Teaching Fear: How We Learn To Fear Crime and Why It Matters

Rader (sociology, Mississippi State Univ.; Fear of Crime in the United States) tackles the connection between fearful fictions about crime in the U.S. that she believes are designed to keep women, in particular, docile and afraid, and the real issues that greatly affect not just women but all Americans. The author opens with an overview of the gendered myths surrounding crime that takes into account intersectionality and stereotypes in narratives. Rader explores how these stories are inculcated in U.S. society and the consequences that result when these often racist and/or gendered myths are internalized. There’s a section dedicated to Gen Z readers and their perceptions of myths and realities. The book also devotes the three final three sections to action steps and ideas about what society and individuals can do to better prepare and protect people from crime by focusing on facts, not fetishized versions of crimes.