The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Life

by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht

An omnibus of fast-access survival advice on the full range of everyday life emergencies, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Life guide packs hundreds of instant, real solutions to daily crises in categories covering, home, relationships, travel, sports and hobbies, animals and pets, money, school, beauty and fitness, holidays and celebrations, and more. Clocking in at a chunky 288 pages, and containing hundreds of scenarios and solutions, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Life will keep readers informed and safe whether battling an bobcat or busted faucet. Because anything can go wrong anywhere at any time.

Genres: Reference, Humor, Nonfiction, Self Help, Survival, How To

240 pages, Paperback

Published June 8, 2006

About the author

Josh Piven is a television writer and producer, speechwriter, playwright, and the author or co-author of more than twenty non-fiction and humor books, including the worldwide best-selling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series.

He wrote the teleplay and serves as producer of Don The Beekeeper, a half-hour children’s TV show about honeybees and urban beekeeping. His most recent stage play, a holiday farce called No Reservations, had its world premiere in November-December, 2013, to great success and critical acclaim. More information. His next play is Muddled.

Josh likes to refer to himself in the third person.

Piven is perhaps best known for his famously tongue-in-cheek worst-case books, books that offer readers real-world (though often hilarious) advice on surviving worst-case situations that they might—but hopefully won’t—encounter: everything from “how to fend off a shark” and “how to wrestle an alligator” to “how to avoid the Freshman 15” and “how to determine if your date is an axe murderer.”

Piven is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania—and living proof that English majors aren't necessarily failures.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Worst Case Scenario authors have pulled together the most important bits of information together to create a guide for the grand journey that is life. This volume is full of useful information, as are the other books in this series, but this is ore of a reference work than any sort of book on can read from cover to cover. It's meant to be explored by looking through the index, finding the parts that are most relevant (or humorous), and turning through the pages. As a result, much of the series' tongue-in-cheek humor is lost. Any trace that remain have been lifted from previous volumes. None the less, it is an informative book, and possibly useful too. Keep it on your book shelf on the off chance that you might have to save your cat from choking.

[Bijan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joshua Piven's "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival: Life" is quite the special book. And when I say special I mean way, way out of the ordinary. From getting a bird stuck in your hair to first impressions on your date's parents, this original book is filled with hints and how-to's. Some useful and others highly impractical. I, personally, quite enjoyed the book but at the same time I found it a little bit tedious and impractical. When reading through, you will come across scenarios that will highly likely never happen in your lifetime. But all in all, it was a fun book. If you have some time to kill you might want to pick it up and give it a go. But I wouldn't suggest going out of your way to read it.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where else are you going to learn what to do if the pandas won't mate, the sauce is too garlicky, the lobsters escape, giraffes stampede, a bird gets loose in the house, you get caught passing a note in class, you're stalked by a leopard while lost in the jungle, or a bird gets caught in your hair? Seriously, this book answers all of these questions, plus more, more, more.

The illustrations, while few, are absolutely hilarious!

Read this book in the safety of your own home, before you need all the information it provides.

[Mackeely Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found some information useful and some information hilarious. Like if your walls are bleeding, or if you are in a cave and you touch something furry. Now I know how to perform the Heimlich on my cat, what to do if my landward won't mate, and how to ditch psychotic hitchhikers.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent compendium of advice (mixed with some entries that are either extremely questionable or obvious jokes to... keep you on your toes, I guess?). The sort of thing you find at a bookstore, go "hah!" and then forget about once you've filed it away in the living room bookshelf.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! Lots of great ideas. Humorous also. I have read most of the series and read them as I see them.

[Allanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a fun series.

I especially liked the ideas for dealing with teenagers. ^_^

[Tim Corke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic present book that cannot help to raise a smile and irritate the entire family :)

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these. You can never be prepared enough!

[Wilbur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of some real life advice situations and nonsense. Humorous, light read.