Customer Reviews

The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Little Black Book of Violence, by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder, fills an interesting niche in the genre of self-defense books. This is a book that is basically designed from the ground up to appeal to young men (ages 15-22'ish). The writing style and attitude the authors take towards the reader immediately reflect this focus, and the book has a very personal style as a result. From the outset, the reader is made aware that the real goal of the book is to help young men avoid the kind of violence that will be detailed therein, hopefully preventing life-altering consequences such as injury, jailtime, or death.

The most impressing thing about the book is that as a deterrent to violent behavior, my bet is that it will likely work for a reasonably portion of its target audience. While it will likely have very little effect on the real whackos out there, this would be a very useful book for those young men who would make a mistake because they hadn't really thought of the consequences.

I work in a public school, and I can tell you that I can think of half a dozen young men right off the top of my head whom I feel would benefit from this book.

So, that said, the next question must be whether or not this is a book that is worth owning by anyone outside the primary target audience. It is here that I give the book a resounding yes. As a lifelong martial artist and as someone whose primary interests include the fields of self defense and criminal justice, I can say that this has been a very informative read. Kane and Wilder have managed to condense an extremely large topic into condensed, information-packed chunks. They have combined some of the best aspects of books by DeBecker, Miller, Grossman, and others, into a very readable and 'novice-friendly' format. If nothing else, this is a great first book on violence for someone with no other background in the subject.

The book is divided into three sections, essentially corresponding to the three stages of violence.

Section 1, Before Violence Occurs, details the best methods for avoiding conflict before it begins. This section includes chapters on everything from general awareness to peer pressure, and is probably the most important part of the work. If this were mandatory reading in high school health classes, I think we'd all be better off for it.

Section 2, During a Violent Encounter, contains many no-nonsense self-defense tips and techniques. You won't find instructions for doing a flying scissors kick here, but you will find practical advice that might help you get out of a violent conflict alive. There's not much more I could say about this section except that the techniques are grounded in reality, and in the authors' experience as martial artists and security professionals.

Section 3, Aftermath of Violence, is a vital part of the book, and a topic that really deserves an entire book of its own. Kane and Wilder manage a very useful and usable section on feuds, and overall this section maintains the strength present in the other two.

In closing, The Little Black Book of Violence is a highly recommended work on the realities of violence, especially as they pertain to young men. I agree with the quote on the cover of the book - this is a text with the potential to save lives, if we can get it into the hands of those who need it most. If you know someone who is at risk for violence, or if you are the parent of a young man, I heartily recommend this book to you and your loved ones.

As a parent, how many times have you faced the dreaded question, "Why?" Suddenly you find yourself stumbling and stuttering over complications and nuances that you can't articulate. What's most frustrating is that after a lifetime of experience, you DO know them on an almost instinctive level. But you can't really explain WHY one course of action is better than another.

The question of "Why shouldn't I fight?" is one of those 'uh...err...' subjects. One that you NEED a better answer than
a) because it's wrong.
b) because you'll get in trouble
c) because you can get hurt
Those answers ARE true. But that's the understanding of a person who has a lifetime of experience and has seen what happens to people who used violence.

Your child doesn't have that knowledge or experience.

Explaining why violence isn't the best course is made more difficult because -- to the young person -- the need to establish social status, the hormone cocktail, a not fully developed brain and the fear of losing face is like a tidal wave inside of them. Every nerve in their being is telling them that they HAVE to engage in violence to keep from losing status and face. You telling them that they can get in trouble, doesn't mean much because to them, they ALREADY have trouble and violence looks like THE answer.

Usually it's not. Young people don't realize what a Pandora's Box of trouble violence can -- and will -- open in their lives. But fighting and violence looks like a good answer to someone who doesn't have a lot of life experience. That's why they need you to help guide them.

Now ... you could try to explain to your son (or daughter) all of problems involved with violence OR you could hand him this book.

A book that not only explains in detail why violence sucks, but the life-long repercussions that will arise from it. Now instead of 'Dad doesn't understand,' you have two professionals explaining why Dad is right. You DO understand.

