Customer Reviews

Mykel Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual: Essential Strategies For: Shelter and Water, Food and Fire, Tools and Medicine, Navigation and Signaling, Survival Psychology and Getting Out Alive!

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

HAWKE'S GREEN BERET SURVIVAL MANUAL is clearly written by a seasoned expert, but it is 360 degrees different from those by the rest of the survival gurus out there. It is packed with expertise based on both real-world and military training, but geared for regular people, even those who have no outdoor experience. It is a big, comprehensive book that covers absolutely everything needed to survive virtually anything...how to do it with or without tools and provisions in any environment; also how to think like Macgyver and use whatever is at hand. And perhaps one of the greatest things about this book is that it is immensely readable as told in Hawke's bare-bones, earthy and often humorous style. This book will appeal to both men and women, hard-core outdoor enthusiasts and those who've never even been camping.

It's also extremely empowering as Hawke makes it clear that we all have the most important tool to survive if we learn how to channel it: the will to live and the vow to never quit. But he provides a lot of invaluable extras that you may never need--or that may someday save your life or, perhaps, many others.

This book is well written for the casual reader. The stories inserted here and there add a bit of humor. I looked over the myriad survival guides but found this one the most down to earth. Myke really speaks to the non-nature oriented folks. My experience with survival is limited to "car camping" and avoiding the bad neighborhoods in NYC. I don't smoke, but I think I will start carrying a lighter with me (get the book to know why). This book is a great fraking read. I would advise everyone to get this one, absorb what Myke says. Go to the local parks and practice what you can (legally.)

This book is not a technical manual, there are plenty of other books out there for that. Read it, practice it, and remember the acronyms, or make up your own as it doesn't matter how you get this knowledge in your head. If you decide to carry it with you and find yourself in a survival situation, you can use it as kindling if all else fails. Myke would be ok as long as you do all you can to survive.

I'm still reading through it, but I thought it deserved an early good review. IT'S THAT GOOD.

This is truly a brilliantly bizzare and unconventional book on survival. Hawke avoids a dull survival book read with his informal writing style, personal accounts and shockers like cannibalism and getting fluids from feces. The medical portion is fantastic. I was in the military with Hawke and he's the real deal. The book is very high quality.

Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual by Myke Hawke is one of the best survival books on the market. The book is written in a relaxed yet humorous tone. After reading this book you get the sense that Hawke really knows the "in's and out's" of survival. With his extensive military and special operations experience he definitely has, "been there, done that" and this book provides you with valuable insight based on real world experience. He tells you what works, what doesn't and if he disagrees with conventional thought about a survival topic. He pulls no punches and provides a dose of reality when it comes to survival. Hawke makes no apologies that survival isn't pretty or fun and that sometimes it is just miserable, painful and difficult. Also included are survival tips for the urban environment.

There are chapters on: The psychology of survival, shelter, weather, fire, food, tools, navigation, signals, first aid and nature. Each chapter is complete with realistic and relevant survival information that is practical.

The chapter on first aid is extensive, thorough and realistic. Covered in this section is vital signs, triage, trauma medicine, ABC's, nutrition, immunizations, diseases, antibiotics, CPR, self treatment, elements & exposure, shock, common health problems, sprains & strains, dislocations, fractures, cricothyroidotomy, open wound management, closing a wound, appendectomy, wounds caused by critters and animals, and primitive plant medicine. Even if you are up to date on first aid this is an excellent chapter with very relevant and practical information. Hawke has a great way of getting you to see the big picture in survival and that sometimes tough decisions have to be made such as leaving a wounded individual, amputating a limb, performing an appendectomy or deciding not to conduct CPR. Remember survival is not pretty and sometimes people die despite best efforts.

Regardless of your skill level or experience I believe that there are plenty of informational nuggets in this book that would make it worthwhile for all to read. Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual is current and up to date with excellent information. I highly recommend this book.

Now i have read a slue of survival/preparedness books and this one takes it for me. I would say its best if your just beginning and need a place to start. For seasoned survivors this may make a handy tool for reference but probably contains information you already know. While i havent been in a survival situation myself (depending on what your idea is) i am using this as a base start for organizing the rest of my survival kit.

I believe Mykel Hawke is very good at what he does and who he is ( i did a bit of searching on his military career as well) he has been everything from green beret to emergency medical tech so i take his word seriously. He may talk to the reader as if they are a buddy but hes a cut to the chase kinda guy. Not sure why someone rated this book alright for teenagers, i give this five stars because its the best out there for everyone, not just first timers. Give this book serious thought over many others as the best place to start.

I recently purchased this 'survival manual' from Amazon.com.
It is clearly evident, after spending just a short time scanning this book, that it is written for the 'everyday person'; not just those who have special training.
If you want to be prepared for any type of disaster, you will need to have this manual in your library. However, just having it in your library does not prepare you for any eventuality. You must read and study it.
It is not necessary to commit all of it's teachings to memory. I believe that, depending on where you live, there are certain sections that are more important for each of us to know rather than to digest the entire training available through the book. In addition to 'where you live', other key factors of what you prepare for will depend on your capabilities and desires. Most of us have limitations in some way and all of what is available in the book just does not make sense for some of us.
When taking all of this into consideration, there are items covered in this book that will make us better prepared regardless of who and what we are and what we can do.
Get the book, look it over and decide in what manner you wish or want to be prepared; 'just in case'. It never hurts any of us to be prepared, even for things that may never happen. It helps us live more confidently to be prepared, for whatever.

This book is the only survival manual you MIGHT ever need in an emergency situation. If your not in such a situation, it still makes good reading and also gives you food for thought. It's well written and provides easy to find info on ANY thing you need to know to stay alive.

This book is a "must-read" if you are paying any attention whatsoever to what is going on today! Even if nothing ever happens (and hopefully it won't) there is no problem with being able to handle whatever life throws at you. This book contains detailed and thorough information to help you in nearly every situation. I found the book well written with explanatory diagrams. Be Prepared!

I found more in the book than I thought would be there. I thought it was just going to be very very basic and be only about 150 pages or so. I was very surprised to see a hard bound book and full of information that I have found very informative and will be very useful. Thank you very much !

Good book no matter your outdoor skill level. Lots of skills an outdoorsman may already have, but may not have thought about all the possibilities for applying them. The best of all though, is Myke's insistence that you NEVER give up. The psychology of surviving is the most important asset you can have. I have read many tales where people should not have survived the conditions they did, but they did not give up and they came through. His shelter building is particularly strong; he gave me ideas I had never considered for sheltering in a watery area. Text on medical care is first rate, particularly the discussions about triage. It may not be nice to consider, but you must do so if you are going to survive and help others do so. I highly recommend this book.