Books to add to the top of your empowerment, personal sovereignty and safety reading list
Note: This is a working list and subject to updates.
UPDATED: July 02, 2026
ESD is much more than self-defense techniques—it’s a comprehensive approach to personal and collective safety, dignity, and empowerment.
As an interdisciplinary practice it draws on trauma science, psychology, neuroscience, communication, history, public health, feminist theory, disability justice, decolonization, conflict transformation, and violence prevention.
This curated library reflects the breadth of knowledge that informs effective ESD instruction and supports lifelong learning for anyone who is interested in moving through the world sovereignly and safely, including instructors, advocates, educators, researchers, and community leaders.
If you’re looking for books that go beyond just physical tactics—look no further! This list balances trauma science, practical self-defense, communication, boundaries, and social change; including decolonization, liberation, collective care, and reclaiming personal sovereignty.
Foundations of Empowerment Self Defense
These books explore the philosophy, history, and practice of Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) and violence prevention.
- Get Empowered — Nadia Telsey & Lauren R. Taylor
- Get Home Safe — Rana Abdelhamid
- Her Own Hero — Wendy L. Rouse
- The Cost of Fear — Meg Stone
- Don’t Fight Back — Meg Stone
Trauma, Neuroscience & Healing
Understanding trauma is fundamental to teaching empowerment and supporting survivors.
- The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk
- My Grandmother’s Hands — Resmaa Menakem
- The Politics of Trauma — Staci K. Haines
- Healing Resistance — Kazu Haga
Boundaries, Consent & Communication
Healthy boundaries and effective communication are core prevention skills.
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace — Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Defy — Sunita Sah
- Nonviolent Communication — Marshall B. Rosenberg
Personal Safety & Violence Prevention
These books examine the realities of violence, threat assessment, and practical approaches to personal safety.
- The Gift of Fear — Gavin de Becker
- Meditations on Violence — Rory Miller
- How To Survive A Mass Shooting — Krista Hanley
- No Visible Bruises — Rachel Louise Snyder
- The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why — Amanda Ripley
Community Safety & Transformative Justice
Safety extends beyond the individual to communities, institutions, and systems.
- Beyond Survival — edited by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha & Ejeris Dixon
- Becoming Abolitionists — Derecka Purnell
- Care Work — Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Decolonization & Liberation
These works challenge colonial frameworks and offer perspectives grounded in Indigenous knowledge, self-determination, and collective liberation. Particularly valuable for ESD educators working across cultures.
- Decolonizing Methodologies — Linda Tuhiwai Smith
(Particularly valuable for ESD educators working across cultures.)
- As We Have Always Done — Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
- Braiding Sweetgrass — Robin Wall Kimmerer
Feminist Leadership & Social Change
Exploring the intersections of gender equity, leadership, power, and cultural transformation.
- A Renaissance of Our Own — Rachel Elizabeth Cargle
- The Bonobo Sisterhood — Diane Rosenfeld
- Feminism Is for Everybody — bell hooks
- All About Love — bell hooks
Embodiment, Resilience & Collective Care
These books invite practitioners to think beyond defense and toward flourishing, connection, and sustainable movements for change.
- Emergent Strategy — adrienne maree brown
- Pleasure Activism — adrienne maree brown
