I recently read the book “No Mercy for Yourself” by Erik Bertrand Larssen (76 UAH in the electronic version).
I read this book on 11/25/2015, and I already remember almost nothing. That’s not surprising, since after reading a book you retain 5%. Well, or 10% if you’re a genius.
The book was written by a retired military man who talked about his path. How he didn’t get into an elite unit on the first try because he didn’t pass the tough selection process: out of 20 people they took only 2, and by ranking he ended up third. About how he promised himself that in a year he would become first, and he did.
There’s also an interesting story about how he got into an accident on the highway during black ice: a bus skidded and was hurtling toward his car. He tucked himself in, covered his head with his arms, and after the collision he was thrown around the walls and ceiling of the car like a ball, but not only did he stay alive, he was also conscious, climbed out of the car, and directed the rescue of others: called the police and an ambulance, sent people up and down the road to stop traffic and prevent another accident. He also gave first aid to the passengers on the bus. The most interesting part was when the police arrived and asked where the driver of the passenger car was, and he said: that would be me.
Despite such pep, the accident didn’t just pass without consequences: for a whole year afterward he was tormented by wild pain in his head and neck. The author describes this period as the hardest in his life, but nevertheless, he found the strength to recover and go on living.
After that, Larssen describes how he became a coach on this subject and how he supported others.
Overall, the book is very good and interesting; it left me with a very good impression. It talks about how you shouldn’t lie on the couch, but should work on yourself in order to achieve success in life. I highly recommend this book to boys, since in our fatherland a great many boys grow up without fathers and are raised at best by their mothers, so they absolutely need to read a book like this.
When I was reading this book, I also thought of some very similar ones that help turn a boy into a man. These are “Men’s Conversations About Life” by Dmitry “Goblin” Puchkov and “A Man with an Axe” by Andrey Kochergin.