Clint Emerson

Both fascinating terrifying, 100 Deadly Skills is a laundry list of tactics and tools for the paranoid and the subversive. The hero is a “Violent Nomad” out on a secret mission to undermine some other power. He must avail himself of a carload of (common) tools and equipment to be ready for anything at any time. He must constantly be on the lookout for attackers and weaknesses.

It is amazing what a little common sense and a little insight can produce. Most of it is easy to follow and show more replicate. Some of it is not: In case of explosions, lie (face down) on the floor with mouth open (to prevent pressure from rupturing lungs) and feet towards the explosion with fingers interlaced behind the head (to protect brain). And cross your feet to avoid temporal nerve damage. You have half a second to remember and execute.

As I read, I couldn’t help feeling that this was a great instruction book for kids and terrorists. Publishing easy-to-follow directions for making a Taser out of a disposable camera, a flash bomb out of a lighter, why soap is an important ingredient in Molotov cocktails and how to turn a newspaper into a deadly weapon are not necessarily the instructions we should be spreading. There are instructions for breaking into anyone’s home through the garage, any hotel room with a handle doorknob, and into anyone’s luggage without damage or trace.

There is an astounding amount of information here, and a prop list that makes it all but impossible to carry out. That Navy SEALs must learn, internalize and simply know all of this and be prepared to execute on it anywhere, any time, is awesome.

David Wineberg show less

Excellent book by retired Navy Seal Clint Emerson. Not your average, macho, "I'm tougher than you" tale. Emerson comes across as an introspective, intelligent man who probably would have succeeded in any endeavor he attempted. Thankfully, he decided to put his talents to work to serve our country. This is an easy, fast read. Emerson keeps the story moving at a fast pace, not bogging it down with lots of unnecessary acronyms or minute detail. The book is worth reading if just for his insights show more into Saudi Arabia (I won't spoil it for you).
We are lucky to have men like Emerson, to watch over us and protect us from harm. I wish I could meet him to thank him personally! show less

This book just stupid. It's more like 100 skills Jason Bourne could use in movies. For example, "every hotel room has a bible or Quran in a bedside drawer and a couple of these taped together yields an improvised body armor that provides significant protection from projectiles." Seriously. What am I supposed to break into the room next to me to steal an extra bible and run out and buy tape? As an average size man, I used the bible in my room just now and based on it I would need 4 just to show more cover my chest and no duct tape anywhere. show less

This was an advance reader copy that I read on the kindle. The format for this was absolutely horrific. No page numbers (Everything was referred to as page 000), pictures constantly in the wrong places, and for some reason all instances of the letters "fi" and "fl" were removed from the book which made reading about fire particularly annoying. I understand it wasn't a finished version, but this was just sloppy.

For the actual information in the book.. it is pretty generic. Except for a few show more sections about celestial navigation and first aid, it is generally common knowledge. (drink lots of water if it is hot, be aware of surroundings and avoid dangerous areas). If you were going to keep a copy of this book in a storage area as a guide, probably something more in depth would be helpful, such as a boy scout handbook. show less