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 , available for £1.50
incl. postage in the UK from PO Box 74, Brighton BN1 4ZQ, UK. Advice,
opinions and personal stories of feminist self defence complied
by AVF instructors!
men, women
and rape, by Susan Brownmiller: A classic book from the women’s
movement looking at how rape is a reflection of how our society
is conditioned, historically and currently, and how we must stop
this.
Sex, Power and Nonverbal Communication, by
Nancy A. Henley: recommended, ground-breaking feminist analysis
of non-verbal communication, and how those in power (e.g. many men)
use body language to maintain a social hierarchy.
a Guide
for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, by Ellen Bass and Laura
Davis: An encouraging and well written book, covering self-evaluation,
different stages of healing, and identifying and overcoming harmful
coping strategies. Also help and advice for partners and other supporters
of survivors, and personal success stories of women. Extensive resource
section which is in part out of date.
the essential guide for girls and women, by Scott Lindquist, a crime
prevention specialist. Where and when it happens, what makes a woman
vulnerable, factors common to date rapes and how women can use various
strategies to avoid it. Includes ‘after the assault’.
Clearly written focussing on facilitating a learning process.
a guide
to prevention, self-defense, and recovery from rape, by Rosalind
Wiseman: written by an instructor with the US self defence programme
‘Woman’s Way’, it’s basically a course in
self defence in book form, it also covers date rape and what to
do if you are assaulted mainly focusing on the legal system.
a woman’s
options in social survival and physical defense, by Susan Smith,
a big book that combines social analysis, myth deconstruction, survey
results, statistics and attitude with practical advice, with many
clear illustrations.
A Handbook for
Women in Abusive Situations, by Ginny NiCarthy: British edition
of a bestselling American book, revised by UK Women’s Aid
groups. It includes questionnaires, self-evaluation and other exercises
to help women recognise and define what’s going on, and determining
what women can do in different situations.
, by Gavin
de Becker: written by a man whose job is ‘violence prediction’,
he knows his stuff and brings across the importance of intuition
and early warning signals, and how to respond to them. There are
some chapters that are more related to celebrities’ stalkers
and assassination attempts, but altogether it’s a worthwhile
read.
Denise
Caignon and Gail Groves, eds: A feminist collection of successful
self defence stories the authors collected from all over the US
in the 1980’s. A really diverse range of women tell their
tales here and it makes for a sometimes intense and sometimes very
uplifting read. A good introduction to all the weapons we have at
our disposal to defend ourselves with, and strategies that we can
use. The only thing is that nearly all the stories involve attacks
by strangers, which can slightly distort the reality that the largest
number of attacks are by acquaintances.
the
Ms. report on recognising, fighting and surviving date and acquaintance
rape, by Robin Warshaw: A study of over 6000 male and female US
college students, that reveals frightening statistics. It looks
at what date rape is, how it happens, and how we can prevent it.
Also looks at after effects and has a large resource list
a guide for how to do good support for people who have recently
experienced intimate violence, both the survivor and the abuser.
Written by women involved in activist communities. Limited copies
available for free/by donation from us.
How
to know what you feel, say what you mean, and get what you want,
by Lynn Z Bloom and others: a highly influential book first published
in 1975, it was the first book to help women become more assertive.
A self help book from the women’s movement, this is one to
learn and practise from.
the Desmond Morris guide to body language,
a classic book (originally published as ‘Manwatching’
in 1977) and called ‘the body language bible’. It basically
gives you a good idea of how people signal their attitudes and what
they want. Interesting chapters include ‘fighting behaviour’,
‘threat signals’ and chapters on protective behaviour,
barrier signals etc.
the womanly art
of self care, intuition and choice, by Debbie Leung: written by
an instructor with FIST (Feminists in Self Defence Training) this
book describes the methods taught in their classes. It is divided
up into the main sections of Prevention, Avoidance, Deterrence,
Escape. Very clear and focused.
the reality
for women, by the London Rape Crisis Centre: it’s from 1988,
so the contacts in it are out of date, but it discusses rape as
a form of social control, and offers lots of practical information
about the medical and legal aspects and other consequences of rape.
, Annie Neligan:
new collection of feminist self defence advice and success stories,
by an excellent UK trainer of many years.
a woman’s
guide to self preservation, Kaleghl Quinn: a recommended, illustrated
and easy to follow manual of self defence covering attitude, voice,
and physical techniques, practical tips, finding self confidence.
Also includes exercises to practise with friends.
Successful Survival
Strategies, by Pauline Bart and Patricia H. O’Brien: written
by two feminists, this book is a large sociological study of women
who have successfully avoided rape, providing a wide range of successful
resistance strategies.
,
by Tamar Hosansky and Flora Colao: An antidote to the common and
misleading ‘don’t talk to strangers and you’ll
be safe’, this is an awareness, assertiveness and physical
self defence training programme for children, aimed at adults with
children/teaching children.
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