cover image The Illustrated Manual of Personal Safety and Survival: Better Safe. Not Sorry

The Illustrated Manual of Personal Safety and Survival: Better Safe. Not Sorry

Rob Brandt, David Bramwell. Barron's Educational Series, $14.95 (128pp) ISBN 978-0-7641-5778-3

This strictly matter-of-fact guide shuns in-depth explanations and any sort of personality for succinct, sometimes puzzling advice on first aid, self-defense, vehicle security, terrorism, personal safety at home and while traveling, and more. Bramwell, a longtime practitioner and teacher of first aid and home security in educational establishments, gets right to the point in every situation he addresses. For almost every scenario, he gives three to six brief steps readers should take, accompanied by straightforward illustrations of crash test dummies following the suggestions (one wears a money belt to guard his cash; another pours a bucket of water onto a burning electric blanket). Much of the advice is common sense: when staying at a hotel, keep all valuables in the hotel safe; use a steering wheel lock on your car to deter thieves; if an electrical appliance catches fire, unplug it; if you are being hijacked on plane, keep calm and be cooperative; etc. Other suggestions are confusing: ""An assailant threatening a serious sexual attack can be deterred by unpleasant or bizarre behavior such as vomiting""; or ""Have a panic button alarm fitted by the front door"" of your home. Still, there's certainly nothing to be lost by reading this informative book.