Jason A. Riley

3.5. The core idea (situational awareness and profiling are important) is good, but the book is low on information and full of filler, despite being short. The book is essentially a summary of USMC training, training which the authors now offer on a consulting basis, so to some extent it is an extended sales pitch.

A good process-driven approach to observing people and classifying activity so that you are aware of potential threats.

The purpose of the book is to train more Marines in how to stay "left of bang." The authors describe left of bang as everything that occurs before a violent incident occurs, which is "bang." Examples of bang might be a shooting, or an IED explosion. Everything that happens after the incident is "right of bang" and is frequently marked by reactive actions. The purpose of the show more book is to allow combat personnel to recognize the approaching "bang" point, and act decisively before the deadly activity occurs. If you recognize the indicators of bang, you may be able to proactively avoid the bang. Avoiding the bang is the point of the book.

What I like: The book describes the science related to human activity, studies of incidents in the past, the authors experiences, and presents a methodical approach to observing behaviors which are indicators that someone is planning a violent act. Once you learn to recognize these behaviors you can look for them as you go about your business, and you can take action accordingly. For combat personnel, the existence of three of these indicators is enough to make a decision to act. The same can be applied to first responders in the civilian world, and (with restrictions) to the civilian population. Obviously the actions taken vary widely depending on your role in society. A soldier may act by eliminating the perceived threat. A police officer may approach a threat or call for backup. A civilian may run. Each of these is discussed in the book. Finally, the authors call the readers to take a critical preparatory step: think about what you would do in the event of an emergency. Too frequently casualties occur because people in the immediate vicinity of a violent act freeze. Those who have a plan are much more likely to survive.

What I did not like: The book repeatedly points to evolution as the cause for actions and behaviors (such as nervousness, sweating, blushing, running, etc.). I believe the cause for these behaviors being normal in nearly all people is that we have a common Creator. Why even address the cause in this book? The fact is, these behaviors exist and are predictable, regardless of why you think that is so. Additionally, the book repeats key information repeatedly. Left of Bang is an example of a book that could be produced in a much shorter form. I came away thinking the publishers instructed to authors to lengthen the book, so they repeated the information two, three, sometimes four times.

Overall Left of Bang is an interesting and informative book. It has the potential to help any reader become a better observer of activities around them, make fact based decisions, and have a plan of action that may save your own life and the lives of those around you. show less

Some interesting information for situational awareness, but far too heavy on the military angle for me. That's not meant to slam the book because the title clearly states the author's intent for the book.

It was a fun read , very informative even though some of its tips were typically obvious to any regular person . Recommended it to anyone interested to increase their situational awareness.