Be Alert, Be Aware, Have a Plan, by Neil Rawls and Sue Kovach

ere is abook that may not be the best if you are the "visual" type; that is: Someone who is more into a picture manual, and preferably likes to learn "some new tricks" in order to say that a book has any value. "Be Alert, Be Aware, Have a Plan: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Home, Your Family" is mainly text, and no less than 350 pages of it. Thus, there's a good read ahead of anyone opting for this book! By all means, you don't have to read every single word - there are things here that (to a European mind at least) looks very much like "protecting yourself against terrorism and gas-attacks" paranioa. I don't say there's anything wrong with that at all (protecting against it, I mean :-) It's just that it comes across like a little too paranoid, that's all.

Don't be scared by this, because the book is full of practical tips and techniques, from how to secure your home, to how you can avoid muggings, robberies and theft, or to how to avoid potential problems when you're travelling. A lot of this is well known to any experienced reader. Still, it is all great advice and tips from people who obviously know what they're talking about; and it can never harm to hear or read about a good thing one more time!

At the ending of the book there's also a small chapter about physical self-defense. I would like to site the authors when they say something that I find to be absolutely true: "Physical confrontation should always be a last resort". Some folks have a tendency to have too much confidence in a physical self-defense technique, forgetting the importance of all the factors leading up to the problem or confrontation. Remember the old: "Proper Planning Prevents Pi.. Poor Performance"?

Now, let me admit that I was somewhat too ironical about the "paranoia" previously. In the same chapter about terrorist threats and such there's also an overview of how to act during hurricanes, earthquakes etc. There is a paragraph about tsunamies, and how the ocean "sinks" or pulls out before the tsunami hits. I can't help but wonder how many lifes could have been spared in Asia if people knew about this fact. Let us not be wise after the event, but it does come across as a little weird that we read all sorts of litterature about the places we're visiting, but that we are poorly armed with knowledge on how to avoid trouble. Trouble may not be an earthquake, a firestorm or a tsunami - it can be thefts, bullies, lost items, missing people, robberies, violence, language barrieres, kidnappers, false police officers, harassments con-men, and much more. Being prepared for trouble or "unforeseen" incidents or accidents ensures that the risk is automatically redused!

If you are to do some travelling in the near future, and/or you are concerned with safety and security, then this is a great book to help you sleep better. You may find a lot of this information other places, but here it is all in one place.

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