Drawing on his professional experience in helping women learn self-defense, author Steve Kovacs offers a practical, encouraging guide for women in "Protect Yourself: The Simple Keys Women Need to be Safe and Secure."

Most women's safety guides cover the specifics of fighting off attackers. But "Protect Yourself" focuses on commonsense strategies women can implement daily. By taking certain precautions and adapting specific behaviors, women can greatly increase their chances of avoiding violence.

A former police officer who himself was a two-time victim of violent crime at a young age,...