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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Joshua Piven & David Borgenicht Publisher: Chronicle Books |
It is fun to sometimes sit around with friends and talk about how each individual would handle a particular situation if
they were in trouble. What should one do if they accidentally jump out of a plane without a parachute, attacked by an
alligator or how does one get there tongue unstuck from a metal pole in the middle of the winter after a dare.
Readers have been able to get answers to these questions in an a variety of books in the Worst-Case Scenario
books, but now readers are able to get all of these answers in a single book, “The Complete Worst-Case Scenario
Survival Handbook.”
Though this book is marketed as a humorous title for entertainment reasons only, since it is unlikely that readers will
be asked to land a plane, jump from a motorcycle to a moving car, or win a swordfight, the information contained in
“The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook” is all quite sound. Authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
consulted numerous experts in their fields, and they are all cited at the end of the book, to discover how to survive
various awful events that often require split second decision making. Parachute doesn't open? The reader’s best
bet for survival is to hook their arms through the straps of a fellow jumper's parachute, and even then they are still
likely to dislocate both shoulders and break both legs, but they will still be alive. Car sinking in water? Open the
window immediately to equalize pressure, then open the car door and swim to the surface. Buried in an avalanche?
Spit on the snow, it will actually tell the trapped person which direction is really up. Then they need to dig as fast as
they possibly can to get out of the snow before hypothermia sets in.
Each survival skill is explained in simple steps with helpful illustrations so nearly anyone that is placed in the situation
will be able to get out with minimal negative effects. Most people stress the need to be prepared, both mentally and
physically for every possible situation that could arise. For example, to escape from quicksand, players will need to
lay a pole on the surface of the quicksand, flip onto their back on top of the pole, and pull their legs out one by one.
If the person doesn’t happen to have a pole of some type with them, then they are simply out of luck. The authors of
the book explain it quite bluntly, "When walking in quicksand country, carry a stout pole--it will help you get out should
you need to." Not every situation in the book will offer readers advice that they can get out of without a little bit of
planning ahead of time.
Hopefully readers will never need to know how to build a fire without matches, perform a tracheotomy or treat a bullet
wound. However, no one ever knows when a bad situation will arise and they need some advice to help them out of
the sticky situation. This is a great book for those that like to work through the what ifs of life, or for those survivalists
that need more information to steer clear to bad situations.
they were in trouble. What should one do if they accidentally jump out of a plane without a parachute, attacked by an
alligator or how does one get there tongue unstuck from a metal pole in the middle of the winter after a dare.
Readers have been able to get answers to these questions in an a variety of books in the Worst-Case Scenario
books, but now readers are able to get all of these answers in a single book, “The Complete Worst-Case Scenario
Survival Handbook.”
Though this book is marketed as a humorous title for entertainment reasons only, since it is unlikely that readers will
be asked to land a plane, jump from a motorcycle to a moving car, or win a swordfight, the information contained in
“The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook” is all quite sound. Authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
consulted numerous experts in their fields, and they are all cited at the end of the book, to discover how to survive
various awful events that often require split second decision making. Parachute doesn't open? The reader’s best
bet for survival is to hook their arms through the straps of a fellow jumper's parachute, and even then they are still
likely to dislocate both shoulders and break both legs, but they will still be alive. Car sinking in water? Open the
window immediately to equalize pressure, then open the car door and swim to the surface. Buried in an avalanche?
Spit on the snow, it will actually tell the trapped person which direction is really up. Then they need to dig as fast as
they possibly can to get out of the snow before hypothermia sets in.
Each survival skill is explained in simple steps with helpful illustrations so nearly anyone that is placed in the situation
will be able to get out with minimal negative effects. Most people stress the need to be prepared, both mentally and
physically for every possible situation that could arise. For example, to escape from quicksand, players will need to
lay a pole on the surface of the quicksand, flip onto their back on top of the pole, and pull their legs out one by one.
If the person doesn’t happen to have a pole of some type with them, then they are simply out of luck. The authors of
the book explain it quite bluntly, "When walking in quicksand country, carry a stout pole--it will help you get out should
you need to." Not every situation in the book will offer readers advice that they can get out of without a little bit of
planning ahead of time.
Hopefully readers will never need to know how to build a fire without matches, perform a tracheotomy or treat a bullet
wound. However, no one ever knows when a bad situation will arise and they need some advice to help them out of
the sticky situation. This is a great book for those that like to work through the what ifs of life, or for those survivalists
that need more information to steer clear to bad situations.
