The World's Most Dangerous Places: 4e [Paperback]

Some of the information is common sense ("don't flash your cash"), but much of it is extremely valuable - from carrying a "drop" wallet (with photos, a little cash and cancelled credit cards) to foil theives, to how to avoid landmines and what to do if approached by stoned, armed, pre-pubescent soldiers (as is too common in many parts of Africa.)

The first third of the book details how the rest of the world isn't as "dangerous" as one may be led to believe; the remainder is a veritable encyclopedia of information by country, including the political climate, (and major players and groups), diseases and other hazzards (like mines), and several valuable tips unique to each country. Simply fabulous.

Of particular interest to those traveling in dangerous places are the addresses of American (and Canadian and British) embassies, good hotels (considering where you are ...), recommended prophalyxis before arriving, common diseases, and areas to be avoided. The amount of information contained in this book is simply staggering. I highly recommend it.

I'm not sure what else to say other than that opening paragraph. You can open it up randomly, start reading, and immediately be engrossed in it. More likely, you'll scan the table of contents and pick out a country that's of particular interest at the moment. For instance, when I got this book, it was Afghanistan. Now, it might be the same, or Iraq, Iran, Israel, North Korea...there are any number of places that might interest you at the moment. And this book goes on to cover it with excruciating detail.

If I were forced to make one, the only complaint would have to be that there's too much information. But that's hardly a complaint. I'm merely trying to be objective and it's hard to come up with much of anything lacking in this book. If I had it my way, I would include an end-of-chapter essay about every country, as opposed to the select few that appear in this book. I really enjoyed these slices of dangerous life discussed there. Written by various authors, they lend credence to a lot of the information preceding it.

Good stuff. This is a great reference to have on your bookshelf, so the next time a random country pops up on the International War Zone radar, you can pick it up and know a lot in less than an hour. Above these specific country details, this book also delves into specifics about what makes any country dangerous. From landmines to kidnapping, this book really does a great job covering much of what you need to know about the dangers in this world.

An excellent reference to have for those interested in keeping abreast of the dangerous reality of our world.