Strong on Defense (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Department of Justice advised in 1993, "Without a complete reversal in present crime trends, eight out of ten Americans will be the victim of..." (more)
Key Phrases: bumper crimes, family escape plan, crime survival, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Stating that an unwillingness to face reality can be the greatest obstacle to surviving a violent crime, a guide to self-defense outlines the importance of mental readiness and shares the stories of people involved in criminal violence. Reprint.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Atria (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671535110
• ISBN-13: 978-0671535117
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #706,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most IMPORTANT books you can ever read!, July 16, 1998

By	David J. Walmsley (London, Ont. Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I can say enough good things about this book. It is absolute must reading. I've taught martial arts for a number of years, and the one thing that has always bothered me is- many of the techniques and skills taught have nothing to do with surviving real life violence. Teaching a woman to punch will not save her from a rapist or carjacker. Strong stresses over and over again how important the will to survive is. He explains that your goal in any violent situation is to ESCAPE that situation with your life. Many systems of martial arts teach the idea or concept of "defeating" the attacker. This is likely the worst mistake you could ever make. It locks you into a struggle with him, it cuts down your chance to escape, you must prevail or perish. A more sensible choice is to attack savagely to buy yourself some room so that you can escape. Everything Strong says is well thought out and logical. He graphically shows what REALLY happens to victims of crime. You need t! ! his information. Reading this book could save you or your family's life. Get it!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to read, harder not to read, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

Strong's book is a valiant effort to persuade us that the common mindset regarding violence is the one that will perpetuate it. Turning most everything we have learned up side down, Strong uses his own law enforcement experience and the stories of violent crime survivors to teach lessons that are hard to forget. His graphic descriptions of crimes the victims lived to tell about argue hard for his views that it is possible to maintain control in many criminal activities. I hated reading the book but am very grateful I did. I am teaching my children differently and have made some changes in my life to train myself to be a survivor.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong advise on crime survival, November 13, 2003

By	Seppo Vesala (Helsinki, - Finland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Strong on Defense: Survival Rules to Protect you and your Family from Crime (Hardcover)

This book is not about preventing crime, it's surviving a violent crime. Strong does not concentrate on how to avoid being a victim, instead he tells how to survive the confrontation when you became one. This makes sense, since he states that violence is becaming more and more random and you can became a victim, no matter what you do. There is also some advise on avoiding crime, but the emphasis is not on that issue.

The book is filled with stories from real life. The stories - no matter how grim - are interesting to read, and the actions of the victims is analyzed after the story. You learn, what the victims did wrong, and what they did right. This makes the book interesting to read, and the "hard text" is also easy to read.

The principles Strong advocates are very simple and easy to remember, even during a crisis. On some occasions his advise seems somewhat farfetched, but on the other hand, it's better be prepared before something bad happens. At the end of the book, Strong gives his formula of making a safer future. His formula is simply putting the criminals behind bars, and keeping them there.

This is a very important book; everyone should read it. It's really sad that we need books like this, but it's a realistic possibility that you can become a victim. If that happens, this book may hold the answers to your survival.