Book Recommendation List for the World of Self Defense

[whiteflame59]

Hello All,
I have been a member of this forum for quite a while. I don't post much, but I read a lot and check the forum a couple times a day usually. I say this because I can't remember ever seeing a post on this and the quick dive into the "search" option didn't really yield anything, so I hope this isn't a repeat thread or in the wrong place. If it is, please feel free to correct me.

Ive always been a pretty avid reader and since starting into the world of training with a firearm, I've found I gain a great deal of insight from books as well as the physical training. I'm sure there are a ton of books out there that I've never come across, but would love to know about, so I'm hoping people would be eager to share what they've enjoyed. I'm specifically looking for non-fiction books that look into the mindset, tactics, and theories behind self defense. They don't have to be simply about firearms as hopefully most of the time, we won't need to go that far. I'll start the list out with a few of my favorites, and probably some of the more common, as examples. Thanks in advance to everyone with a suggestion. Take care and stay safe....

1) "Deadly Force, Understanding Your Right to Self Defense"
by: Massad Ayoob (basically anything by this author, but this one stands out for me as Massad uses a lot of real life stories and scenarios to show exactly what we can be up against out there)

2) "The Law of Self Defense, The Indispensable Guide for the Armed Citizen"
by: Andrew F. Branca (a student of Massad's, that is a lawyer who deals with a lot of self defense cases and law. I think this is a book that anyone who legally carries a gun in the US should read.)

3) "Texas Gun Law, Armed and Educated"
by: Kirk Evans, Edwin Walker, Michele Byington, and Randy Macchi (This is the [Pre-paid legal service] group and regardless of whether you like them or not as a program, this is a good read. This book is similar to #2 above, but goes over specific Texas laws and is very easy to understand.)

4) "Inside the Criminal Mind"
by: Stanton E. Samenow (This book is gives a real eye opening look into the mind of those who wish to do others harm)

5) "The Gift of Fear"
by: Gavin De Becker (This book looks at subconscious signals that can help save your life and tries to teach us not to ignore them)

6) "Verbal Judo, The Gentle Art of Persuasion"
by: George J. Thomspon and Jerry B. Jenkins (Works to teach us how to deescalate a situation verbally and hopefully avoid confrontation)

7) "The War on Guns, Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies"
by: John R. Lott Jr. (This book can be pretty dry and goes over a lot of statistics, but provides a ton of information to combat some of the bogus information from the gun control community and is well worth the read)

There are quite a few more on my personal list, but I'd like to see what other people turn to. Thanks again in advance.

[Terry]

This is great, thanks for sharing. I've been reading the Texas Gun Laws by the [Pre-paid legal service] teams and I've enjoyed it very much.

[Jusme]

I have read The Gift of Fear, and Verbal Judo, I'll check out the others. I read those two while a LEO. They are very informative, and helpful.

[ELB]

There are several good books by Rory Miller that should be on that list.

[whiteflame59]

ELB, I'll definitely check Rory Miller out. Any particular title stand out?

[ELB]

Facing Violence


Conflict Communications


Meditations on Violence

[whiteflame59]

Thanks ELB, Amazon actually has a package deal for 5 of his books. Picking that up to check him out. Appreciate the recommendations.

[Paladin]

Greg Ellifritz has an excellent recommended reading list

[whiteflame59]

That is an excellent list. Thanks very much!

[oljames3]

Warrior Poet Society Reading List
https://warriorpoetsociety.us/reading-list/

I was pleased to see I had read several on the list. Working on more.

[whiteflame59]

Another great list. Thank you!