The Little Black Book Of Violence

PhotonGuy

Senior Master
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
4,384
Reaction score
607
Is anybody familiar with The Little Black Book Of Violence by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder? I've got the book and it does seem a bit over the top at times.
 
Two excellent martial arts I have great respect for. Not sure what you think is OTT.
 
I'm familiar with it. It's related one way or another to another book the two of them wrote. One was targeted for a younger audience, I think this one was the "adult version", but I could be mistaken.
 
The book was also forwarded by Marc "Animal" MacYoung and Sgt. Rory Miller both of who from what I know have got quite a reputation. I've met Rory Miller when I took one of his seminars. He teaches some really good stuff.

One of the ways in which I think the book is over the top, here is an excerpt from the book. "Or, maybe he looks like a little old man, but he's spent a lifetime of studying traditional karate. He learned ons school in Japan, starting at the age of four where his father trained him five hours a day year-round, beating him with a rattan stick whenever he made a mistake. He spent years just perfecting a single stance and has since mastered every aspect of his art. His form is so good that you can punch him in the solar plexus as hard as you like and he'll just laugh and tell you to hit harder. By the time he reached his late teens, he was dojo busting, dueling with local sensei who paid him protection money for the privilege of continuing to run their martial arts schools after he had beat them down. In his early twenties, he beat down a yakuza member in the blink of an eye, crushing him so severely that the rest of the gang was too terrified to seek revenge. His body mechanics are so flawless that at the age of sixty he can still perform ikken hissatsu, killing with a single blow. Throw a punch at this guy and if you're lucky he'll laugh in your face and walk away. If he's in a bad mood, however, he'll crush you like a grape." p.75-76

This except is based on a real person, the book claims. It seems a bit much to me.
 
I think that your reaction to that passage is fair. Kane and Wilder are Goju Ryu sensei. Kane worked stadium security for maybe decades and is friends/collaborators with MacYoung and Miller who also write and teach on the subject of practical self defense and violence. I know that there is mutual respect among that group of authors.

I have noticed that Kane's modern subject matter refers to his classical style more than Miller's does, for example, and I appreciate your reaction to that.

I personally think that a lot of MacYoung's writing is over-the-top, but not with respect to classical martial arts references, so maybe it stands out to his audience less. It might be fair to suggest that Kane and especially Wilder's audience are karate-ka interested in modern personal safety and so they are writing to their audience. You could ask Lawrence, he's easy to contact and would likely be open to the feedback.

What is the publish date on that book? I feel like it might be one of his older ones.
 
Last edited:
The book was also forwarded by Marc "Animal" MacYoung and Sgt. Rory Miller both of who from what I know have got quite a reputation. I've met Rory Miller when I took one of his seminars. He teaches some really good stuff.

One of the ways in which I think the book is over the top, here is an excerpt from the book. "Or, maybe he looks like a little old man, but he's spent a lifetime of studying traditional karate. He learned ons school in Japan, starting at the age of four where his father trained him five hours a day year-round, beating him with a rattan stick whenever he made a mistake. He spent years just perfecting a single stance and has since mastered every aspect of his art. His form is so good that you can punch him in the solar plexus as hard as you like and he'll just laugh and tell you to hit harder. By the time he reached his late teens, he was dojo busting, dueling with local sensei who paid him protection money for the privilege of continuing to run their martial arts schools after he had beat them down. In his early twenties, he beat down a yakuza member in the blink of an eye, crushing him so severely that the rest of the gang was too terrified to seek revenge. His body mechanics are so flawless that at the age of sixty he can still perform ikken hissatsu, killing with a single blow. Throw a punch at this guy and if you're lucky he'll laugh in your face and walk away. If he's in a bad mood, however, he'll crush you like a grape." p.75-76

This except is based on a real person, the book claims. It seems a bit much to me.

Nothing OTT about that. I would call the latter an excercise in restraint, and generally not giving a hoot about some punk. Or whatever name that could be given.
 
I was just about to order this book on Amazon. But right before I did, I noticed that the same author also has a book called the "Big Bloody Book of Violence," which has a similar synopsis, and was published later. Its synopsis does not reference the Little Black Book.

So now I'm wondering if the Big Bloody Book is an update or revision to the Little Black Book, or if it's a separate book that covers different material. Does anyone here know?
 
I was just about to order this book on Amazon. But right before I did, I noticed that the same author also has a book called the "Big Bloody Book of Violence," which has a similar synopsis, and was published later. Its synopsis does not reference the Little Black Book.

So now I'm wondering if the Big Bloody Book is an update or revision to the Little Black Book, or if it's a separate book that covers different material. Does anyone here know?
Per searching customer reviews, it's "a sequel to the authors previous book Little Black Book of Violence" or "outstanding companion volume."
 
Last edited:
The Little Black Book of Violence is a thought-provoking book and well worth your time. It contains lots of insights on the reality of fighting. I am sure either book will provide you with everything you are seeking 👍
 
The book was also forwarded by Marc "Animal" MacYoung and Sgt. Rory Miller both of who from what I know have got quite a reputation. I've met Rory Miller when I took one of his seminars. He teaches some really good stuff.

One of the ways in which I think the book is over the top, here is an excerpt from the book. "Or, maybe he looks like a little old man, but he's spent a lifetime of studying traditional karate. He learned ons school in Japan, starting at the age of four where his father trained him five hours a day year-round, beating him with a rattan stick whenever he made a mistake. He spent years just perfecting a single stance and has since mastered every aspect of his art. His form is so good that you can punch him in the solar plexus as hard as you like and he'll just laugh and tell you to hit harder. By the time he reached his late teens, he was dojo busting, dueling with local sensei who paid him protection money for the privilege of continuing to run their martial arts schools after he had beat them down. In his early twenties, he beat down a yakuza member in the blink of an eye, crushing him so severely that the rest of the gang was too terrified to seek revenge. His body mechanics are so flawless that at the age of sixty he can still perform ikken hissatsu, killing with a single blow. Throw a punch at this guy and if you're lucky he'll laugh in your face and walk away. If he's in a bad mood, however, he'll crush you like a grape." p.75-76

This except is based on a real person, the book claims. It seems a bit much to me.
That sounds possible to me. The part about the gang leaves out the context. So the reader probably jumps to conclusions about how that actually went down.

When I look at some of the stuff going on in 2023, that seems tame for me.
 
Per searching customer reviews, it's "a sequel to the authors previous book Little Black Book of Violence" or "outstanding companion volume."
I read both books in order, just finished The Big Bloody Book of Violence last night.

Although The Big Bloody Book of Violence is the sequel, it references The Little Black Book of Violence enough so that you don't need to have read it first. Although I'd recommend reading both of these books, if you only read one of them, The Big Bloody Book of Violence is the one to read.
 
Back
Top