I buy non-fiction books because I want another's opinion on some subject. I'm experienced with firearms, but I don't know everything about guns. My recomendation that "Effective Handgun Defense: A Comprehensive Guide to Concealed Carry" is for gun nuts only is that Frank James addressed the serious gunman. Most people who want a gun for self defense want a simple guideline. Frank James covers gunfighting history--which most would think a waste of time. I liked the history. I gave this book only four stars because I found some of James's prose convulted and confusing. I make grammar and spelling errors, too, but I hope that my editor gets me to clean up my act so that my writing is easy to understand. I thought this book was a good value for me because it is like getting a series of gun magazine articles without all of the advertising fluff periodicals stuff between their pages.
The chapter titled "Carry and Concealment--a brief look at fashion and holsters" alone was worth the cost. Warning--this is not for people who just want to have an expert select the holster system for them. Frank James states his preferences and why he prefers them. He lists most of the alternatives.
Chapters Two and Ten cover the all-important aspects of mind set. Page 32 has a monologue titled "the spirtual side of armed self-defense." I'm biased: I believe that I have to make up my mind before I get into a do-or-die situation as to when and why I'll shoot another human being. I don't think I'll have time to discuss the issue with my assailants, because if I had the time, I wouldn't have to shoot them. Frank James makes the reader think about this question: shoot or no shoot?
Other chapters cover equipment and training and tactics. Frank James preferes revolvers because not all self-defense problems walk about on two legs and revolvers can be chambered for more powerful cartridges than automatic pistols. The author freely admits that all of his defensive encounters were with the four-footed wild, feral, and domestic creatures, and he's glad that he never had to shoot another human. James demands that training be as realistic as possible. "Effective Handgun Defense" is filled with photographs of guns, holsters, and people from the gun world--in essence, a permanent gun magazine.
However, this is not a stand-alone training manual on self-defense with a firearm. The book does address the issues involved with legal concealed firearms carry, but again this is directed at the knowledgable who will get additional information and training from elsewhere. I found "Effective Handgun Defense" a valuable addition to my gun book library, but if I were developing a training program for another, I'd want other guidebooks. There is no index, but there is a bibliography and a list of equipment vendors and schools that will be useful to anyone who will take the time and make the effort to legally carry concealed firearms.
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