Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life
by Neil Strauss
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Book Reviews of Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life
Book Review: OK but it won't really teach you anything
Summary: 2 Stars
This book has some entertaining parts and some really slow parts. The structure is exactly like The Game where Strauss is a newbie/moron who hooks up with experts and slowly becomes an expert himself. But unlike The Game the reader gets nothing out of it. After you finish reading it you won't be any closer to protecting yourself in an emergency then you were before you read it. At least in The Game you got some lingo and ways to improve yourself. Here its more like well look here these classes are available and they can teach you stuff.
The book also shows character flaws in Strauss himself that were rather head scratching. In The Game he comes across as a loser when it comes to women than the majority of non-alpha males could relate to. Here he comes across as a paranoid end of the world type that few will relate to. Sure survivalists might get where he's coming from but most city dwellers aren't going to slit a goat's throat, try to get a second passport, or become emergency response workers. Since you can't relate to him you finish the book with an "eh" feeling.
Finally what was up with his girlfriend? How does a master PUA get such a low quality woman? I know he was probably trying to contrast himself with a city girl but she was just annoying. Now she might not actually exist but if she did I imagine she'd be pissed that she comes across as a useless bimbo. Hopefully if Strauss goes on another life journey (with a book about it of course) its to find a high quality woman that he could have a relationship with (and not just a pretty face). Like a woman with uhm brains, maybe a job/profession, maybe someone to have kids with and raise a family. Notice how all these PUA's seem to have no problem getting women to sleep with them but can't ever maintain a relationship? Also that most of these women are low class? Hey maybe someone could write a book about why PUA's choose to have good looking but dumb women. I'd rather read that then Emergency.
Book Review: A very nice story book
Summary: 3 Stars
When I saw the reviews for this book, I was impressed that someone would go to the trouble of making survival information more accessible than those dry Army Field Manuals.
What I got instead was the story of how Neil Strauss went from being a useless, music-knowing yuppie into a survivalist aid worker (volunteering for TWO different types of emergency groups whose names escape me) with dual citizenship.
Now, like a lot of high-selling books, this tells one hell of a story. He survives in his home without utilities for five days (not easy... consider flush toilets), sacrifices a goat (after his girlfriend names it... and ol' Bettie DOES get some references beyond the grave), and learns to fly, sail, and NOT try to camouflage himself as a woman.
But I'm not personally all that into story books. While there is some useful information (told in comic book form, of all things), a lot of the things he does (such as buying an apartment on St. Kitts for $180k, and inheriting use of a log cabin) are a little outside the accessibility of most people. This would've gained one star for each ten-page segment of practical, useful advice/knowledge (instead of teasing us by telling us what he learned from a knife master, a tracker raised by old-school Native Americans, a professional shooting course, and a Krav Maga instructor).
If you want to read a great, true story, this ranks up there. When I posted my copy for resale, it sold within three hours, which means it's hot AND potentially profitable.
If you want knowledge on how to survive, without a high-protein girlfriend and a LOT of money, this just isn't for you. They could've sold me this for DOUBLE the price if he'd only mentioned HOW he was able to legally raise a goat in his pool.
Book Review: Coming of Age
Summary: 3 Stars
Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life
While the story gives a limited view of some of today's issues (2008-9) vis-à-vis asset protection, breaking and entering (how-to for cars, doors and padlocks), extra passports, and getting in shape physically, it is mostly the story of a young man who lived a somewhat shallow existence and who through his fear based point of view comes of age...i.e., enters the real inner personal experience of being an adult.
I have not tried the breaking and entering part yet - and I question the ethics of the information. If the application of the information is for non-criminal activities, well, then it may come in handy. I am somewhat skeptical of this.
As for the dual passport information, there are a number of people who feel this is necessary. Lately, given the "bully" position the U.S. has taken re the world, a number of people are looking to be under-the-radar when traveling. Also, I have to wonder if this is another tactic to avoid taxes.
The best part was the developmental journey the author takes of becoming "mortal" which is when we come to truly know that we will have an end to our lives, and we chose which values we will live by. This was a view of the time when some of the inner truth began to be expressed about his values, his being more self reliant, more responsible and more connected to the world in a real and more mature/meaningful way. Hopefully...
In any case, this book probably did save his life by drawing him into a more meaningful existence.
All the marketing that was packed with the book pointed to his interest in being a pick-up artist. Not much depth there!
Book Review: Great Inspiring Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't know what to expect when I bought Neil Strauss's new book. But as soon as I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
It is an incredible journey, and though it seems from the cover like a survival guide (and there are a lot of survival tips in it), it's closer to the Game in the sense that it's a story first and all the lessons are between the lines and it inspires people to research further afterward. And though there is a lot of practical advice here on everything from winning car chases to turning credit cards into knifes, the advice is as much like the Anarchist Cookbook as it is like the SAS Survival Manual.
What I related to most about this book is the mental journey he takes: here was a guy who like myself and just about everyone I know had almost no interest in politics, had no practical knowledge whatsoever, and had hardly even been camping before. And sometime between 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the economic recession, he suddenly realized: if the SHTF (you'll have to read the book to look up that acronym), the government isn't going to protect me and provide for me. I need to learn how to take care of myself.
I don't want to give away the ending, but it all evolves to a very interesting and unexpected place. But the point and the message of the book really struck home for me: that we've become, as a society, completely dependent on the system. And if the system ever broke down, most of us would be helpless. So, besides just being a great, at times hilarious, and well-written story, the book also was inspirational for me to start signing up for some of these classes, learning some of these skills, and definitely keeping some supplies in my home in case of...Emergency.
Book Review: This was a good book for a few reasons...
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a good book for a couple of reasons. First, I am from a rural country town, and much of what is mentioned in the book can be picked up as a "hick from the sticks," for lack of a better phrase at the moment. If you are in a city, this book could make you more self aware of what could happen around you. If you are kid from the sticks like me, who moved to a city, you could awaken to the concepts that Neil speaks about in the book. The truth is, is that this book is very high level with little detail. Knowing some of what Neil might have experienced, and had to learn, this book easily could have become an encyclopedia of survival and how to in the natural and urban environments. It could have easily gone on for 2500 pages. I look at this book as a primer for anyone who is interested in saving their own skin or engaging in the fight to save the skins of others.
This book has prompted me to take a closer look at my own life, to not be the sheep and follow the herd, but to be the "sheep-wolf" as a friend of mine calls it, and engage life more deeply, but to also be prepared. And, yes, being prepared can cost some money, in terms of time, training, and equipment. Conversely, I think the benefit of taking some courses in self defense, first aid, CPR, shooting (I am a firm believer everyone should know how to shoot a gun as to understand the respect they must have and have a knowledge of how to handle one in the event they are around one unexpectedly) can help center someone and break some of their fears.
Anyway, enough of my rant. I think it was a good book, and if you want more detail, Amazon has a plethora of text for you to choose from after reading the book.