The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Upper East Side metrosexual may be good at cocktail chat, but a real man knows how to fight off alligators, create a tourniquet out of a t-shirt, and rescue a drowning person. Frank Miniter's The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide shows men how to do all of these and more, including:

* how to fight off a bear
* how to set a dislocated joint
* how to pick the perfect cigar and bottle of wine

Presented in seven sections--survivor, provider, athlete, hero, romantic, cultured man, and philosopher--Miniter teaches guys the skills, attitudes, and philosophies they need to be the ultimate man. Clearly written and packed with real-life anecdotes, as well as line-drawings and how-to illustrations, The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide teaches men that any guy can be the ultimate man whether he is rescuing a lost hiker, plucking a child from a swift stream, or standing up against injustice.

About the Author

Frank Miniter is the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting, the executive editor of American Hunter, and a former senior editor of Outdoor Life. Miniter is also the ultimate man. He has run with the bulls of Pamplona, snowshoed the Klondike, and survived everywhere from the Amazon to Manhattan. Miniter lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Press (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596985704
• ISBN-13: 978-1596985704
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,967 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff, But Too Short, June 1, 2009

By	S. Peek (Rocky Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In the current age, this is a much needed antidote to the cultural feminization of men.

While there is certainly nothing wrong (and lots right) about femininity for women, the American society has been on a crusade to attack masculinity in many ways. That starts with quests to prescribe Ritalin for boys in school for acting like boys and it goes on from there.

Frank Miniter has put together a book that helps to counter this trend. It is divided chapters entitled as follows: Survivor, Provider, Athlete, Hero, Gentleman , and Philosopher. Each one of these has some great content. Here are some examples:

Survivor - emergency gear, navigation, how to make a fire without matches, first aid, and dealing with predatory creatures.

Provider - shooting (firearm and bows), setting a snare, and field dressing game.

Athlete - lots of sports basics and knots. I think the section on knots is one that could and should be expanded a lot for future editions.

Hero - Heroic codes, chivalry, stopping a dog fight, defending the weak, and self defense (another part that should be lengthened).

Gentleman - How to tie bowties and Windsor knots, Gentleman's 20 Rules of Conduct, How to Set a Table, as well as the author's thoughts on vices such as smokings cigars, alcohol, and gambling.

Philosopher - Great moral codes, self improvement, self reliance, and more.

Included throughout the book are portraits of various great men throughout history. There are also two well done appendices that cover '100 Movies Men Should See' and '100 Books Men Should Read'.

I have little quarrel with most of the contents although I personally think that some of Miniter's views on vices is a bit silly. Although many of the areas covered were standard fare in the life education of young boys growing up when I was younger (at least in the West where such things as hunting, fishing, etc. were not only popular then, but still are), many of these are not commonly taught in the age of nonstop TV, video games, etc.

This would be a great gift for the men and boys in one's life. Although it is very good, I would really like to see the author double or triple its content for future printings.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Need Heroes, June 18, 2009

By	Alan Peterson (Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A guy who lives with a poodle probably needs a book about being man more than most. I've hunted and fished all my life. I can start a fire with flint and steel. Lettered in football and soccer. Have travelled to Nepal, Paris, and Siberia (in December). And...fathered three children. But, the poodle can put a significant dent in the manly armor. I wanted Miniter to point out the one thing that could undeniably establish my manly bona fides.

Having enjoyed Miniter's previous book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting, I looked forward to this latest. Just the title was enough to insure a read. I didn't know what to expect except for a laundry list of manly activities and events to accomplish with teeth-clenched knives, torque wrenches, and duct tape all shaken not stirred. How to escape an attacking alligator. Check. How to find North without a compass. Check. How to choose a cigar. Check. How to throw a curveball. Check. 100 Manly Movies. Check. If you're looking for checklists, Miniter's book provides significant ones. However, the most important thing that Miniter's book provides is the provocative thesis that real manhood is much deeper than hunting, boxing, tying a bow tie, or rescuing damsels in distress.

The key to The Ultimate Man, is found in the chapter about heroes. Miniter posits that heroic conduct is not a single life-saving moment spawned by desperate need but should be an entire life based on developing and sticking to a moral code of conduct. He's hit the nail on the head--and not just for defining heroism. This is the essence of true manhood. In today's fatherless, entertainer obsessed world, genuine examples of moral, self-disciplined manhood are rare, indeed. And, says Miniter, men have a duty to shake off the fetters of apathy and fecklessness and become MEN. We have a duty and responsibility to teach our sons to become MEN. Men who do not crumble in the face of challenge; men who do not chose the easy path; men who are willing to govern or give up their vices; men who are willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the good of their wives, families, communities, and countries. I cannot help but wonder that the source of the economic and social catastrophes that have turned our world upside down is the lack of Miniter's "Ultimate Men." By the same token, our salvation will be in teaching and preparing a new generation of responsible, daring, and disciplined men. Miniter's Ultimate Man's Survival Guide is a great place to start preparing that new generation and reforming the old.

179 of 250 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Achieving a 10 on the Manly Scale of Absolute Gender, May 20, 2009

By	Gen. JC Christian, patriot (Tremonton, UT United States) - See all my reviews

Years of femislamunistofascist tyranny have made it hard for a man to be a man. Our masculinity is assaulted at every turn. We're told we have to have feelings, and that we can't spit or adjust ourselves in public. Women's magazines, with their tales of whopping three-plus-inch manparts, have created a standard of perfection no man can achieve. Our wives read these things and they laugh at us and call us names like "General Tiny-Parts" or "Vienna Sausage Boy." It's all part of what I call "the sad, sorry plight of the white Christian male." We've been beaten down so much many of us no longer know how to be a man.

That's why a book like "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide" is so needed now. It provides us with the knowledge we need to reclaim our manhood.

I'll admit it. Even I, a man who spikes an 11 on the manly scale of absolute gender, learned a few tricks from this book. The tips on how to pick the perfect cigar and alligator wrestling are worth the price of the book alone.

That said, I did find a few flaws. The section on how to fight off a bear seemed to be missing something. I tried it down at The Castro, and well, I'm not admitting the bears got the best of me, but I'm telling you a step was left out somewhere.

And you really should warn people what happens when the bear achieves dominance. I mean, my God! It's horrible, and OK, yes, also disturbingly enjoyable. That's the worst part--that feeling of happy satisfaction. That, and the lack of after-action smokes. The author should list cigarettes as one of the things you need when you prepare to fight a bear.

The book also needs a chapter on how to deny your essence to women. You know they take it so they can weaken you. They want to make you feel lethargic and unable to defend yourself when they begin their post-sex taunting. It's just like with the bears.

Finally, you'd think the author, Frank Miniter, who edits the NRA's American Hunter magazine, would have written a chapter on defending your home against terrorists. Gitmo is going to get closed down, and despite the budget vote, it's likely some of the detainees will end up in domestic prisons.

What do we do when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed melts his way out of USP Florence using his mutant heat ray eyes and then crushes Denver with his giant reptile feet. How does a man defend his family from that? A little guidance from Mr. Minter would be helpful.

Still, even with these flaws, I don't feel like the book taunted me too much--even after I denied it my essence. So I'll give it five stars.