Top 10 Books for RLSH

Here's my list, post yours. Seven are non-fiction and should be considered must-reads, whether you're a newbie or a veteran. The three fiction ones, including one comic book, made a profound impact on my worldview and I highly recommend them.

1. SUPERHEROISM: "How To Be A Super-Hero" by Night Rider

This is the bible of RLSH. This book is the origin of the term "Real Life Superhero". It is, to date, the only how-to, DIY book on this movement, and contains the history of the late 1960s and 1970s for RLSH.

Get it by talking to Knight Owl or myself.

2. CRIME: "McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld" by Misha Glenny

This book pulls from extensive first-hand research to provide an overview of the global black market, organized crime, its history and how it operates.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

3. FUNDING: "The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich" by Timothy Ferriss

This book has helped me get more money and more time for RLSH endeavors. I might not have been able to afford a 2 week trip to Europe hacker spaces and a move to NYC for a year and a half without it.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

4. SELF DEFENSE: "The Dirty Dozen: 12 Nasty Fighting Techniques For Any Situation" by Larry Jordan

This book allowed me to go toe-to-toe with Zero, TSAF, Fearless and other expert martial artists and hold my own.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

5. FICTION: "Geek Mafia" by Rick Dakan

This book changed my entire viewpoint on how an RLSH team should operate.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Get it FREE here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

6. FICTION: "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow

This book forced me to recognize that I was woefully behind on technology and the very real value in having tech experience.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Get it FREE here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

7. RESEARCH: "Find it Online: The Ultimate Guide to Online Research" by Alan M. Schlein

After reading this book, I was able to establish a much richer library of tools for mission research and considerably enhanced NYI operations.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

8. TECHNOLOGY: "The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey" by Emmanuel Goldstein

You live in a vast infrastructure of technology, infomation, bits and bytes, and you must understand it to survive. This is your road map.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

9. STRATEGY: "The Art of War" by Sun Tsu

This is the ultimate war manual on how to think like a master general. Read it twice.

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Get it FREE here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

10. ONLY COMIC BOOK ON THE LIST: "Wanted" by Mark Millar

I'm as much of a comic book nerd as the rest of you. After I read this, I put down comics for a year straight, and did something extremely productive with my life instead. Either you'll get the message or you won't, give it a shot.

Get it here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Please enjoy these reads and post your own list. Limit one comic book per list, please.

Click titles for links to buy.

1)SUPERHEROISM:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] This is the journey of a man who studies and even tries to become part of our culture. Humor and honesty, with realistic outlooks on diet, excercise, bravery, and crime, with great interviews. The best thing about the interviews is the author is not afraid to call BS.

2)INSPIRATION:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] This will show you the evil of the world we must all strive to stop. Plus, if a small child can take being starved, beaten, poisoned, burned, and tortured every day for years and survive, then what right do we have to be afraid to call cops on some drug dealers?

3)SELF DEFENSE(unarmed):

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Basic moves, great takedowns, and a shadow boxing routine to help with effective muscle memory.

4)SELF DEFENSE(armed/other):

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] How to disarm someone; how to protect yourself from chemical spray; how to surivive or protect a child from an explosion; how to clear a room...doubt we'll ever need this, but you never know.

5)STRATEGY:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] The japanese swordsman's version of The Art of War.

6)FICTION:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Shows us that sometimes you have to step up and be a hero, even if you don't want to, and it may require dire sacrifices. First of an awesome series.

7)NON-FICTION:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] One man's global journey to learn the art and philosophy of fighting.

8)FITNESS:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Small but informative book of low impact, equipment free excercises. Put down the weights and try these circuits for a week; you might like how you feel.

9)COMIC BOOK:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] THIS is why it's best superpowers don't exist...

10)HUMOR:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Laughter is a great way to unwind after patroling, and noone makes me (or my wife) laugh harder than Dave Barry. Never read his work at jury duty and/or while drinking something that stains. Good advice too, between the booger jokes.

