Rating: 
Summary: Darkly humorous, but informative and useful. . . Maybe. . .
Review: "Dear Lord, thanks for sending the Worst Case Scenario book. Now please make sure I never, ever, ever have to use it."At first shot I thought this book was another "duct tape book"; cute idea, neat application, no real use. . . Then I read just ONE of the chapters. I finished it the same night. Could you land an airplane? I can. Reattatch a finger? Me too. Survive an earthquake, air raid or nuclear attack? Great, meet me at the door jamb and don't forget the olives! This book gives you the framework for surviving all kinds of disasters that you hear about on the news every stinkin' day, but know you'll never be involved in. And it does it in such a matter of fact, don't get all worked up about it way that you might even remember someof the information- Heaven forbid you should ever need it. I though the Boy Scouts were prepared before; this should be their new handbook! I highly recommend this book, and hope like anything you'll never use the information contained within.
Rating: 
Summary: A gag gift that's really not a gag at all!
Review: After seeing the cover of the calendar version of this book, I bought it right away. I thought it was a gag gift, but when I got home and started flipping through it, I realized that all the advice is truly applicable to "worse case scenarios". I tried to find the calendar a few days later for a Christmas present for a friend, but it was all sold out! I ended up buying the book version, which she loved anyway. Everyone I've shown this book to loves it! The calendar is nice because it can also be used as a weekly planner, and it has dates of special events for adventurers (can't recall a specific one right now, but I remember there was a funny one about MacGuyver). The book version has an extensive and amusing forward and preface, which the calendar does not have. But they both contain all of the same "scenarios". I hope someday I'll be afforded the opportunity to put my knowledge of how to ram a car into use!
Rating:
Summary: FUNNY AND ORIGINAL
Review: This is basically a funny book that gives instructions on things that could happen, if you had bad luck! I read this book at Best Buy, so it isn't really long or condensed. This book is a good converstation starter, just leave it on your coffee table. No, better yet, take it with you in case you end up in the bayou and need to wrestle an aligator.
Rating:
Summary: Surprised
Review: I got this book as a gift, and, predictably, I started cracking up when I saw the description on the cover, "The indispensible, indestructible guide for surviving life's sudden turns for the worse," and the partial list of topics covered. Not to mention the CAUTION: Book will explode if scanned. It was hilarious. It was only once I actually opened the thing that I realized that this wasn't a tongue-in-cheek attempt, or a humorous jokebook. The authors for the most part seem to have taken themselves very seriously in providing a basic manual on how to get out of a bunch of fixes. While a lot of the stuff is very helpful, especially how to get away from dangerous animals and how to survive various natural catastrophes, a lot of it is also very impractical. Some of the situations need never be done. It's fun to learn how to jump from a motorcycle to a car, or how to get off of the top of a train, but when is anyone ever in a situation where they need to. Also, because each category is so concise, details are often lost. In particular, how to break into a car (assuming it's your own car, of course) could use some additional details. However, the whole thing is heavily illustrated with diagrams, side facts and bits of helpful information. Overall, I think that everyone should have a copy of this wonderful little book, JUST IN CASE. Because, as the authors say, you just never know...
Rating:
Summary: some grim stuff here
Review: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht is a masterpiece. Each section is filled with knowledge that one hopes they never have need to know. How to survive such gruesome things as bear attacks and getting caught in a crossfire are the typical fare in the chapters of this book. My personal favorite is "How to survive when your parachute does not open" (after reading the chapter, I'm not sure I'd want to survive...sounds way too painful). In you want to read a semi-entertaining (all the humor comes from the dire grimness of the situations--which are dealt with in all seriousness) book about surviving in seemingly impossible situations then this is the book for you. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: All true, but nevertheless grotesque
Review: Years ago, a friend of mine was terribly amused when he read the section on bear encounters in his Alaska backpacking book. It went something like "If the attack is unavoidable, determine the type of bear attacking you. If it is a grizzly, lay down flat and pretend you are dead. If it is a black bear, raise your arms above your head and prepare to fight back!" This little handbook is packed with similar advices, usually accompanied with neat illustrations. The fun part of the book is that all of the advices are meant dead serious, and are all taken from serious handbooks - the extensive bibliography is also provided. However, the whole collection of extremal situations - e.g. how to jump into a dumpster from a skyscraper, how to wrestle an alligator etc. - makes the compendium grotesque, and classifies it as humor. Judging from the Amazon sales rank, people seem to have reached a consensus that this book is a perfect holiday gift, and I can only agree with it. I mean, you know at least someone with some sense of humor, right? And oh, by the way - regarding bear attacks, this Handbook asserts the "lay down" doctrine regardless of the bear species.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating -- in the abstract
Review: At last: A "how-to" book whose authors specifically tell you NOT to do any of the things they are telling you how to do. There's a legal notice absolving them of liability. Some of the information is potentially dangerous (I'm not sure it's a good idea to be giving amateurs the idea that just anybody can perform a tracheotomy). And some is obvious (If killer bees attack you, run). But it's all compelling and clearly presented. Once I started reading, I found myself thinking that I "ought" to know this stuff. One interesting angle on the book is that, although the topics are usually deadly serious, the repeated extreme drama quickly makes it start to read like comedy. A good gift, especially for macho types, armchair quarterbacks, Rambo wannabes and other people who might be hard to buy for.
Rating:
Summary: Unusually interesting little book..
Review: I bought this little book for me, my brother, and brother-in-law. It made for some of the most FUN reading! I took it to work and shared some of the worst-case-scenarios with a few co-workers and the next thing you know...I had a crowd standing around me. Now, we ALL know how to jump off the top of a building into a trash dumpster...hahaha! Loved it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was disappointed by this book - for example they don't warn you that if you deliver a baby there is a placenta to come out - seems that they just read & spoke situations rather than getting/seeing any practical experience. Thought it would be entertaining, but it wasn't. Don't bother with it, it'll end up in your charity donations pile
Rating:
Summary: A Great Gift for Someone Who Deals with Crabby Customers
Review: If you searching for a gift for someone who is at the beck and call of the general public, this nifty spiral-bound calendar has a tip per week on such useful items as, "How To Take A Punch", "How to Avoid being Crushed by a Crowd", and "How to Identify a Mail Bomb". If your gift recipient is experiencing a really bad customer day, he or she can read up on "How to Survive if You Are in the Line of Fire" and "How to Jump from a Building into a Dumpster". (Hint: make sure the dumpster is filled with the right kind of trash). Quite a few of the survival tips are accompanied by clear 'how to' diagrams, and the calendar is spiral bound and will lie flat on your gift recipient's desk for emergency reference.
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