About the AuthorRobert Surgenor is the detective in charge of the juvenile crime unit of an Ohio police department. He was one of the first police officers on the U.S. to install a video camera in his police cruiser, and has taken footage that has been aired on programs such as World's Scariest Police Chases and Real TV. He has conducted seminars on juvenile crime, gangs, parental authority, and discipline, including seminars entitled "How to Change Your Child's Behavior." He is a sought-after speaker on nationally televised programs on the subject of discipline and the legal aspects of spanking. how do i download ebooks for free No Fear : A Police Officer's Perspective
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. I almost didn't buy this book...By Bryan R. Sidlinger... because of the terrible review cdduggan gave it. More on that later. I'm glad I decided to purchase it. This is one of the best books on corporal punishment I've seen. I found it most helpful in its analysis of the anti-spanking leadership in the nineties, and the author calls them out by name: Murray Straus (author of Beating the Devil Out of Them), Nancy Asdigia, Randy Cox, Kathryn Kvals, Jan Hunt, Dennis Embry, Penelope Leach, Anita Mathur. He dissects their arguments, claims, opinions, and research at length. He also relates his encounter with Dr. Heidi Feldman on p. 94-5, where some interesting info on the Academy of Pediatrics' stand on spanking is given. Also important was his reporting on Child Services. Some social workers are strongly anti-spanking, and either ignorant of or willfully defiant of parental rights. A few cases are related of lying, bullying and deceits bordering on criminal by a few workers who appear to think no rules apply to them. Naturally I don't agree with everything in the book, and I think there were some omissions. The comparatively low drug abuse rate by people who were moderately spanked was not mentioned, nor was the fact that the non-violent Amish community generously spanks their children, leading to generally obedient and relatively peaceful offspring. For all the talk of Proverbs I never read about King David's failure to discipline his children (Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah) possibly being part of the inspiration for those proverbs (prophet Nathan told David that God would provide parenting for Solomon). Also, I'm of the opinion that children over seven, particularly boys, should be subject to chastening if necessary, while it was never clear to me what Surgenor believes. Nevertheless, I still rate it as five stars. Now to that review. Please read the cddugan one-star in its entirety. Now, here is my point by point rebuttal. The question of juvenal crime statistics has the entire fourth chapter devoted to it, in which Surgenor explains in detail how after 1992 the Uniform Crime Reports figures are misleading due to a change in the method of gathering data, and how they underreport crime. There are statistics and graphs he presents that show clear and disturbing trends upwards. Most of the "personal anecdotes" in this book are in fact a police officer's perspective. Most touching was a story of handing out a traffic ticket to a tearful teen girl, then him feeling rotten about doing it, only to have the girl come back in a year to thank him for saving her life. Surgenor points out correctly that people and groups simply claiming to be Christian aren't necessarily so. He relates at length in ch. nine his long email conversations with Sagendorf, which Surgenor initiated, and which left Sagendorf looking pathetic. I never saw a "litmus" test where you must believe in spanking to be a Christian. Rather he seems to want to educate believers as much as anybody. The author is a Christian, well read in the Bible, believes Bible prophesy, and speculates on how we get from present to future. Yes, so? If you are agnostic/different faith/different doctrine and you want to skip those parts, fine. In Surgenor's opening dedication to his parents, he talks of a Dad who "...made me feel safe and secure...", a mom whose "love for me was immeasurable", and mom joining dad creating "an atmosphere of cooperation and unity" in his home. He speaks at length in ch. five about avoiding going over the line to child abuse. In ch. fifteen he gives non-spanking punishment examples for certain situations. He relates he was slapped on the back of his head a few times, and never in the face. So the author believes that most children feel a need and desire for rules and discipline? Yes he does, and then cddugan also opines that he thinks Surgenor "deems children violent, hateful and evil by nature". Which is it? On p.90 Surgenor cites "a former gang member who is gathering research" as his source for gang members seeking a sense of family. That "gang rules" are part of this family feeling is presented as a rational theory. This is the page on which he quotes a Berkeley researcher by name who supports the need for sensible spanking, and quotes two psychiatrist by name who support his own findings (in police interviews of hundreds of cases of abuse against parents) that children who physically abuse parents, particularly mothers, were almost always raised without the use of corporal punishment (Surgenor found something on the order of 98 to 99 per cent). The quote from p. 21 is accurate. Here's from p. 22: "So somewhere between killing the person and doing nothing there is a logical answer". On p. 190 Surgenor clearly states the need for balanced discipline leading to a kid who has respect for authority and who is also caring and compassionate. On p.24 is one example of his recommending balanced punishment and rewards. Boxing ears is child abuse and dangerous. Its unfortunate listing on p.12 is at variance with the rest of the book. The author undoubtedly meant "cuffing" the ears. People often get the two confused. Once again, Surgenor dealt with the issue of crime reporting AT LENGTH in his book. Hundreds of police interviews which consistently show violent teens that physically attack their parents overwhelmingly being raised in homes with no corporal punishment should count as some kind of research. Perhaps the best research in this book was into the anti-spanking movement itself. A few words about the other one-star review by Rowe. If spanking kids teaches them to use violence, then taking away privileges might teach them stealing, and time outs might teach them to use unlawful restraint and false arrest. The word that is missing here is AUTHORITY. Spanked kids learn the dangers of rejecting it. Most three year olds are smart enough to figure it out, even if some adults can't. Jesus never used physical force? The Jesus Who whipped money changers and kicked over their tables? The Jesus Who told the Laodiceans that He chastens those He loves? Please.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Only read if you REALLY love your child!!By BarbaraIt's good for us to know our legal rights and also our options when it comes to disciplining children. No parent wants to ever have to use the "rod" but inevitably , we will have to from time to time. It's nice to know that there are many who still uphold the timeless and proven standard for raising up good and healthy children. As I read the book, I actually became sad and felt very sorry for the parents who withhold this experience from thier children, due to following bad counsel. It's just as neglectful as if we fed them nothing but junk food for every meal...consequences will be had and both can damage for life!!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Book ReviewBy Ed SmithThe book was very good. I liked the authors views.It gave me a different perspective on what is currently happening in the world.