And let me just say it's sad when you start a thread about reading, and after 3 days it has 65 veiws and one response. If the thread had been called "Top 10 Video Games..." or "Top Ten TV Show..." it would be at 3 pages by now (and no doubt the battleground of a flame war).

Since I'm so new I don't have any "must reads", but I do have a few books that I plan on reading for training.

They are:

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes: Harnessing Our Power to Change the World by Deepak Chopra

This one looks like it will be a good read and a good way to put myself into a mind-set of moving away from America's mentality of "keep your head down and just push through life" to living my life so that I can help others and put a stop to bad things happening around me.

U.S. Special Forces Handbook by Department of the Army (2008 edition)

This book covers field medicine as well as survival skills, which I think will be useful in teaching myself how to buy things for handouts with survival nutrition in mind. I want to be able to do handouts that will last someone for a while and get them all the vitamins that they need, rather than just feed them for an afternoon, and this seemed like a good place to start.

First Aid - Responding to Emergencies by American Red Cross (updated Apr 2007)

I've been licensed for first aid (in everything the American Red Cross has to offer) three times, and reading a book that would keep all of those skills fresh in my mind seemed like a good idea.

Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom by Lynnette Khalfani

To be blunt, I know that becoming an RLSH is going to cost me, I also know that being a college student is also going to cost me, and I need to learn how to pay off some of my student loans so that I won't be in debt well into my 30s.

Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation by Eboo Patel

I'm a member of my school's Multi-Faith Council and this book was suggested to me by the head of the council/leader of the Campus Christian Center. Religious intolerance is a big problem, and I want to learn about all sorts of different religions so that I can be both educated on their customs and beliefs, as well as know what their religions actually stand for so that when I am confronted by the beliefs of another culture I do not unwittingly step all over their toes.



I'm not quite sure on what else I want to read yet, but I'm going to be looking into books on bullying, racism, stereotyping, and public speaking. My long-term goal is to be able to speak at schools against bullying, but I have no clue how to talk to kids in elementary school and keep them interested in what I'm saying, so I need to look into that fairly soon.

Krystalline wrote:

Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom by Lynnette Khalfani

To be blunt, I know that becoming an RLSH is going to cost me, I also know that being a college student is also going to cost me, and I need to learn how to pay off some of my student loans so that I won't be in debt well into my 30s.

I'm not quite sure on what else I want to read yet, but I'm going to be looking into books on bullying, racism, stereotyping, and public speaking. My long-term goal is to be able to speak at schools against bullying, but I have no clue how to talk to kids in elementary school and keep them interested in what I'm saying, so I need to look into that fairly soon.

Look into doing an [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] program. It's kinda like the Peace Corps but stateside. There's some programs that focus on physical work, working with a community, working in schools (check out City Year if you want to do school focused work). They normally go on for about a year, but you can get great experience doing community outreach, helping others, and working with kids. And there's the added perk of an education award at the end of your year. I think it's about $5500 now. And some colleges will give you money too if you do community service like that.

~Rogue

Rogue wrote:

Krystalline wrote:

Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom by Lynnette Khalfani

To be blunt, I know that becoming an RLSH is going to cost me, I also know that being a college student is also going to cost me, and I need to learn how to pay off some of my student loans so that I won't be in debt well into my 30s.

I'm not quite sure on what else I want to read yet, but I'm going to be looking into books on bullying, racism, stereotyping, and public speaking. My long-term goal is to be able to speak at schools against bullying, but I have no clue how to talk to kids in elementary school and keep them interested in what I'm saying, so I need to look into that fairly soon.

Look into doing an [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] program. It's kinda like the Peace Corps but stateside. There's some programs that focus on physical work, working with a community, working in schools (check out City Year if you want to do school focused work). They normally go on for about a year, but you can get great experience doing community outreach, helping others, and working with kids. And there's the added perk of an education award at the end of your year. I think it's about $5500 now. And some colleges will give you money too if you do community service like that.

