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Strong on Defense: Survival Rules to Protect you and your Family from Crime
An invaluable personal manual, illustrated with true stories of people who been involved in criminal violence, is designed to help readers develop a survival mindset and quick, immediate reactions in the case of a criminal attack. Tour.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 1996
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375 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 30, 2026
It’s always nice to find a self-defence book that emphasizes mindset over physical techniques. For Strong, it’s precisely a survival mindset, one informed by real-world incidents, that offers the definitive advantage since “it’s always with you and ready for immediate use.” Related to this, Strong is weary of those who rely exclusively on a favoured weapon or gadget to ensure their safety.
But perhaps the most important message of the book is as follows: “These are the facts: If violence strikes, survival depends on what we alone do in the crucial first seconds. The police won't be there to help. They'll get there later to pick up the pieces."
But perhaps the most important message of the book is as follows: “These are the facts: If violence strikes, survival depends on what we alone do in the crucial first seconds. The police won't be there to help. They'll get there later to pick up the pieces."
June 6, 2011
One of my survival bibles. Not recommended for those with soft hearts. Sanford talks straight up, without cutting out the details...which can make your blood run cold, but it's experience from him being a cop.
I was taking intense classes in self-defense when I picked this up and had my sons read it as they got older too. It may not have been the intent of the book, but it created a deep resolve in my mind and heart to protect the blessed virtue of a woman. Any woman.
This is real life and if you want to know what's out there and have a mental game plan ahead of time, I recommend this book.
I was taking intense classes in self-defense when I picked this up and had my sons read it as they got older too. It may not have been the intent of the book, but it created a deep resolve in my mind and heart to protect the blessed virtue of a woman. Any woman.
This is real life and if you want to know what's out there and have a mental game plan ahead of time, I recommend this book.
March 19, 2021
The author’s eponymous pun in the title is not a laughing matter. This book is intensely serious. It depicts a series of threatening criminal behaviours and provides proper responses. The author emphasizes a need to constantly focus on survival instincts. These tendencies can be used to protect families from an endless litany of dangerous interactions. The synaptic response is explored in great detail, and the author explicitly explains how to hone immediate reflexes that could save lives.
September 1, 2007
I first read this book about 7 years ago and tend to re-read it every year to remind myself of the lessons contained in it.
In this day and age, I think it is VERY important to be prepared to fight for your life and this book gives practical, no-nonsense advice.
In this day and age, I think it is VERY important to be prepared to fight for your life and this book gives practical, no-nonsense advice.
July 17, 2007
This book is incredible. It teaches how one should defend themselves against crime. Everyone should buy this book and read it twice.
June 7, 2016
Reading this made me slightly more paranoid than I already am about crime.
But I'll be damned if I freeze up when something bad happens.
But I'll be damned if I freeze up when something bad happens.
March 21, 2023
Having grown up through a historically significant period of crime - the late 1980s and early to mid '90s - this book speaks directly to me. Gang violence had peaked in the period right before Strong on Defense was published before entering a long, slow decline that has only in the past couple of years started to reverse itself. Folks are complacent now, but the kind of advice Strong provided in his book is extremely useful in a world that is becoming more dangerous.
Sandford Strong was (rest in peace) a pragmatist, the book's first priority is getting you and your family out of danger. Strong gives a great deal of advice to that end, to a point that some people will find absurd including keeping pre-prepared rope in upstairs rooms to rappel out the window to escape murderers. Better safe than sorry, though; that rope is going to be a lot of help if your house catches on fire. Strong's second priority - that more of the book ends up being devoted to - is fighting tooth, nail, and claw against someone who is trying to victimize you. Strong pulls no punches in his approach and hopes you won't when dealing with attackers, either. Real life examples of resisting crime that he describes include biting off the dick of a rapist, gnawing off an assailant's digits, and his (famous thanks to RedLetterMedia) entreaty to "gouge his eyes!" of the criminal. Self-defense can get ugly and uncivilized, with Strong's straightforward approach probably hitting modern people brought up in a safe, sterile environment as horrifyingly barbaric; however, if you're more interested in staying alive than trying to use techniques that will play well at a church social, this is an invaluable resource.
Sandford Strong was (rest in peace) a pragmatist, the book's first priority is getting you and your family out of danger. Strong gives a great deal of advice to that end, to a point that some people will find absurd including keeping pre-prepared rope in upstairs rooms to rappel out the window to escape murderers. Better safe than sorry, though; that rope is going to be a lot of help if your house catches on fire. Strong's second priority - that more of the book ends up being devoted to - is fighting tooth, nail, and claw against someone who is trying to victimize you. Strong pulls no punches in his approach and hopes you won't when dealing with attackers, either. Real life examples of resisting crime that he describes include biting off the dick of a rapist, gnawing off an assailant's digits, and his (famous thanks to RedLetterMedia) entreaty to "gouge his eyes!" of the criminal. Self-defense can get ugly and uncivilized, with Strong's straightforward approach probably hitting modern people brought up in a safe, sterile environment as horrifyingly barbaric; however, if you're more interested in staying alive than trying to use techniques that will play well at a church social, this is an invaluable resource.
November 24, 2011
Written by an ex-SWAT instructor, this very direct book tells of the importance of preparing against crises, and how to mentally do so. With the help of plenty of statistics of crime in America today (it's very up-to-date), and first-person accounts of some nasty crimes, Strong makes his point. It's a different sort of approach to defense in that it doesn't require gadgets or physical training, just awareness and a preconceived plan. Visualization of the worst is also urged. The focus is an immediate reaction to the first hint of danger with emphasis not on fighting back but escape and getting help. Everyone in America should read this.
December 21, 2011
Good book on strategies for reacting to sudden violence. A little too lurid for my sake but it does bring up some important topics that I really need to discuss with the family, without being too melodramatic. Yes, the odds of any of these things happening (home invasion, car jacking, even armed robbery) are very slim, but I still think it is important to have an idea of what to do. It basically boils down to "get the hell away" - don't be machismo, don't fight it, don't reason with it, just get away. I think I can do that!
I'd probably give it only 3.5 stars if we had 1/2 stars, but I'll bump it to 4 given the importance of the subject.
I'd probably give it only 3.5 stars if we had 1/2 stars, but I'll bump it to 4 given the importance of the subject.
November 10, 2009
A great self-defense book - not because it will teach you how to snap someone's neck with your pinky (it doesn't), but because it makes you think about what you would do in a crisis. Being able to survive is something that everyone should think about, whether it's pleasant or not. Do you have a plan for what to do if you're carjacked? Mugged? Faced with a home intruder? Held at knifepoint about to be raped? If you answered "no" to any of the above questions, you need to read this book.
September 5, 2007
This book is not easy to read because of the horrific true stories of violent crime contained in it but I think it is invaluable on how to learn how to survive a situation where your life is in danger. The horror stories are used as examples of what can happen in the worst case scenarios.
August 8, 2012
Non-fiction stories from victims of crimes were sometimes difficult to read about but Sanford Strong details where they went wrong and what they should have done instead. Makes you tune in to your own safety and the safety of others around you. A must read for a female high school graduate!
January 3, 2019
Excellent. Talks about uncomfortable topics and what is needed in order to survive an attack.
Want to read
February 20, 2024Included on the Active Response Training's recommended reading list.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews