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The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting |  | Authors: Lawrence A. Kane, Kris Wilder
Creators: Lt. Col. John R. Finch, Marc "Animal" MacYoung, Rory Miller
Publisher: YMAA Publication Center
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.61
as of 3/10/2010 07:29 CST details
You Save: $9.34 (37%)
New (18) Used (12) from $15.23
Seller: sbd-
Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 9237
Media: Paperback
Pages: 393
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.2 x 1
ISBN: 1594391297
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781594391293
ASIN: 1594391297
Publication Date: April 25, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9781594391293 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
The Little Black Book of Violence will arm you with the knowledge and good sense to make informed choices in hazardous situations. While some yahoo spewing insults about your favorite sports team is worlds apart from a drug-crazed lunatic lunging at you with a sharp knife in his hands and bloodlust in his eyes, there is a large gray area in between these two extremes where hard and fast rules do not always apply. This is where wisdom, oftentimes hard-earned wisdom, makes the difference between good decisions and bad ones.
Every time you engage in violence, no matter how small or trivial it may appear to be at the time, it has the potential of escalating into something extraordinarily serious. What is really worth fighting for when you might find yourself spending the rest of your life behind bars, confined to a wheelchair, or trying to dig yourself out of bankruptcy from beneath the crushing weight of a civil lawsuit? It is important to ask yourself, "Is this really worth fighting over?" While in some instances the response could legitimately be "Yes," more often than not it ought to be "No."
More than mere techniques, this book fills in crucial information about street survival that most martial arts instructors don't teach or even know. You will learn how to use awareness, avoidance, and de-escalation to help stave off violence. Despite the best intentions, however, you may still find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to fight and others where it is prudent to do so. Consequently you will also learn smart things you might want to try and dumb things you should attempt to avoid during a physical confrontation.
In addition to learning strategies and techniques for defending yourself on the street you will also learn how to manage the aftermath of violence, including performing first aid, interacting with law enforcement, managing witnesses, finding a good attorney, navigating the legal system, dealing with the press, and overcoming psychological trauma.
Men, who commit about 80 percent of all violent crimes, are twice as likely to become victims of aggressive behavior as women. While written primarily for this at-risk demographic, this comprehensive tome is essential reading for anyone who regularly deals with violence, thinks they may encounter a hostile situation, or who simply wants to increase their ability to survive a dangerous encounter.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
 A must read for anyone who is serious about their safety February 12, 2010
Joey (Seattle, WA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Kane and Wilder really made me think about fighting in a way that I never have before. The authors lay out the cost of violence in stark, realistic terms. It is scary stuff, but it ensures that we understand the full ramifications and consequences of violence so that we can make smart decisions about fighting. I got a little queasy reading some of the author's examples and viewing some of their pictures was downright disturbing (thank god they are not in color), but I learned a LOT from the experience. And I know that I am better off for it too.
The title is catchy, but don't let it mislead you. Far from little, it is a weighty tome, almost 400 pages long. And it is packed with invaluable information. There is a non-judgmental survey to fill out before and after reading the book that helps us determine what we are willing to do or not do, and what we are willing to have done to us or a loved one. I really loved that part. It is a fantastic way of sorting out what is worth fighting for and what is not. Such choices cannot rationally be made during an encounter, so we need to think about it ahead of time. This book truly made me think.
I cannot recommend The Little Black Book of Violence highly enough. It is particularly useful for young men and anyone who works with at risk youth such as social workers, teachers, administrators, but to be perfectly honest anyone can benefit from the information. The tone of the book is not aimed at women or older adults, but the material is appropriate for all people of all ages who are serious about self defense.
Healthy Dose of Reality February 12, 2010
D. Bennett
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The information in this book can go a long way to helping one understand the realities of violence. I know that many young people get involved in martial arts with the misplaced notion that they are going to become a well oiled fighting machine. This book would be great required reading to help such individuals develop a better perspective of the true value of the martial arts.
 The Little Black Book of Avoidance January 28, 2010
S. Casper
6 out of 17 found this review helpful
After reading more into an overly broad mention of this book on Glenn Reynolds "instapundit" I picked up a copy and finished it last night.
Let me take a page from the author's book as it were.