And guess what? Handing your son this book works just as well for single mothers with boys.

Although the Little Black Book of Violence might fall into the martial art genre, it's so much more than just another book on how to punch a person there and kick a person here. It's a book that is vitally important to have in your library, whether you're a martial arts newbie, a martial arts veteran, or a person who doesn't train at all but wants to understand what violence is all about.

Most people's understanding of man's inhumanity to man is what they see on TV. But people who have experienced it up close and personal know that the boob tube - dramas, reality videos and news programs - simply do not capture the truth of it, the tangible horror of it, the gut wrenching, eye watering, bladder releasing, and heart thumping essence of real violence. This book does a superb job of teaching you what it's really like, teaching you how to avoid it and teaching you how to survive it when you can't.

There are three sections in the book, the first looks at ways to avoid violence BEFORE it happens, the second examines all aspects of violence AS it happens, and the third looks at all the issues that can happen in its AFTERMATH.

This is an important, information-crammed text on a subject that, sadly, is part of our world, our everyday life. Kane and Wilder have done a superb job here that will save lives.

I've been training in the martial arts since 1965 and I enjoy a collection of martial arts books that numbers in the hundreds. Kane and Wilder's The Little Black Book of Violence earns a slot on the top shelf as arguably one of the best texts on the subject of violence to come out in recent years. Actually, you can't go wrong with any book by this dynamic writing team, as each one they've written fills a critical void in the martial arts genre.

Understand that you're not going learn how to better throw a punch or kick, but you will learn when to use them and when not to use them. This text isn't about the mechanics of martial arts techniques, but about everything else involved with a violent encounter.

The text is broken into the three parts of every physical encounter:

Section One: Before Violence Occurs
Section Two: During a Violent Encounter
Section Three: Aftermath of Violence

Each section is meaty with solid info that will help you avoid a confrontation, survive it when it does explode, and know how to survive the aftermath, which many have learned the hard way can be the worst part of all, with such issues as arrest, court, lawsuits, PTSD, and physical injury.

While martial arts schools show you how to kick and punch, this book fills in critical information about street survival that most instructors don't teach or simply don't know.

Get this book.

This book is a very interesting read,its not so much about violence than avoiding it. The majority of the book is spent trying to get you to be aware of the signs to potentially violent situations. there are various pictures of the application of tips included in the book also pictures of the aftermath of different violent situations. Its mostly about Although there are some tips included for those times when running and/or hiding isn't an option. There are also various holds and throws explained in the book along with pictures detailing there application. Overall its a good read and can help keep you aware of the world around you, possibly noticing things that you would have ignored otherwise.

The Little Black Book of Violence is a book that has come at the right time! As a practicing martial artist/teacher in the traditional sense, and an ex-high school teacher, I wish I had this book when I was teaching in the school system. Though it is at times graphic - because it is honest and totally realistic - this book should be read by every young adult so that they can understand the dangers of their actions. Just as important, it should also be read by adults, so that we can once again look back at some of our youthful stupidity and learn something! I've been there, and yes, indulgence in the heroics of pride and testosterone causes stupid things to happen. Luckily, I had a sensei who acted as a conscience, made us think about what it means to hurt someone physically, and the emotional devastation that can plague both victim and perpetrator throughout their lives. This book is about just that. It is a conscience. It is likewise a book of prevention - how to avoid being hurt or hurting others. It also deals with the law, and what can happen should you defend yourself beyond what is necessary. If you only read one book on self defense, this should be the one. The authors know what they're talking about. Read and listen!

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.

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.

Of every 100 men,
10 shouldn't be here 80 are nothing but targets
9 are real fighters...
...we are lucky to have them...
...they the battle make...
--Ah, but the One, one of them is a warrior...
...and he will bring the others back.
--Hericletus, 500 BCE

From a sociological and psychological stand-point, violence is an inherent condition with mankind. There has never, not been violence within our human existence. For as long as two humans have lived in the same area at the same time, violence has been applied in order for us to relate and solve perceived problems. Strangely, while a large portion of the earth harbors human beings who live in chronic poverty and horrific violence from birth to death, the majority of people who reside in the United States are not subjected to such a genuinely chronic blight. We are relatively safe and secure living within our borders, insulated away from the realities of day-to-day survival violence.

