Reviews for Using Your Fear: 4 Essential Steps to Effective Women's Self-Defense

The average rating for Using Your Fear: 4 Essential Steps to Effective Women's Self-Defense based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-30 00:00:00 Marianne Karsh As I sit reading "Last Breath," Peter Stark's engrossing study of life's last moments during venturesome activities, a sudden thought occurs. I've done several of the activities he writes about, and experienced some of the physiological hardships he discusses. Not to the extremes he portrays, of course, but I've been cold, thirsty, overheated, and even nearly drowned. I can appreciate that had any of my hardships progressed to the levels of his discussions, I wouldn't be here right now. That's sobering. For this book Stark has conducted immense research and interviewed a vast array of medical specialists. He has plumbed the depths of normally recalcitrant research labs, reticent scientists, wilderness conference attendees, and adventurers from many disciplines. With the information he has gathered he dissects hypothermia, drowning, mountain sickness, burial by avalanche, scurvy, heatstroke, falls, predators, the bends, malaria, and dehydration. To top it off, he includes an essay on his own fear of death. It's a thought-provoking book that conjures up intense personal feelings about one's mortality and willingness to take chances. It illuminates moments of foolishness and bravery, although the bravery most always leads to poor decisions. Stark knows how to make each experience resonate within the reader like a fire bell. In my case, introspection leads to disturbing thoughts of the way things could have been had my comfort zone been larger. The author uses a highly effective technique of creating a story leading to each mishap. He weaves wonderful tales of seemingly innocuous circumstances leading to decisions that illustrate how judgment can bring death to careless adventurers. A Jeep stuck in the snow prompts the driver to attempt to walk to his destination, a warm and cheery mountain cabin filled with friends. A kayaker bites off more river than he can swallow. A hot dogging snow boarder creates an avalanche that traps him in its cold embrace. A rock climber falls, is seemingly saved by a ledge, but then succumbs in a lonely place from injuries caused by his sudden stop. A cyclist attempts to blow away her competition by a sprint that ends up with a fatal heatstroke. Every end result benefits from Stark's careful explanation of the physical possibilities that exist, the actual damage incurred in each scenario, and what the stricken person's mind envisions as trauma overtakes him or her. The chattering thought process will carry over to the reader, bringing dismay and a bit of self-study. I sucked on an orange the entire time I was reading the chapter on scurvy.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-04-06 00:00:00 Todd Megna 3.5 Stars