Am I glad I read it? Most of it, yes.
Will I read it again? Maybe.
Reflections? This book did a great job at what it was designed to do: give martial artists a reality check and expose them to the idea that real life violence is not like what happens in their dojo. Sgt. Miller is a compelling writer with a raw, no-nonsense style, which fits well with the book's theme. He's also extremely qualified to write on the subject, given his experience. I have only 2 negative thoughts about the book: 1) From time to time, he uses inmates as examples in his stories, and tells what crimes they were serving time for. I think he does this to show the kind of person he's talking about. However, there is one such account in which the crime he off-handedly mentions disturbed me so much it woke me up in the middle of the night thinking about it. It was a crime against a child so heinous I would never have dreamed it up. Being a new father probably made it even worse for me. I read the book about 4 months ago, and still wish I could un-read that part. I'm doing my best to forget it. I understand there are terrible people out there. Do I have a new "appreciation" for just how wicked people can be? I suppose, but I could have done without it. The story I'm referring to didn't have anything to do with the anecdote it was associated with, except to point out that he was dealing with a very bad person. 2) Toward the end of the book, some of Sgt. Miller's nihilistic philosophies come out. He may be an authority on violence, but that doesn't make him an authority on God. He speaks of a time to come where God won't exist any more, which is ridiculous at best, blasphemous at worst. Now, I'm a big boy, and I understand that not everyone agrees with me. I'm cool with that. This section of the book just seemed incongruous with the rest of the book, and to be honest, it came off as pretty self-indulgent. I realize it's his book, and I suppose he can indulge himself all he wants. These are simply my own reflections on the book. Having said all that, most of the book was a fascinating read. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down...most of the time.
Recommended? I think so, but be prepared to skip over a few parts if you're easily disturbed.
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' " But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Jeremiah 10:10-12
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