The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting [Versión Kindle]

The Little Black Book of Violence, by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder, fills an interesting niche in the genre of self-defense books. This is a book that is basically designed from the ground up to appeal to young men (ages 15-22'ish). The writing style and attitude the authors take towards the reader immediately reflect this focus, and the book has a very personal style as a result. From the outset, the reader is made aware that the real goal of the book is to help young men avoid the kind of violence that will be detailed therein, hopefully preventing life-altering consequences such as injury, jailtime, or death.

The most impressive thing about the book is that as a deterrent to violent behavior, my bet is that it will likely work for a reasonably large portion of its target audience. While it will likely have very little effect on the real whackos out there, this would be a very useful book for those young men who would make a mistake because they hadn't really thought of the consequences.

I work in a public school, and I can tell you that I can think of half a dozen young men right off the top of my head whom I feel would benefit from this book.

So, that said, the next question must be whether or not this is a book that is worth owning by anyone outside the primary target audience. It is here that I give the book a resounding yes. As a lifelong martial artist and as someone whose primary interests include the fields of self defense and criminal justice, I can say that this has been a very informative read. Kane and Wilder have managed to condense an extremely large topic into condensed, information-packed chunks. They have combined some of the best aspects of books by DeBecker, Miller, Grossman, and others, into a very readable and 'novice-friendly' format. If nothing else, this is a great first book on violence for someone with no other background in the subject.

The book is divided into three sections, essentially corresponding to the three stages of violence.

Section 1, Before Violence Occurs, details the best methods for avoiding conflict before it begins. This section includes chapters on everything from general awareness to peer pressure, and is probably the most important part of the work. If this were mandatory reading in high school health classes, I think we'd all be better off for it.

Section 2, During a Violent Encounter, contains many no-nonsense self-defense tips and techniques. You won't find instructions for doing a flying scissors kick here, but you will find practical advice that might help you get out of a violent conflict alive. There's not much more I could say about this section except that the techniques are grounded in reality, and in the authors' experience as martial artists and security professionals.

Section 3, Aftermath of Violence, is a vital part of the book, and a topic that really deserves an entire book of its own. Kane and Wilder manage a very useful and usable section on feuds, and overall this section maintains the strength present in the other two.

In closing, The Little Black Book of Violence is a highly recommended work on the realities of violence, especially as they pertain to young men. I agree with the quote on the cover of the book - this is a text with the potential to save lives, if we can get it into the hands of those who need it most. If you know someone who is at risk for violence, or if you are the parent of a young man, I heartily recommend this book to you and your loved ones.

As a parent, how many times have you faced the dreaded question, "Why?" Suddenly you find yourself stumbling and stuttering over complications and nuances that you can't articulate. What's most frustrating is that after a lifetime of experience, you DO know them on an almost instinctive level. But you can't really explain WHY one course of action is better than another.

The question of "Why shouldn't I fight?" is one of those 'uh...err...' subjects. One that you NEED a better answer than
a) because it's wrong.
b) because you'll get in trouble
c) because you can get hurt
Those answers ARE true. But that's the understanding of a person who has a lifetime of experience and has seen what happens to people who used violence.

Your child doesn't have that knowledge or experience.

Explaining why violence isn't the best course is made more difficult because -- to the young person -- the need to establish social status, the hormone cocktail, a not fully developed brain and the fear of losing face is like a tidal wave inside of them. Every nerve in their being is telling them that they HAVE to engage in violence to keep from losing status and face. You telling them that they can get in trouble, doesn't mean much because to them, they ALREADY have trouble and violence looks like THE answer.

Usually it's not. Young people don't realize what a Pandora's Box of trouble violence can -- and will -- open in their lives. But fighting and violence looks like a good answer to someone who doesn't have a lot of life experience. That's why they need you to help guide them.

Now ... you could try to explain to your son (or daughter) all of problems involved with violence OR you could hand him this book.

A book that not only explains in detail why violence sucks, but the life-long repercussions that will arise from it. Now instead of 'Dad doesn't understand,' you have two professionals explaining why Dad is right. You DO understand.

And guess what? Handing your son this book works just as well for single mothers with boys.

Although the Little Black Book of Violence might fall into the martial art genre, it's so much more than just another book on how to punch a person there and kick a person here. It's a book that is vitally important to have in your library, whether you're a martial arts newbie, a martial arts veteran, or a person who doesn't train at all but wants to understand what violence is all about.

Most people's understanding of man's inhumanity to man is what they see on TV. But people who have experienced it up close and personal know that the boob tube - dramas, reality videos and news programs - simply do not capture the truth of it, the tangible horror of it, the gut wrenching, eye watering, bladder releasing, and heart thumping essence of real violence. This book does a superb job of teaching you what it's really like, teaching you how to avoid it and teaching you how to survive it when you can't.

There are three sections in the book, the first looks at ways to avoid violence BEFORE it happens, the second examines all aspects of violence AS it happens, and the third looks at all the issues that can happen in its AFTERMATH.

This is an important, information-crammed text on a subject that, sadly, is part of our world, our everyday life. Kane and Wilder have done a superb job here that will save lives.