A seasoned war correspondent, Columbia University professor, and safety consultant provides practical, proven strategies for women that gives them the power and resources to take on almost any crisis, disaster, or challenge—from hurricanes to harassment and beyond. Everyone from Louis Pasteur to the Girl Scouts has championed the motto “Be Prepared”—but what does that mean in today’s constantly changing world? In this age of anxiety, when reports of mass shootings, political unrest, the threat of nuclear war, devastating natural disasters, and digital attacks dominate the news and are transforming our lives, we yearn for some control. We want to make sensible decisions to help keep us on track when everything seems to be going off the rails. We want to be ready—to the best of our abilities—for the worst that can happen.
With more than forty years of experience working in crisis zones and a pioneering safety consultant, Judith Matloff knows about personal security and risk management. In How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need, she shares her tried-and-true methods to help you confidently handle whatever challenges comes your way.
Blending humorous stories and anecdotes with serious advice, Matloff explains how to remain upright in stampedes, avoid bank fraud, prevent sexual assault, stay clean in a shelter, and even be emotionally prepared for loss. From cyber security, active shooter situations, and travel, to natural disasters and emotional resilience, she shares tips that will give even the most anxious person a sense of control over life’s unpredictable perils. Unfortunately, we can’t anticipate all the crises of our lives. But with How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need, you’ll find the skills and confidence you need to weather an emergency.
Praise
“Matloff is a seasoned war journalist with decades of training and teaching under her belt. Over the past few years, however, she has realized others need this type of training as well. Increases in natural disasters, violent attacks outside of war zones, and overall changing economies and public health situations have now made this type of information essential for everyone. Using tasteful humor to balance to some very grim topics, Matloff has created a how-to survival manual designed for nearly every situation. It is organized to allow the reader to choose a specific scenario to study, but is also quite readable from beginning to end. Readers who pick this book up during dark times of pandemics, natural disasters, and violence, will appreciate the stark light shone on the advice and information presented here. They may also find comfort in the fact that Matloff provides solutions—concrete actions and efforts that provide meaning and structure. How to Drag a Body is a sobering, useful guide to dealing with ever-more prevalent problems. This title is essential for every library.”
—Booklist
“She comes in hot with wide-ranging, specific anecdotes and advice on hazards from revenge porn to frost-bite. Reading this during a pandemic has both made me feel calmer and refreshed my sense of humor—two seriously underrated survival mechanisms in and of themselves.”
–BUST Magazine
“Matloff has turned decades of experience in war zones and disasters into a brilliantly practical guide for how to stay safe and help others when things go wrong. If you’re going to read one book to prepare for the unthinkable, read this one.”
—Sebastian Junger, best-selling author of War
“Extremely practical, laugh-out-loud funny, and somehow very comforting.”
—Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project
“In any emergency, she’s who I’d want to have by my side; now that she’s written this marvelous book it’s almost like I do.”
—Ada Calhoun, NYT Bestselling author of Why We Can’t Sleep
“It’s always nice to know that you’re in the best of all possible hands, and that’s how you’ll feel reading this wise and witty book.”
—Susan Cain, best-selling author of Quiet