_Strong on Defense_, by Sanford Strong, Pocket Books 1996, 246 pp, $22 hb. "Survival Rules to Protect You and Your Family From Crime". This book caught my eye because the author proposes that the citizen's chances of survival improve if he resists criminal assault. Throughout, by "resist" he means "escape if possible, fight if not". A point he stresses again and again is that cooperation with criminals is a tactical error. He covers both mental and physical preparedness in detail. "Expect to Be Injured" is not advice that people want to hear. The author spends considerable time explaining that if the citizen is paralyzed by fear of injury, the criminal has total control simply by saying "Do what I want and I won't hurt you." He proposes that such a person is usually lying. His discussion of firearms is brief but quite sensible, given that his target audience are those who are not familiar with firearms. He deals with guns kept at home, not carried on the person. See his "Five Rules Before Loading" below. A most valuable feature of the book is his many detailed analyses of actual violent assaults, with explanations of what the citizens did right, what they did wrong, and what eventually happened to the offenders. This is gut-wrenching reading; the degree of savagery of certain crimes rarely gets in the newspaper. The author believes that most repeat violent offenders are psychopaths. Whether his "Six Ways to a Safer Future" are prudent policies, I am not able to say. The author has been a police officer, police trainer, and security consultant. Here is an outline, with my capsule summaries in [square brackets]. Part I. Random, Senseless, and Explosive What We're Up Against [The rising rate and changing character of violent crime]. What's Ahead [It's going to get much worse]. What Doesn't Work Gadgets [Chemical spray, noisemakers]. Martial Arts [Good as mental and physical discipline, but not as practical self-defense]. Women's Self Defense? [If it is not good advice for a man, it is not appropriate for a woman]. Doing Nothing [Passivity doesn't work because it makes resistance and escape later more difficult, and increases the likelihood that violence will escalate, particularly in the case of rape]. What Does Work [Mental preparation, "mind-setting"]. Part II. Dealing with Fear Breaking Through Fear [The primary facts of criminal violence are (1) a paralyzing fear of injury, and (2) the incredible speed of the assault. The citizen must redirect or convert his fear of injury into primitive rage against the attacker]. Fight-or-Flight Response [The criminal seeks to defeat the normal response to escape or fight back]. Expect to Be Injured [If avoidance of injury is your first priority, the criminal has total control of you when he says "Do what I say and I won't hurt you"]. Hard-Line Approach [Be aware of the nature of the criminals. Arguing, pleading, obeying will not help]. Part III. Mind-Setting Against Violence [Visualize a crime scene and mentally rehearse your response]. You're New Survival Mind-Set Your New Attitude Deadly Mistakes "From a cop's point of view, citizens seem to keep making the same mistakes over and over..." [These mistakes include: trying overpower the attacker rather than escaping, trying to disarm the criminal, believing the criminal, waiting for the best moment to make a move]. The Four Survival Rules to Live By [We seek to counter three elements that criminals need: time, isolation, and control]. Rule #1: React Immediately [Your best chance is in the first few seconds]. Armed Assault [Give the mugger your money and run]. Guns and Accuracy [Crooks are not generally good marksmen]. Rule #2: Resist [Your chances are better if you resist rather than submit]. Concentrate Immediate, Direct, Explosive Scream Loud and Clear Being Constrained [If you are being held and threatened with a weapon, say "Take everything". If a weapon is being used against you, grab it. If he is trying to move you, take that opportunity to resist]. Unarmed assault Gouge the eyes Biting [Your jaws are very powerful muscles]. Rule #3: Crime Scene #2 [Never let the criminal relocate you. Everything will be much worse at the new location]. Crash It! [When abducted in a car, run into something]. Rule #4: Never, Never Give Up [Your attitude can keep you alive even when you are injured]. Part IV: The Four Rules in Action Intervening in Violent Crimes "The death of Good Samaritans from intervening in violent crimes is fast becoming a murder statistic by itself." Keep your distance Keep them in sight Keep the pressure on Armed Robbery of an Open Business Hard-Line Hostage Facts Car Crimes Chunks of Concrete and Other Foreign Objects Hurled from Overpasses Highway Shootings Car-to-Car Car-to-Ground Ground-to-Car Off-Ramp Murders/Crimes If the Off-Ramp You're On Is Suddenly Blocked Rest-Stop Violence Mom, Someone Followed Me... Carjacking Danger Signals in Your Gut...and Worse--What to Do Family Carjack Plan and Drill Bumper Crimes Ruses Forced Off the Road Stranded Murder in Public Places Do What I Tell You or I Kill Her! When Friends are With You Impersonating Cops What to Do at Home What to Do in a Car What to Say to Your Children A Motorist's Worst Nightmare [The bad cop]. Mob Violence Part V: Families Under Attack Home Intruders "Home intruders are the worst of criminals. Period." What to Do When Your Wife/Child is Held at Weapon's Point Teaching Family Survival Teaching Children Crime Escape The Escape-and-Survive Family Drill Part VI: Six Ways to a Safer Future Three Long-Term Ways 1. Guns--Five Criteria Before Loading One: You Load It--You're Responsible Two: Know the Gun--Inside and Out Three: Point-of-Aim Four: Can You Kill a Man? Five: Escape--Don't Make a Gun Your Center of Survival 2. The Cellular Wave 3. Community Policing Three Immediate Needs 1. Guns off the Streets [Police should have the right to stop and frisk suspected gang members]. 2. Gangs 3. Recidivists [Violent career criminals are less than 10% of the criminal population and commit 75-80% of all crimes. Lock them up and don't let them out]. Epilogue The Facts on the Cost of Crime We're at the Fork in the Road * * * This review is archived at: -Bill McClain