Survive Like a Spy

December 4, 2017
Hanson, a former CIA officer, delivers a book replete with exciting spy encounters and hyperbolic training tips intended to make readers feel safer and more secure in a world that “feels more dangerous than ever.” For some, Hanson’s book will feel more like fearmongering, as when he suggests, for instance, that families create secret signals (such as a thumbtack or chalk mark) to indicate danger near the family home. Espionage aficionados, however, will be in seventh heaven. There are plenty of firsthand spy adventures reported, with names, dates, and places appropriately withheld. There’s no shortage of authorial bluster (“Your average American isn’t likely to be recruited as a spy”) but also enough excitement to drive readers on, especially when paired with irresistible tips on such matters as “busting free when duct-taped to a chair” or “how to survive a kidnapping.” The book also covers internet password security (which even Hanson can’t make exciting) and ends on an energetic note, dispensing advice on how to “survive anything.” The macho tone will repel some, but the book is chock-full
of amusing and colorful tips that readers can hope they never actually have to use.