~Rogue

Thank you for the tip. I'll definitely look into this.

I've never put as much though into a reading list as you. I don't have a complete list, but I have some recommended titles in the fiction and comic setting.

(Note to self: Get some self help books, pronto!)

When it comes to comics and books, I know my way around them. I have a decent collection of them. But for a list of comics. Here's a few I've read over the past couple years that I think you'll all enjoy.

Project Superpowers (The Series): Published by Dynamic Comics, the series follows a multitude of WWII era superheroes that were trapped in Pandora's Box by one of their own and then released into a modern era where the world is controlled by a syndicate of villains. Give this to any person who believes we need to start our entire society over from scratch. Project Superpowers challenges the reader with not only tales of morality that are challenging and not as heavy handed as most comics, but also shows the unintended consequences of sweeping actions, whether for good or evil.

Superman: Red Son: And this is for the person who thinks we need a big brother to watch over us. Superman as raised by the communists, taking a direct interest in human life by ultimately controlling it... and screwing it up big time.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: Out of all the books, I think this one is the most anti-RLSH. Why do I recommend it? Because it does have some good points and it will challenge your beliefs like nothing else. Objectivism would think that RLSH is absolutely batf**k insane. The kind of person who truly understands this books and adopts all its principles would be the strongest detractor of RLSH efforts. If you can convince an objectivist that RLSH style altruism is not only good but the only way, then you can convince anyone. So get started.

House of Incest by Anais Nin: It's not what you think. It's actually a surrealist poetry story that talks about self love and adoration. I'm still mulling it over, since it is very difficult to read and interpret (and I'm not slouch when it comes to reading). So muddy is it that I think everyone will interpret it differently. And if you understand it clearly... I'd say your mind's got enough imaginative flexibility to adapt to many things.

Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein: This book had the best explanation for 'love' that I've seen in any piece of literature I've read. And I think readers will find inspiration in Heinlein's self sufficient characters (for another example, read 'Have Spacesuit Will Travel').

Tao of Jeet Kun Do by Bruce Lee: Philosophy from Bruce Lee written at a time when he was injured. What I got from it was a lesson in adaptability. The man drew from many sources, and not just from his martial arts. Sadly, I haven't finished it yet before it was lost. I am looking for a new copy.

Art of war is good stuff . I also reccomend the bible , koran , bhavagad gita , little red book , zen and the art of motorcycle mantinance , tao of pooh , jonithan livingstan seagull and there are around 100 star wars books .

I'll post my list when I finish coloring them

My list of must reads for this summer

The science of Superman and how we compare his powers to Nature around our world

The Science of Superheroes How would we engineer Spider-Man's Web hooters and Green Lantern's Ring

The Science of Star Trek and the technology behind the equipment on board The Enterprise D and E as well as The Titan

Superman Batman World's Finest #1

Ive always wondered about the very first meeting between Superman and Batman

Star Trek Titan books 1 - 6 I just started book 4 of this series in my ipod but I still have another 22 books with that Im looking forward to reading in my off time

# 1 book The phycology of Superheroes and what would we be going through if we had super powers and high tech tools and weapons as well as what we would be going through if we watched loved ones die in front of us like Batman and Punisher did

Polarman wrote:

The Science of Superheroes How would we engineer Spider-Man's Web hooters and Green Lantern's Ring

Web hooters?



Apologies, I can just visualize....

never mind.



DarkShadow out

Sorry I ment to say Web Shooters

Brilliant list Zimmer.

I'd also like to add Gavin de Beckers 'The Gift of Fear' to the list. Essential reading.

You can find it here:

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Another book from Gavin de becker, 'Just 2 Seconds' (I have not read it, but looks good)

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(Note: This is a kindle version, couldn't find the normal book version)

Only 5 that I can think of off the top of my head.

