Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life

Neil Strauss writes a moderately interesting book that would have been much better if he hadnt wasted a large part of the book justifying his paranoia about the country by bashing George Bush. In the beginning he clearly establishes his qualifications as being incompetent at anything but writing about music for the New York Times. In the book he chronicles his journey in which he undergoes several years of impressive training to go from total incompetence at practically everything, to being an accomplished survivalist. If you are a committed Bush basher, you may find this book worthwhile. I ended up fast forwarding through a lot of the book to get past the political whining to get to the part that finally became interesting. If you are wanting to read a book to learn skills for surviving a possible catastrophic event, "One Second After", "Patriots", or "Alas Babylon" are much more enlightening.

Fantastic read. This book covers so many different topics from knives, guns, and all types of survival philosophy. It was interesting to see the transformation of Neil Strauss in his search for survival skills to survive in the (what if). Like his other best seller the Game, Neil Strauss dives into a topic and goes all the way leaving no area unchecked exploring topics from all angles and uses things that are applicable. These things he covers on a deep level studies them, and according to the book masters them. Everything from financial melt down natural, disasters, intruders and whatever it may be. He is by no means an expert in any particular field of survival but his unique research abilities give him a awesome overall perspective that helps readers identify areas and expand there thought process to find thorough ways of reaching there own goals. The only part of the book that I found as a turnoff is mainly a difference in political view as the book is very anti Bush and pro Obama. He seems to think that Obama would do a better job in fixing US security than Bush. However he does not look at the possibility that the Liberal agenda might target many of the areas which he uses as survival means like the ownership of weapons and concealed carry. Overall I give the book a 10, the good made up for the bad in my opinion.

well read, and honest, this book is one which I have talked about with friends. I enjoyed it.

Then you will love this book like I did. Is it possibly better than The Game? I'm not sure, but maybe.

If you don't like reading about sex, swearing, guns, knives, and survival, you won't like this book. If these are topics that interest you, will love this book.

Exciting. Interesting. Informative.

Neil Strauss, what a development in terms of attitude and outlook. Even more powerful as you learn with him. The fact that it's real is all the more interesting.

No.

The 180 degree change in outlook in the closing stages of the book.

A must have for any Strauss or prepping fan.

Neil did a great job with the Game. He follows the same script here. He submerges himself into a sub-culture and comes out with power and knowledge in the end. Great listen.

It was really great that the author read his own work. This isn't always the best practice, but as this was non-fiction and the author is an accomplished story teller (he is a master pick-up artist after all), it's nice to have the author's own words and tales recounted as they were meant to be.

Non-fiction: The author of course. Outside of him, Tom Brown Jr, he's gruff and he's the real deal.

No.

Yes.

The author really takes your through the whole arc of his journey, much as he did in The Game. You see how he starts at one point and comes full circle by the end. But his journey affects you, it makes you want to go on the same journey. Well, at least take and Urban Escape and Evasion course, where else do you get to learn Bourne Identity skills? As always, the author serves as a gateway and a guide into a sub-culture most of us wouldn't have known existed otherwise.

Its a little bit piecemeal, but I like that sort of thing. Every half hour is a new thing.

This was not a great audio book. However, i had the fortune of reading this book myself. It is a must read, not a must hear.

Just buy the book and enjoy a journey into another world - a world that most people can learn something from. But don't buy a goat!