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Fifty-One Percent
51%

Meg Stone on 'Don't Fight Back' and other self-defense myths

By Jesse King
Published April 30, 2026 at 8:00 PM EDT
Beacon Press and Meg Stone
Book Cover and Meg Stone

On this week’s 51%, we speak with Meg Stone, violence prevention expert and executive director of IMPACT Boston, about her upcoming book “Don’t Fight Back” And 10 Other Myths About Crime, Personal Safety, and Gender-Based Violence. Stone says a lot of common “safety tips” aimed at protecting women from violence aren’t actually based on quality research and reinforce the power structures that enable abusers in the first place. “Don’t Fight Back” addresses some of the most common myths and equips women with personal safety advice that doesn’t encourage them to make their lives small or accept the status quo.

Guests: Meg Stone, author of “Don’t Fight Back” And 10 Other Myths About Crime, Personal Safety, and Gender-Based Violence; Melissa Berton, co-founder and executive director of The Pad Project

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 
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51% womenbookcrimeviolence
Jesse King
Jesse King is the host of WAMC's national program on women's issues, "51%," and the station's former Hudson Valley bureau chief. She has also produced episodes of the WAMC podcast "A New York Minute In History."
See stories by Jesse King
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