Come Back Alive

This is a no holds barred book about what to be prepared for if you plan on traveling written by the adventurous Robert Young Pelton.It is entertaining and insightful and it is the second time that I have purchased this book.I would buy this again if I lost this copy(while traveling of course).I happen to like adventure books and this one deserves a space on my prestigious bookshelf.I think Mr.Pelton needs to get busy writing some more so I can read something different and let this book rest a while.

Have you ever been frustrated by those survival authors that go out into the woods and make treehouses, wells, and snares with only a Swiss Army Knife and make it sound like it's the easiest thing to do? Or self-defense gurus who make it sound like you could be Van Damme just by reading their books? Me too. Pelton is not one of these. He encourages "common sense". Something that's largely missing in many survival books. He gives handy survival tips you might actually use, like how to travel without checking luggage. Face it, it's unlikely your going to have to live like Tom Hanks from "Castaway" and if you do, all the survival books in the world will only help you so much. I'd recommend reading this book as a supplement to "Dangerous Places". You'll get more out of both that way.

I really disagree with most of the reviews here. I found this book fascinating and potentially useful. I live in the U.S., but if I were to travel anywhere outside the "First World", I would read this book 4-5 times. I can't really say about the rest of the chapters (not enough personal experience), but the chapter on self-defense is dead on. Most books will tell you that you can defened yourself well, but the reality is, as Pelton says, you are up against guys who: a. make a living 'jacking people', and b. are pre-prepared for the assault, whereas you are on your cell phone or counting your travelers checks. Very true. The cards are so stacked against you most of the time. This book is just trying to tell the truth about that, from Pelton's experience, and trying to give you some 'cards' so that you are not so outgunned. For example, his advice about "using a sense of humor" in the Third World to get out of jams is very useful, and could save lives. Just smiling at someone or making a hand gesture could save you. I have seen it in action myself, and have used it. Like I say, against someone bent on jacking you, your chances are slim, but in most other situations, humor could work. Like I said, if I had one book to take on a "Third World Tour", this would be it.

Clarity, true perspective, sanity; all are gained from perusing this "handbook". The most gratified reader of this book would be a non-adventuresome, meek and mild great-grandmother; she's been right all these years, one should be wearing their seat belt and thinking twice about driving after dark. And now, empowered by her righteousness and the sensibility of true facts in "Come Back Alive", she will finally take that solo trip to Africa she's dreamed about her whole life.

Where else can you learn how to survive a grenade blast and a bad tortilla in the same book? Pelton (who is the author and obviously survivor of the World's Most Dangerous Places) takes a very different look at teaching how to stay alive and healthy. Instead of focusing on how to skin a moose he explains that bugs are far more nutritious and easier to catch. He deals with the real and not imagined perils of flying, war zones, kidnapping, the outdoors and of course travel. Unlike other manuals who assume you are hunting or on a secret military mission, Pelton shows us how to pack, how to bypass carry on rules, which seat is survivable, what food will sustain us, which people will kill us and what attitude will benefit us. Very sharp, very funny and unlike books that prey on people's fears. This book is written by a man who is afraid of nothing but careful of everything. Buy it for yourself, anyone you love and for a great read on that long plane flight to a third world hell hole. An instant classic (like his other guide to war zones) that will reset the standards for survival and travel guides.