Book Review: Becoming Bulletproof

Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly by Evy Poumpouras

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was drawn to Becoming Bulletproof because of its compelling title, and because I enjoy reading about women whose achievements are aspirational and uplifting for others. Poumpouras’s accomplishments, in addition to her career as a Special Agent in the Secret Service, include journalist, forensic psychologist, media host, and educator. It caught me off-guard, however, that the book opened with a heart-rending, first-hand account of the author’s experience in the Twin Towers on 9/11. That’s why I would not consider this a self-help book as much as a memoir that offers solid advice (at times somewhat didactic) and interesting insights handling or avoiding potentially problematic situations.

I learned a lot about the role a secret service special agent plays protecting leaders and their families, including four former presidents. It gave me a new appreciation for the amount of discipline, self-sacrifice and fortitude it takes to maintain that type of service career during which anything can happen at any moment.

The author’s voice was straightforward, relatable, and unapologetic, which made this book easy to read. That said, I’m still a long way from feeling bulletproof, although I shared the author’s reaction in Chapter Seven at being man-handled by the Chinese official, and cheered her on. I especially enjoyed the chapter toward the end, “Being Presidential,” in which Poumpouras describes the admirable attributes her protectees embodied and modeled for the rest of us to follow. This chapter resonated perhaps because I had always taken “being presidential” for granted in our leaders, but now feel nostalgic given the dearth of virtue in American leadership today.

Overall, I recommend this book and gave it five stars because it was well written, amplified the voice of women projecting strength and power in a male-dominated space, and was uplifting, educational and entertaining.




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