Written by a former secret service agent, Becoming Bulletproof is a self-help book that everyone can learn from and apply to their daily lives. Evy Poumpouras, narrating her own audiobook, walks the reader through the key moments of her life that defined the advice she offers throughout the book.
Beginning with a narrative on 9/11 and its aftermath from the perspective of Poumpouras, a first responder, the book is quick to draw the reader in. The personal anecdotes throughout it are similarly revealing of her own character and growth. Her experiences as a police officer, and later, Secret Service agent, are also utilized. In this way the book is as much a memoir as it is a self-help book, which is for the best, as Poumpouras deftly weaves her own experience in becoming bulletproof with advice on how to do it, lending a sense of credibility to her writing.
The tips laid out in Becoming Bulletproof range from physical to mental to emotional, and are above all, practical. In the early chapters, for example, Poumpouras discusses how to recognize and deal with fear in a healthy manner. She also talks about different fear responses, and what we can learn from learning about ourselves. While Poumpouras doesn’t advocate for violence, she has plenty of advice for what can be done when it’s necessary. With a degree from Columbia University in Forensic Psychology and experience as an interrogator for Secret Service, Poumpouras also focuses on relationships between people, however fleeting they may be.
Besides using personal stories, Poumpouras augments her book with lists that serve to help the reader identify the scenario they’re in and what they should do about it. She also uses lists to present options to the reader, giving them a full view of the predicament, then walking them through the effectiveness of each one.
Becoming Bulletproof is book for anyone seeking to better themselves, be that to better protect themselves from the outside world or defend themselves against the tricks their own minds play on them. Poumpouras lays years of her life out for the reader to learn from, and the result is a self help book that reads like an action-filled memoir written by a close friend.
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