Beyond Fear
        Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World

This isn't a book about computer security; it's a book about security
in general.  In it I cover the entire spectrum of security, from the
personal issues we face at home and in the office to the broad public
policies implemented as part of the worldwide war on terrorism.  With
examples and anecdotes from history, sports, natural science, movies,
and the evening news, I explain how security really works, how it
fails, and how to make it effective.  

If I can name one overarching goal of the book, it's to explain how we
all can make ourselves safer by thinking of security not in absolutes,
but in terms of trade-offs -- the inevitable expenses, inconveniences,
and diminished freedoms we accept (or have forced on us) in the name
of enhanced security.  Only after we accept the inevitability of
trade-offs and learn to negotiate accordingly will we have a truly
realistic sense of how to deal with risks and threats.

This is a book for everyone.  I believe that security, as a topic, is
something we all can understand.  And even more importantly, I believe
that the subject is just too critical, too integral a part of our
everyday lives, to be left exclusively in the hands of experts.  By
demystifying security, I hope to encourage all of us to think more
sensibly about the topic, to contribute to what should be an open and
informed public discussion of security, and to participate vocally in
ongoing security negotiations in our civic, professional, and personal
lives.

I am very pleased with this book.  I started writing it in June 2002,
and continued writing it through Spring 2003.  It has been a lot of
work, and I think it's paid off.  It's a good book.

Beyond Fear home page (with reviews and comments):

        <http://www.schneier.com/bf.html>