Stalked: The Human Target

Stalked is a detailed account of the effects of stalking, which is experienced by a shockingly high proportion of the population. Celebrities like David Letterman and Madonna are the highest profile targets of stalkers, but ordinary people are also targeted, harassed and bullied.

Rachel Cassidy, herself the target of a stalker, tells the stories of people who have been pursued by stalkers and the devastating effects that has had on their lives. To an outsider, the stalker's actions may appear to be minor indiscretions, but the unwanted constant attention, relentless harassment, and utter terror of being a human target can have chilling cumulative effects. Sometimes the stalker's behavior becomes violent. Dancing with the Stars judge Mark Wilson had two dancing schools burned to the ground and his career destroyed. The man who stalked Jodie Foster attempted to assassinate President Reagan to gain her attention.

With the assistance of forensic psychologists who have worked with stalkers and their targets, and lawyers and police who have represented and protected the people pursued, the author explores the psychopathology of stalkers, surveys the laws that deal with stalking behaviors, and looks at cyberstalking. In the final section, Cassidy discusses how to survive a stalker and build a new life of achievement and hope.

Stalked is a perceptive analysis of stalking from the inside--told by the targets, the stalkers, and the experts who deal with the havoc wreaked by the people who harass or persecute others with unwanted and obsessive attention.

Rachel Cassidy has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years, working with various causes for the health and well-being of women and children and on World Reconciliation Day events with Nelson Mandela. She is the CEO of the Anti-Bullying Council Foundation, a national charity in Australia that provides support to victims who have been stalked, targeted, or bullied. She is also an Australia Day Ambassador and serves on the Lord Mayor's Melbourne Awards board. Rachel has been recognized for her charity work as a finalist in the 2009 Australian of the Year awards and received the Patch Adams Humanitarian of the Year award in 1999.