Jason Hanson

I was afraid this would be super cheesy, but it is a decent collection of (fairly standard) security and safety advice, told by a former CIA guy who now has a business teaching people these skills.

The one funny part is his extreme aversion to smartphones; a lot of older CIA people got burned in Italy from featurephones, but in general I'd say no one is going to sacrifice smartphones for security, so it would be more useful to describe how to use a smartphone safely. There are a lot of show more obvious advantages (having a camera, having alternative ways to call for help, etc) with such a device, and for most people, the benefits will outweigh disadvantages.

Nothing in the book was particularly novel or really life changing, but it was well presented and a decent introduction to the topic. show less

I'll admit the cheese-factor of the title caught my eye, but it was this, from the summary, that made me put the book on my wishlist:

In addition to escaping handcuffs, picking locks, and spotting when someone is telling a lie, he can improvise a self-defense weapon, pack a perfect emergency kit, and disappear off the grid if necessary.

Ooh, practical skills knowledge! You know me, I'm always interested in learning new skills, even if I might never use them.

As a practical handbook the book show more is chock-full of useful knowledge, both of the common sense and not-so-common sense variety and I'd recommend it to anyone. Some of it does come across sounding a tiny bit paranoid or back-woods survivalist, but that's really only because most of us live by the odds (as in, what are the odds of that happening?!). But as anyone who has been in a disaster would say, it only needs to happen once. Most of the best information in this book is about being aware of options and strategies.

Oh, and learning how to pick locks; and escape duct tape and zip ties. You can never have too many skills, y'all.

A couple of things dimmed the appeal. There's an ever so slight prevalence of self-promotion. It's never blatant, but the few sources he supplies are, I think, his own websites (and to be fair, not to sell anything - videos and freebies). He does tell you what brands of deadbolts are better than others (Kwikset = bad) as well as a few other recommendations of what to look for in security. But there's a bit too much "I" for my personal tastes.

I don't know who is running the editing circus at Penguin, but Hanson should be pissed. There are more than a few silly, embarrassing errors throughout the text that a primary school kid could catch.

As a last note, if the sub-title doesn't give it away, this book is primarily aimed at Americans, although some of the stats are international and all of the skills and strategies are applicable to everyone. But Hanson loves his guns (he doesn't advocate owning them though). Look past that though and you'll find a lot of everyday, practical advice for keeping yourself and your loved ones safer. show less

It was okay, to be honest the whole thing felt like an advertisement for the author’s course. While I don’t doubt that the information is true, some of it just seems strange, or extremely out of the ordinary. For instance he brags about never using a smartphone, or says that you shouldn’t order food delivery or call a taxi when you’re intoxicated. Also do not read if you’re prone to anxiety. Hanson uses real life stories to demonstrate how the tactics work and some of them are show more quite in depth and rather graphic. Pretty much every section goes like this; tactic, “I’m not saying you should go around paranoid all the time”, “you wouldn’t survive this unless you use my tactic”. show less

This is a quick primer of Spy Secrets to help keep anyone safer. It’s full of interesting facts and techniques to use in your everyday life or on your next covert mission. Some of the highlights include how to escape if your hands are duct taped or zip tied together. Simple things are listed to do to help protect your home from invasion. The best ways to travel safely in any country, from air travel to taxi rides are discussed. There are interesting techniques to practice on how to defeat show more a lie detector test or an armed assailant. Some of these things are very simple, logical things you can do, while others are more in-depth requiring some degree of preparation and training. This is a good starter book on how to protect yourself and your loved ones in hazardous situations. The book is full of references to online videos, including both free demonstrations and sites to purchase supplies and tactical gear to help keep you one step ahead of trouble. Sometimes I got the impression my reading was being interrupted by commercials, but then I guess freedom really isn’t free. Book provided for review by the publisher and Goodreads. show less