Tough Target: A Street-Smart Guide to Staying Safe

By J.J. Bittenbinder

Book Overview

A guide to developing a personal defense plan details steps to take when confronted by such dangerous situations as carjacking, rape, and mugging. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762400900
• ISBN13: 9780762400904
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Running Pr Book Pub
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Bittenbinder to the rescue!

I absolutely love this book! I remember watching his show "Street Smarts" as a young girl. I always appreciated his practical advice on self-defense. When I found out recently that he had a book, I knew that I had to get it! His suggestions are exactly what I thought they would be; realistic, simple and well thought out. I liked that he didn't defend the use of guns. More often than not, they are inappropriately used on family members and not someone breaking into a home. And who else other than a former homocide detective to tell others how not to become another murder victim?... Enough said.

Read but make your own conclusions

The book is well written and captures attention with many real-life examples and some well-thought conclusions. It would be a great book if not for a very narrow-minded stance on the role of guns in self-defense. The outright dismissal (and, therefore, exclusion from any subsequent discussion) simply goes down to a primitive statement that "guns don't work because an intelligent person will hesitate before pulling a trigger". Period. Nothing to discuss. Well, being a police officer the lead author definitely knows that thousands of defensive gun uses every year in the US (with most of them not even requiring pulling a trigger) are successful and DO work. What makes him speak untruth then? I do not know. But let his conscience deal with that. Moreover, the second part of the statement, "will hesitate...", is in a direct contradiction to the advice given throughout the book! Have a plan and be ready to implement it -- all very good advice. Be intelligent enough to pre-play in your mind various scenarious of a violent encounter before you actually need them. Decide on what you are going to do beforehand. Have the solutions ready, so you not waste time devising them in the heat of the moment. Perfect! Great!... But... If the authors believe an intelligent person can do this, what is so different about using the same idea for a gun self-defense? Sorry, it insults my intelligence... Anyway, the book is good even if only for its collection of stories.

Excellent and practical information on "staying safe."

I have a wall-to-ceiling library of books about privacy, security, self-defense and asset protection. "Tough Target" is one of my favorites. The authors tell what works and what does not. Especially good tips on foiling carjackers. Ideal gift for those that travel.

Very frank and direct, practical advice and common sense

Everyone should use this book and don't be afraid to read it. It could save your life.