What occurs in this vast expanse of United States is a violence that is relatively sporadic and regional. From this limited existence, violent human behavior becomes a gross distortion of what it really is and means. A glorified and romanticized version of violence develops from this lack of our day-to-day immersion within such horror. What we do get, however, is a Hollywood version of violence--an entertainment version of violence that is beautifully sugar-coated, diluted and nicely packaged to be financially rewarding within this entertainment enterprise.

What Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder have done for the American public, and those within the martial arts community, are provide a documentation of raw data of just exactly what is human violence, and what are the consequences resulting through such aggressive behaviors. We also are provided with how we might best manage human aggressive behaviors, should we venture too close to where it exists, or should we discover that the ruthless, unstoppable tentacles of such behaviors have managed to creep into our daily existence.

The Little Black Book of Violence is as an objective, razor sharp sword, cutting through the myths and fabrications of what violence is and is not. Like a well-made, keenly honed sword, this book will stir our human emotions in a way that is desperately needed, i.e., piquing and developing our awareness with a fundamental knowledge of the truth of what human violence is and what human violence does, as well as what it is not and what it will not do.

Just as the color black is the absence of all color, this book possesses no Hollywood distortions, no marketing fabrications, no supporting myths, no media propaganda, and no colorful commentaries about what human violence is and does to all the people affected.

The photos, the facts and the examples found in this book are as poignant and "in your face" as the topic being explicated. This book works toward eliminating the glamorization of human violence so often plaguing our ranks within the American commercial martial arts arena, for example.

Consisting of three primary sections, with a full line of sub-topics addressing the before, during and after of both sides of the human equation--the assailant and the assailed--one quickly is greeted with the pure essentials--no fluff or filler. What is written is what is required in order to see where the violence is and how best to manage the existence of this brutality when it intrudes into our lives--and before we become a psychological and physical casualty.

From awareness as your best defense...to...Hollywood fantasy vs. brutal reality...to...he who strikes the first blow, admits he has lost the argument...to...six techniques you can use in a fight...to...once it's over, know your priorities...to...find a good attorney and know first aid, are just brief samplings of the many topics addressed in accurate, full detail.

The book proceeds smoothly, transitioning perfectly, from one topic to the next, always stressing the importance of awareness, avoidance and de-escalating violence prior to it becoming problematic.

Black and white photos are strategically placed to visually confirm the effects of human on human violence. And for those individuals who might be searching for a few simple and straightforward tactical applications of various physical motor-skills, there are a few within these pages, with their subsequent details needed to properly conceptualize their need and their effects on the human element. But we must understand that The Little Black Book of Violence is not a how-to manual of fighting skills. It's a comprehensive text on the full scope of violence from the before to the well after.

Where this book stands out from so many other manuals addressing the nature of and management of human violence or fighting from a martial artists' perspective, is that it serves up a huge plate of the psychology taking place when and where violence exists. What occurs in both the violent mind expressing itself and what is happening to the person chosen as the target of violence are clearly presented.

Violence is never random, even if the reasons are only known to the aggressive perpetrator. This book offers the reader many of the clues and the cues preceding human violent expression, helping the reader to better achieve an in depth understanding of what is needed to recognize the precursors of violence and how to off-set said human violence.

The book provides an undiluted peek into the serious ramifications of street violence and how the legal issues are as damage as the physical and mental injuries incurred when aggressiveness is used as a means of dealing with other humans. This book clearly defines that there are no real winners when violent actions are chosen as the primary means of communication.

What is demonstrated within these leafs are what's left from the bloody aftermath of contemporary aggression inappropriately expressed. There are only survivors, and all are affected. And even when aggression is appropriately engaged, the book shows how and why the consequences are not without cost to doer and receiver.

