Book excerpt: This self-help guide provides advice and tips for staying safe and protecting your valuables in your home, in your car, and while traveling. Crime can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. But there are ways to thwart the possibility of crime. In Aware and Prepared, author Ronald Hanzel provides advice and tips for staying safe and protecting the items you value the most. Hanzel covers an array of safety issues and demonstrates the key concepts of being aware of your surroundings and stopping a problem before it starts. Communicating practical and easy-to-follow recommendations, Aware and Prepared discusses maintaining safety on the home front; protecting valuables and other items in your home; preventing home scams and other cons; being safe while out and about and on vacation; staying secure while using public transportation and participating in outdoor activities; learning self-defense to protect yourself from possible crime. Keeping yourself, your home, and your possessions safe is not being paranoid. In todays world, its an essential practice to prevent becoming a crime statistic.