Come Back Alive (Paperback)

~ (Author) "What is survival?..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Come Back Alive isn't exactly a book that inspires you to dive into the delights of traveling. Robert Young Pelton is best known for his previous book, The World's Most Dangerous Places, and has survived numerous calamities--from car wrecks and a plane crash to killer bees. That he has indeed come back alive does initially lend credence to his advice--which includes what to eat in the bush, which animals are most deadly, and how to avoid being kidnapped.

Pelton's survival tips and facts range from the obvious (if thirsty in the desert, look for greenery) and the interesting (deer send some 16,000 humans to the hospital annually by causing auto accidents), to the patently absurd. While he may be most helpful when writing about nature, Pelton--a worldwide traveler--comes off as colorfully clueless when he heads out to urban destinations. While advising travelers to travel lightly, he recommends loading oneself onto a plane thusly: "Use a soft, legal-sized carryon bag. Wear a larger than normal waist pack with heavy items, use a correspondent's vest to stuff in other heavy items, clothes, and fragiles. Carry a second laptop bag ... filled with reading material, CD player, whatever...."

Not only does this sound like an Olympic feat, it also contradicts his advice not to look like a tourist. As for how to surreptitiously conceal cash, Pelton recommends rolling it up in straws. That's right, straws. Certainly original, but the presence of numerous straws in a suitcase seems a likely way to ensure your luggage is ripped apart for cocaine. If carrying it on your person, what does one do to dislodge a bill from the straw, toot it at the cashier?

Nevertheless, with its charts (of average miles walked by a lost person), quizzes (are you a leader?), and occasionally insightful information, Come Back Alive is a remarkable journey through Danger Land (a.k.a. the modern world), and one that is sure to help enliven any cocktail party with its informational icebreakers. "I'm reading the oddest book," you might begin, "which recommends carrying money in straws...." --Melissa Rossi

Product Description

Welcome to the art of survival!

Come Back Alive is the indispensable and witty guide to avoiding nasty situations, whether on a business trip, an adventure vacation, or a weekend hike. In this book, the author of the classic travel annual The World's Most Dangerous Places, Robert Young Pelton--"Dangerman" (Toronto Globe & Mail); "tourist with an attitude" (Outside magazine); "the patron saint of adventure travelers" (ZineZone. com)--reveals the secrets that have kept him alive and laughing:

• in the desert: finding water where it ain't, dehydration and rehydration, copping a nuclear tan
  
• in the jungle: trekking, camping, jungle tucker, what to do when there's no bridge
  
• in the woods: when you're tentless and clueless, when dinner's still mobile
  
• in the snow: dressing for excess; building a snow cave, what to do when someone's going hypo
  
• on the road: surviving adventure travel, from mild to wild
  
• when assaulted: passive self-defense, active self-defense, better ideas in self-defense
  
• when kidnapped: how to avoid it, how to survive it
  
• during natural disasters: hurricanes, avalanches, lightning, earthquakes, and more!
  
• when facing nasty animals: animals that bite you, eat you, sting you, and what to do when Bambi strikes back
  

You will also learn strategies for adventure travel, urban areas, war zones, terrorism, crime spots, and even the dangers of your own house--the place you're most likely to get into trouble.

Whether you are young or old, man or woman, going on a business trip, a ski weekend, an African safari, or just to the corner store, Come Back Alive gives you the comprehensive and fascinating advice you'll need to protect yourself. No matter where you're going, what you're doing, or how dangerous you want to get, Come Back Alive is essential to your safe and stylish return.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books; 1 edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385495668
• ISBN-13: 978-0385495660
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #396,800 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worse than worthless, September 28, 1999

By A Customer

I would hope that a book with this title would at least have its facts straight, but with even my limited knowledge, I found errors in almost every chapter. Where were the editors and fact-checkers?? Some of the errors are just silly: "water weighs about sixty pounds a square foot" (!). Some of them are confusing: one tablet of Potable-Aqua "should disinfect about 16 liters of murky water" (the label calls for 2 tablets per quart!). It's not correct that 7.5-minute topos always have 20-foot contour lines (in fact, it varies, depending on local terrain). The advice on overheating is potentially life-threatening, since it doesn't give the simple and clear diagnostics that you'll find in any first-aid manual between heat prostration (pale and clammy... rest and drink fluids) and heatstroke (red and hot... call an ambulance, rather than fanning yourself, as the author recommends!). Get a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook instead of this book.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but not Pelton's best, December 1, 2000

By	B. Warrick "Flynnatic" (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a huge fan of Robert Young Pelton's World's Most Dangerous Places, I was really looking forward to reading this book. But while it was entertaining enough, I didn't feel that it was up to DP's usual standards...so I found myself being mildly disappointed.

I guess that when it comes down to it, I felt that the book was not meaty enough for a Pelton offering. The chapters were fairly short and I don't really feel that enough specifics were given about any given survival situation for the book to be truly useful in the field. Often, I felt like I was being given the "executive summary" rather than the specific details I would need to stay alive under trying circumstances.

Because I'm a DP fan, I know that Pelton can do better than this. This book won't stop me from reading other Pelton offerings, but I'm hoping that, like DP itself, it will evolve year by year and edition by edition into a truly excellent book.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Use common sense, December 28, 1999

By	robert mckim (ny, ny) - See all my reviews

This book is long on humorous one liners and short on specifics. The amount of useful, hard, practical info could be put into a small pamphlet. It was a fairly enjoyable light read (I used it as a bathroom reader, sorry Robert) but I have in the past and plan in the future to travel to some of these places he mentions and I feel no better prepared for them. Perhaps it is good he does not instill a false sence of security in people by giving them clever 1,2,3 recipies for difficult situations. The one theme found throughout the book is "use your common sense." This is good advice, but then, I already knew that.