Getting Started in Electronics
by Forest M. Mims

Becoming Batman
by E. Paul Zehr

Society of the Mind
by Marvin Mimsky

Ultimate Flexibility
by Sang H. Kim

Every book in the "For Evil Geniuses" series
Various Authors
This series, despite the name, is PERFECT for any RLSh gadgeteer.

DarkShadow, web hooters isn't nearly as skanky as it could be. Ever see Spider Babe?

Yeesh.

Electronic Projects for the Evil Genius, More Electronic Projects for the Evil Genius and Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius are the best three books in the Evil Genius series. Good stuff for sure, but a very steep learning curve if you've never put something together.

Lionheart, looks like a good book.

Fighting: Living The Martial Way - Forest E. Morgan: One of my bibles for anything related to combat, it covers a lot subjects including weight training, mental training, and how to select a school, all from a traditional-meets-modern train of thought.

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Personal Information/Security: Road to Big Brother - Ross Clark: Focuses more on the government surveillance in England (and how rifuckindiculous it is), but points out many details of the global information market and it's interplay with national governments. Not a great bedtime story if you like to feel warm and safe, this book is almost single-handedly responsible for my paranoia regarding my personal information.

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Entertainment/What if Scenarios: World War Z - Max Brooks: From the writer of the
"How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse" books, this is the historical account of the zombie apocalypse. I couldn't put it down, partly because I'm a huge zombie-nerd, but also because of how possible Brook's ideas were of how nations like the U.S., Russia, or North Korea would react in the situation.

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Zimmer, same feelings here towards Wanted, I think.

Zim: yeah gift of fear is a real 'brain opener'. I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it.

Must Reads is difficult as I want to cull it down to what I feel is absolutely needed. So no comic books, pulp novels, or other fiction that I love.
At any rate.....

1. A good First Aid/CPR Manual
To get at least the basics of keeping you and your teammate alive.

2. Kill or Get Killed by Col. Applegate
Vicious to the point combatives. Covers simple and reliable unarmed combat, knife defense, and other subjects of interest.

3. Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey
Get in shape. An ongoing struggle for many of us but necesary in this business.

4. Practical Handbook for Private Investigators by Rory McMahon
5. The Private Investigator's Handbook by Chuck Chambers
6. Find Anyone Fast by Richard S. Johnson, Debra Johnson Knox
Good resources, tips, tricks, and just plain old good experienced advice for investigations, techniques of surveillance, and other useful subjects.

7./8. Any good Spanish and/or Sign Language Guides
Gotta have some communication to be able to help and make yourself understood as well as gather information from the citizenry.

Zimmer wrote:

1. SUPERHEROISM: "How To Be A Super-Hero" by Night Rider

This is the bible of RLSH. This book is the origin of the term "Real Life Superhero". It is, to date, the only how-to, DIY book on this movement, and contains the history of the late 1960s and 1970s for RLSH.

On my .rtf doc of Knight Owl's RLSH-Manual on 12 pt. font it comes out to roughly 74 pages. I submit that it is the second how-to, DIY book (unpublished) on the RLSH.

Hey maybe Web Hooters would work better than grapling hooks or we could have Web Poopers considering where the spiders webs come from

Top 10 books I looking for

1.Youth Bullies

2. Youth suicides

3.Youth homelessness

4.Youth drugs

5. Youth drinking

6. Youth pregnancy

7. Youth sniffing

8. Youth vandalisim

9. Youth abuse

10.Youth animal cruelty

Beautiful Souls: by Eyal Press

URL: bbc(dot)in(slash)xE6J7e

I think that it would be nice to have this one added to the list as well.

Thank you for having this thread. \m/

I will be sure to go through it in greater detail over the next while and see what I can add to my repertoire.

If I come across anything else that has not yet been mentioned, I will be sure to add it here as well.


Namaste, <3




~HS.