilogy Books, 1998)
The victim of a frightening encounter, Ellen Snortland describes how a self-defense class
changed her life and turned a culturally complacent “beauty” into a snarling “beast” who can
stand up for herself—both verbally and physically.
5. Her Wits About Her: A Collection of Women’s Self-Defense Success Stories
Edited by Denise Caignon and Gail Grove (Harper & Row, 1987)
Women can successfully fight back, even if they’ve had no selfdefense training at all! Her Wits About Her features stories of ordinary women who used their wits and the resources of opportunity and invention to escape from attackers. Anyone can learn a few tricks from this book!
6. The Yeast Connection and the Woman
by William G. Crook, M.D. (Professional Books/Future Health, 1995)
A wide range of health problems that baffle “traditional” doctors could be related to a yeast (Candida albicans) imbalance: fatigue, depression, digestive trouble and skin problems. This book shows you how to determine if you have a yeast disorder and what to do about it.
7. The Fitness Factor: Every Woman’s Key to a Lifetime of Health and Well-Being
by Lisa Callahan (Lyons Press, 2002)
Physical fitness is important in every aspect of life. I liked Callahan’s book because her exercise program is suitable for women of all ages and fitness levels, including helpful information about sports injuries.
8. Among Warriors: A Martial Artist in Tibet
by Pamela Logan (Overlook Press, 1996)
This is the true story of a martial artist’s quest to find a mystical tribe of warriorbandits who reside in a remote region of Tibet because she felt they embodied all she hoped to achieve through her karate training. A great adventure story, a great martial arts story and a great “woman” story, Among Warriors is an inspirational tale of adventure and self-discovery.
9. Man’s Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl (Pocket Books, 2000 edition)
Man’s Search for Meaning is the scary but wonderfully healing account of how worldfamous
psychiatrist Viktor Frankl survived three years in a Nazi concentration camp and formed his “psychology of survival.” Based on his experience that the way in which one accepts fate—even
in a seemingly hopeless situation—can lead to finding the deepest meaning of life, this book can be particularly relevant if you’re a survivor of violent crime.
10. Meditation for Busy People
by Dawn Groves (Barnes & Noble Books, 2003)
After reading every book on this list, you might want to learn how to calm yourself down with some simple meditation exercises. Ommmmmmm. ...