Categories
General

Book Recommendation: Survive the Unthinkable Review

Survive the Unthinkable Review

What your instructor's Sunday morning probably looks like... :)
What your instructor’s Sunday morning probably looks like… 🙂

I find myself repeatedly recommending this book to people, so today I’ve tried to gather my thoughts in one place.

I can’t remember what got me to pick up this book (probably Black Belt Magazine). Our local library had a copy, and since then, I’ve purchased several copies as gifts for friends/family.

In Survive the Unthinkable: A Total Guide to Women’s Self-Protection, author Tim Larkin (who has trained SEALs, Army Special Forces, police, celebrities & their bodyguards) speaks directly to normal, everyday women.

Tim Larkin gets it. He gets what women’s concerns are, probably a result of his vast experience studying crime & listening to people’s stories.

Hit that “more” tab!

The fact of the matter is, as a woman, aggressors and predators assume you are weak. This makes you an attractive target. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood and follow general safety advice, you still will inevitably find yourself in a situation where you are walking alone (or maybe with your children) from the store to the car.

This is life.

But Tim Larkin’s main point is the same as the one we often make in our women’s self-defense seminars. Namely, you don’t have to be big, strong, or physically fit to survive a threatening encounter. You just need the right information, mindset, and full intention to back it up.

One of the best things about this book is how it sets up the difference between antisocial violence and asocial violence. (Martial arts instructors take note).

Antisocial violence (violence in which the aggressor is posturing or trying to assert dominance for show) can be dealt with by using social skills, talking someone down, etc. The book gives plenty of examples of this type of thing.

Asocial violence, on the other hand, is completely foreign to most of us. Thankfully.

This is the realm of people who completely disregard social norms—like the guy who goes from normal to stabbing someone with a knife in the space of a second—a chilling example, among others, from the book.

Most of the discussion is aimed at the second type of violence. How do you survive when the rules of “normal” behavior don’t apply? If you want the answer to that question, go find a copy!! 🙂

I think this is an incredibly valuable read for women, female martial artists, and anyone who teaches women’s self-defense. Get your hands on a copy (links below)! If you enjoy it, please pass it on to your mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, aunts, book clubs.

This is information that all women need to hear.

Places to find “Survive the Unthinkable” & other information!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: