Missing !: Stranger Abduction : Smart Strategies to Keep Your Child Safe

Rating:
Summary: MUCH too graphic, & doubtful credibility, but badly needed!!
Review: <pre> REIVIEW TO: Stuber, Robert: "Missing! Stranger Abduction: Smart Strategies To Keep Your Child Safe". Paperback, 108 pages, ISBN: 0-8362-2635-6.

I start with one very serious criticism of this book: it is MUCH too graphic. The book includes a number of "case histories" of kids who, being abducted, have purportedly actually *used* some of the techniques given in this volume in order to make their escapes. While this is good in and of itself, the text also includes such passages as, "The man touches Sam's private parts. He puts his penis in Sam's mouth and in his rectum. He makes Sam do the same thing to him." (pages 80-81). This, about a seven-year-old boy! And similar passages can be found in almost every one of the eleven or so "case histories" which Mr. Stuber presents! Is this sort of thing really necessary? I say that not only is it UNnecessary, it is detrimental. In a fire drill, for example, you tell your children what they need to DO in order to escape the fire; you do NOT tell them that the fire might leave them a charred and blackened corpse! Mr. Stuber's "case history" passages are meant to be read to YOUNG CHILDREN, for God's sake; I cannot see how relating such graphic details can serve to do more than terrify and disgust them, and to distract them from the central issue at hand: the techniques of Escape.

Speaking of Stuber's "case histories" brings me to another criticism: lack of credibility. The "case histories" which Mr. Stuber relates are in many cases riveting, sensational, and even spectacular -- the seven-year-old boy who, having escaped his captor, runs into a woman's house and dives naked under her kitchen table, screaming for help; the nine-year-old boy kidnapped while taking out the family trash and then found decapitated two days later -- and if true, these cases would surely have been plastered across the news media. And there's my problem: Though I'm as interested in and aware of child kidnapping cases as the next person, I don't remember reading of or hearing about ANY of these cases! Not one! Never once does Mr. Stuber ever mention a child's last name; never once does he name a city or other location; never once does he tell us WHEN any of these events are purported to have taken place; and worse of all, never once does he cite any news sources for his stories. Not in one single case! I hate to be cynical, but it almost sounds as if Mr. Stuber has simply made these stories up off the top of his head in order to Impress the Kiddies -- "Look, Kids! These Things Really Work!" If so, he has certainly done his readers a very grievious wrong; but even if he is innocent of this chicanery, the mere *appearance* of the thing in my opinion detracts very seriously from his credibility.

Lastly, I can also think of at least ONE technique for escape/avoidance which this book does NOT mention: If someone tries to abduct you while you are riding a bicycle, HOLD ON TOTHE HANDLEBARS. Don't let go! Hold on as if your life depended on it -- which it very well might. Your abductor will be forced to either disentangle you from your bike or else give up and go in search of easier prey. (You should, of course, be screaming the whole while.) If 9-year-old Amber Hagerman had thought to do this, would she still be alive? We will probably nver know, at least not in this world.

All of this said, however, this is one book which has been very badly needed and FAR too long in coming. Where all of the other books focus solely on preventing abduction and say nothing whatever of escape, this book teaches a kid what to do if the worse comes to worse and he or she is abducted ANYWAY. It provides solid, sensible, and often ingenious methods of escape, concealment, attention-getting, and survival. This is a solid work of empowerment, and should be a part of every parent's aresnal. Parents should, however, exercise caution in reading Mr. Stuber's case histories to their children, and should take them with the very large grains of salt which they deserve. </pre>

Rating:
Summary: Stopsexoffenders.com says this book will move you to action!
Review: As wonderful as today's world may seem, parents need to always keep one step ahead of child molesters and abductors. The book "MISSING! Stranger Abduction", offers many ways to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

Parents will become empowered after reading this book - empowered with knowledge and ways to help keep their children safe. It will shake you into teaching your child the skills that they need to keep safe.

Among the many things you'll learn from this book: how to prevent an abduction; how to spot an abductor's weak points and find ways to escape if caught; where to hide; and other tools you can teach your child to help them keep safe.

"MISSING! Stranger Abduction" is direct, empowering, and will give you information that will give you an edge over the bad guys. There are a few graphic spots in the book, which is why we are not recommending it to children. Stopsexoffenders.com recommends it to adults concerned about children's safety.

Rating:
Summary: Stopsexoffenders.com says this book will move you to action!
Review: As wonderful as today's world may seem, parents need to always keep one step ahead of child molesters and abductors. The book "MISSING! Stranger Abduction", offers many ways to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

Parents will become empowered after reading this book - empowered with knowledge and ways to help keep their children safe. It will shake you into teaching your child the skills that they need to keep safe.

Among the many things you'll learn from this book: how to prevent an abduction; how to spot an abductor's weak points and find ways to escape if caught; where to hide; and other tools you can teach your child to help them keep safe.

"MISSING! Stranger Abduction" is direct, empowering, and will give you information that will give you an edge over the bad guys. There are a few graphic spots in the book, which is why we are not recommending it to children. Stopsexoffenders.com recommends it to adults concerned about children's safety.

Rating:
Summary: It CAN happen to YOUR child
Review: I am writing to take exception to [a] previous review, which says that this book preys on the fears of children, and their parents. I am the parent of a child who was kidnapped at the age of nine, Michaela Joy Garecht of Hayward, CA. That was on November 19, 1988, and she has never been found. Maybe, just maybe, if she had had some of the information in this book, she would have found a way to escape her abductor. These are not mindless fears, lady. It CAN happen to your child. You child CAN face not mere fear but absolute terror, and they can do it either WITH information that can give them courage and skills, or they can do it without. I hope you don't live to regret having made the wrong choice.

Rating:
Summary: It CAN happen to YOUR child
Review: I am writing to take exception to [a] previous review, which says that this book preys on the fears of children, and their parents. I am the parent of a child who was kidnapped at the age of nine, Michaela Joy Garecht of Hayward, CA. That was on November 19, 1988, and she has never been found. Maybe, just maybe, if she had had some of the information in this book, she would have found a way to escape her abductor. These are not mindless fears, lady. It CAN happen to your child. You child CAN face not mere fear but absolute terror, and they can do it either WITH information that can give them courage and skills, or they can do it without. I hope you don't live to regret having made the wrong choice.

Rating:
Summary: Preys on the fears of parents
Review: If I found out that this book was being used in schools to teach my children, I would pull them out of that class. I think this book uses sensationalism and preys on the ultimate fear of parents. There are actually a few pieces of worthy advice in here - yes, we should teach our children how to call 911, and I thought the idea of writing my child's name and phone number in his shoes was a good one (but mostly because the child will not be hard-pressed to remember his phone number when in a stressful situation). However, I will not allow my children to live completely in fear. (I also strongly question the credibility of the stories used and believe the author at least elaborated, if not completely made them up.) I think teaching them how to flush socks down toilets and signal SOS with light switches are ridiculous pieces of advice. If you truly want good advice on how to protect your children, read Protecting the Gift, by Gavin De Becker. Much more useful advice covering a range of issues about children's safety - not just abduction.