netKat's Full Review: Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht - The Worst-case...
Do you know how to survive a plummeting elevator, crash land a plane, or escape from a car hanging off the edge of a cliff? Do you ever wonder if you'll have the necessary knowledge to be able to survive a volcanic eruption, being taken hostage, or even abducted by an alien?
The authors of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook have finally published their sequel: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel. Those who enjoyed the original book will not be disappointed, and for those who have not yet discovered this series, it's well worth checking out.
The same authors, Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, have teamed up with a collection of topic experts in various fields to bring important documentation to those of us who are deemed "worriers". What a relief it is to finally know what to do in various catastrophic situations!
Each chapter is organized with various related catastrophes. Instructions are clear, easy to follow, and laid out in a step by step numbered format. Included are concise and simple illustrations to help explain the techniques described.
The book is an enjoyable 180-page read. This is not a novel or a textbook, it's more like a light how-to manual. Not only for worriers, this book is also great for people interested in trivia, and for those whose minds wander to how things work and thoughts of what would I do if.
The tome is a nonstandard size, slightly larger and thinner than your average paperback, with a bright red cover. It has a rather hefty cover price of $14.95. Go on, pack it in your carry on bag. :)
• Chapter One: Getting There
Plane, Train, Automobile... all can be wrought with danger when they can't stop! Do you know what to do? How about if you're on a runaway horse, or even a camel? My favorite part of this chapter was how to stop a car if the brakes go out. There are a multitude of clearly explained solutions to try. I feel much better now. Also included in this chapter is how to crash-land a plane on water, and what to do to survive in the event of a plane crash.
• Chapter Two: People Skills
This most interesting chapter includes how to survive a riot and a hostage situation. Did you ever wonder how to best pass a bribe? It's all here! How to foil a scam artist, and even a UFO abduction. Here is the advice on the abduction: Don't panic, control your thoughts (they might be able to read your mind), resist verbally, resist mentally, resist physically (go for their eyes, if they have any, in lieu of not knowing their sensitive areas). OK, but I'm still scared to watch UFO shows. Also, how to survive a mugging, how to tail a thief, and how to lose someone who is following you, either on foot or by car.
• Chapter Three: Getting Around
OK, let's say you're trapped in a car hanging over the edge of a cliff, or in a plummeting elevator, or stuck in the trunk of a car... are YOU going to know what to do? You will learn in this chapter. Also included: how to escape if you are tied up, how to jump from a moving train, how to jump from rooftop to rooftop, and how to ram a barricade. Hey, you just never know. This chapter also contains how to survive a fall onto the subway tracks. Having lived in New York City for quite a while in my youth, I can tell you that this is not as unlikely an event as one might hope to think.
• Chapter Four: Out and About
Out and about is right. Do you know how to survive when lost in the jungle, build a raft, and find your way without a compass? How about if you fell down a well, would you be able to get out? Also included, how to navigate a minefield, how to survive a fall through thin ice into frigid water, how to survive a riptide, waterfall, and even a volcanic eruption. You know, I thought about that while visiting Mount Vesuvius. What a relief to know what to do for the next trip!
• Chapter Five: Food and Shelter
As a frequent traveler, I often wonder what is the best course of action in the event of a high rise hotel fire. In addition to survival techniques, there are these words of warning:
- Ladders on fire trucks usually can only reach the 7th floor of a building.
- Make sure the hotel has smoke detectors, sprinklers, and fire alarms.
- It’s best to stay in a room facing the street, as courtside or poolside rooms may be inaccessible to a ladder truck.
- Know that if you jump from a height of more than two floors you risk death.
Also included in this chapter are how to find water on a deserted island, how to purify the water, how to catch fish without a rod, and how to make animal traps. Castaway would have been a much shorter movie if Tom Hanks had this book. Building a shelter in the snow, as well as surviving a sandstorm and tsunami are also covered.
• Chapter Six: Surviving Illness and Injury
You never know when you’ll need to cross a piranha-infested river or (UGH) remove a leech. How about scorpion and tarantula attacks, or what if your limb is severed? It’s all annotated in this chapter.
• Appendix
This book also contains a very useful appendix of traveling strategies, including general tips, strategies for packing, flying, hotels, and stays in dangerous regions. There is section of foreign emergency phrases as well as gestures to avoid. Example: don’t put your glass upside-down on the bar as you may be signaling that you believe you are willing and able to win a fight with anyone present.
The important phrases are translated into four languages: German, French, Spanish, and phonetically written out in Japanese. Sample phrases include:
- “You will never make me talk”
- "Where is the nearest embassy/airport/hospital/police station?”
- “Hello, I have been seriously wounded”
- “Please forgive me and accept this money/camera/watch as a gift”
- “Help!”
• In Conclusion
Giving the gift of survival, to yourself or someone else, cannot be underestimated.
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel
ISBN 0-8118-3131-0
You may also be interested in my review of the original:
• The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook
http://creditexpert.epinions.com/book-review-5EB0-38BAA5B6-39BC2A43-prod5
The Worst-Case Survival Handbook: Travel is the indispensable, indestructible, and definitive handbook for those times when your travels take a turn f...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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