For those who are looking for some elusive secrets for becoming a superior fighter, well, I direct you immediately to the foreword of Sgt. Rory Miller. The secrets are there if you really read his words and internalize them. In my opinion, Rory Miller's foreword, alone, is worth the price of the book. Considering the wealth of accurate data available in the 378 pages, this is truly a fantastic, economical purchase.

Simply put, this book demystified and unglorifies the nature of brutal, human violence and its consequences, placing such acts in their proper perspective within the human condition. The Little Black Book is a rare treasure trove, explicating not just a slice of brutal violence with its counters, as so many martial arts manuals provide, but a comprehensive richness of sorts, without compare. It offers the reader graphic examples, true stories, actual statistics, wise teachings, authentic texts, and a realistic how-to and where-for approach toward really understanding and surviving within the context of human brutality. The text really does live up to its subtitle of "What Every Young Man Needs to Know."

Read this book and take it to heart, young men and young women--all people--actually, and especially: martial artists. It is real, truthful and accurate. The price of human violence is more than most of us can pay or are willing to pay. The book will hammer forth this truth into the receptive reader, and hopefully, help all the curious souls who desire to know violence first-hand, to make a well-informed choice to avoid it without hesitation.

The book will be a serious aid toward reaching an informed conclusion about what is the full spectrum of violence and how best to handle it as a compassionate human being. I believe this manual to be a classic conceived and born, ready to awaken the uninformed and misinformed with the essential, violent facts.

Rev. Arthur Bodhi Chenevey, RM, DD
Director Hikaze learning Corner

Wow. I loved this book! Authors Wilder & Kane continue to specialize in bringing to light areas of martial arts that have little or ever been discussed. Through "The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Should Know about Fighting" Wilder & Kane have written a very important, critically timed, & far reaching treatise on the subject of reality based martial violence.

Writing their text as a "field-guide" to violence and violent encounters, the authors lend their knowledge and expertise to show both the "how's" and the "why's" that violent encounters occur including the aftermath, and probably most important, the necessary steps to take to avoid it. Recognizing that no one truly "wins" in a violent encounter incident Wilder & Kane offer tips and solutions to the reader to ensure safe passage if the situation should arise.

Drawing from multiple sources, perspectives, and personal reflections from actual martial combatants the true flavor of down and dirty fighting is captured and revealed to the audience at large. Dispelled are the glorious myths and glamorized dramatization of "man to man" combative violence. The aftermath of the fight is laid bare as it really exists. The reader is left to experience the blood, injuries, guilt, regret, and post-traumatic stress that sometimes plague the individual combatant involved.

This book is relevant and draws a correlation to my own experiences having conducted many hundreds of traffic, summary, misdemeanor, and felony arrests over the course of a fifteen-year police career. During that time I often was required to "lay hands" on those arrestees and bring them into custody. The times I recall most vividly were those where I was fighting, grappling, and attempting to subdue my subject opponent. Those real life incidents were engaged in with pure adrenalin where I fought to protect myself and to fulfill my duty knowing there was no margin for error. At times, after the arrest I would find myself with cuts, scrapes, and holes ripped in my uniform or my badge and other accoutrements pulled off and missing. However, I still considered myself fortunate to have survived all of those years without serious injury.

Why then are these statements important to you, the potential reader? As a testament to the powerful truthfulness, veracity, and accuracy of the knowledge and advice contained in this book. In my opinion this book is as relevant to any police officer, soldier, or martial artist as it is to any student of criminal justice or psychology.

In my opinion this wonderful book fills a necessary void of knowledge in the realm of martial science. I rate it at five out of five stars. Bravo!


-Jeffrey-Peter A.M. Hauck, JD, Entrepreneur, Professional Consultant and Trainer, Martial Arts Instructor, Former U.S. Army Infantry Pathfinder, and retired Municipal Police Sergeant. Co-author of Ports and Happy Havens.