Violence is a horrible thing. Its messy, its gory, it is painful, and it often results in death, disfigurement, and legal action. The taking of a human life is not a decision that should be arrived at easily nor quickly. Even the attempt to kill in "sanctioned" situations can lead to emotional, physical, and spiritual distress of an individual.
However, for the horrors of violence, there are often times where violence is the correct answer, the best choice. Believe it or not (and the authors would have you believe not) violence isn't a tool of last resort. The authors would have you believe that you should only fight when backed into a corner trapped, with no other way out. They further pontificate that you should change your life, avoiding certain places, people, and things. You should be afraid, avoid going out after dark, and avoiding new places and new situations, all so you can avoid violence.
Be a coward. But at least you'll be alive.
I don't agree, at all. Somethings are worth fighting for. Somethings are worth killing for. Somethings are worth dying for. And not as a last resort either.
I think the authors and I would agree, that your life is worth fighting for. That is the premise of the second half of their book anyway, what to do once you find yourself in a situation where a fight is unavoidable. But even then I disagree with their "mental and verbal judo" approach to things. They would rather have you let your enemy control the battlefield, allowing them to be the aggressor, putting you into a position from which you react to them rather than initiating or escalating the conflict.
The book however, isn't a complete waste (hence two stars rather than one), just misdirected. The sections on situational awareness are very good. They stress that you need to be situationally aware at all times, and not just when on unfamiliar ground or in new situations. They preach the credo "Trust in God, but everyone else needs to show their hands" and more importantly to check the hands, check the feet, watch the posture. Don't be lulled and to be prepared.
As far as their self defense teachings go...its hard to learn this type of stuff from a book. Really hard. As a matter of fact I can only think of one or two ways worse than learning self defense from a book, and that would be to teach yourself, or to learn it from watching "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"...
That really isn't a fault of the authors however. Thats a limitation of the medium.
If I were to get off my lazy butt and write a book of this nature, here's the way I'd do it.
1) Understand what it means to fight for something. It means being willing to accept death, dismemberment, and legal action. It means being willing to hurt, maim, or kill.
2) Decide what is worth fighting for. This is on the individual to decide and to determine. For me, life, liberty, family, and country are worth fighting for. The three bucks in my wallet? Probably not.
3) Prepare yourself to fight for those things. Be situationally aware. Be prepared to end the fight quickly by any means. Be prepared to make the decision to fight before it is forced upon you.
4) Know how to fight. Take a good self defense program/class. Avoid competitive martial arts.
5) Read "The Gift of Fear" and "On Killing"
6) Live you life how you will, without regret, and without some book (or some reviewer on Amazon) telling you how.
Not just for men! January 22, 2010
N. Warrilow (Orlando, Florida, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A very well written book on the violence cycle. This book is written for 'young men' but there is a lot of totally relevant information for women here and it is so easy to read! Granted, the humor is male oriented (as it should be for the target audience) but you will be hard pressed to find so much information in one book elsewhere. I thoroughly recommend this book for beginner to advanced in the field of self defense.
A big recommendation November 17, 2009
Goran Powell (London)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The so-called `little black book' is actually a weighty tome, and if you're looking to understand violence and how to deal with it, this volume has pretty much got it covered.
Expert advice and real-world insights are delivered in true Kane and Wilder style. Working on many levels, they connect the wisdom of ancient masters like Sun Tzu and Miyamoto Musashi with leading modern-day martial artists and self-protection gurus to paint a truly complete picture.
The book spotlights the real cost of fighting in graphic and sometimes gruesome detail, with photos to match. The aim is to familiarise the reader with real-world violence and give them the tools to make the right decisions when faced with a potentially violent situation.
The question of when to fight (and when not to) is given the careful consideration it deserves and is one of the highlights of the book. The writers take into account the important factors of youth and pride, especially in young males, and provide a realistic framework for judging the right course of action based on reason rather than emotion.
Personal anecdotes abound -- some humorous, some profound, many shocking -- from martial artists, security personnel, law enforcement and armed forces. The issues of weapons such as knives and guns is included throughout, along with advice on dealing with wounds, psychological trauma and the tricky matter of the law.
The text is so comprehensive that several readings and regular revisions would be the only way to truly know and digest the wealth of information contained within. The Little Black Book of Violence is one very big, very credible source on the subject, and comes with a big recommendation.
Goran Powell, author of Waking Dragons: A Martial Artist Faces His Ultimate Test
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
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