Charles Nelson's School of Self-Defense: The Red and Gray Manuals Book

This book is like bitter coffee. At first you may not like the taste but it definitely wakes you up. This book is about living as a warrior in modern times. The book explains how to think and act like a warrior in modern times. Some of the reviews I have read point to the authors views as elitist by proclaiming that warriors are a step above everyone else or that most martial artists are mere hobbyists playing combat sports instead of training like warriors. Some have taken exception to the authors portrayal of eastern religions such as Buddhism, Shinto and Taoism. The book was written in the early 90s and the information on diet and nutrition as it relates to exercise may be a little dated given the advances that have been made in recent years. I think that some of the visceral reaction may be due to some peoples defensiveness over the authors main points.

Many martial artists don't take the warrior approach to their practice. Reading this book made me realize the deficiencies in my own practice and made me take a renewed interest in my training. After reading this book, I tried to use some of what I read in class and found an immediate improvement. He explains every facet of Warriorship - How to think, live and act like a warrior. He has a great chapter that explains the often used but little understood concept of Honor as it applies to Warriorship.

Not everything will apply to you but there is a lot you can take from this book whether you study martial arts or not that you can incorporate into your daily life.