Rage of the Random Actor

by Dan Korem

Book Overview

Suicide terrorists, School shooters/bombers, Postal/Company shooters, Sniper serial killers. Most possess the Random Actor profile identified by investigative journalist Dan Korem in the early 1990s.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0963910353
• ISBN13: 9780963910356
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: International Focus Press
• Length: 517 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Very informative and immediately useful

I already own Dan Korem's behavior profiling guide, "The Art of Profiling: Reading People Right the First Time." I bought "Rage of the Random Actor" (Rage) as a way of helping me understand how to learn to identify potentially dangerous persons. I hoped this would make me more effective at protecting my children, and, to a lesser extent, try to improve some of my relationships which are difficult for reasons I don't always understand, e.g., maybe a little self-discovery. Also, I would like to better understand why some people commit acts of aggression or desperation when there are better alternatives. I think Korem's Rage provides guidance to do all of the above for the Random Actor, and provides many instances of case study to connect the theoretical with the practical. I have enjoyed reading Rage as well; it has satisfied a measure of curiosity I have, which I mentioned above, about desperate or homicidally desperate people. I'm not sure that Rage answers all the questions I have about this topic, though I have only finished half of his book. I'm still interested in the relationship between emotions and the behavior and communication types that we all have. I especially find useful the parts of Rage that discuss how best to interact with potentially dangerous or apparently unstable people. It's now much clearer to me that a difficult situation may often be diffused before it become worse, and diffused in a way and for reasons that treat individuals with respect and dignity. Korem often reiterates that people must be respected and cherished as people, and not stereotyped. Stereotyping will almost always lead to wrong conclusions about both motivation and future behavior. If it isn't clear already, I recommend this book to people who are interested in understanding and predicting how people of all types might behave. He doesn't give a crystal ball view into behavior, but he does clearly highlight some very telling indicators and provides a meaningful way of understanding those indicators.

Extraordinary, Compelling, Urgently Applicable to All

I am utterly astonished to not see this book at the top of the charts and being absorbed by every school principal, every small town mayor, every police chief, and every counter-terrorism expert. This book is extraordinary, it is compelling, and it is utterly and urgently applicable to every single person who wishes to "defuse" potentially deadly "random actors." Although it is a thick book packed with details, you do not have the read the whole thing to extract value. Suffice to say that armed with this book, communities and organizations will have all they need to know to achieve early warning of potentially threatening "random actors." This is not a book full of psycho-babble. If anything, it is solidly grounded in practical case studies going back twenty years, and I for one, as a 30-year veteran intelligence professional, including clandestine service with constant exposure to bad boys and girls, find the book credible, useful, and easy to understand. The bottom line, without seeking to simplify the book, is avoid de-personalization, prevent bullying, open up to individuals and empower them, and above all, be alert for any sense that they see teachers or other authority figures as "CONTROLLING" and rules as "INAPPLICABLE." The author's finding that terrorism is a rich kid's game, and that most US-based random actors will come from upper middle class families in small towns, are consistent with my own research and practical experience with revolutionaries. Sadly, the underlying theme across the book is that of societal collapse. The major institutions, from school to church to sports to social clubs are all degenerating and failing to provide the inclusiveness and alternatives to boredom and alienation that they once represented. The threat of "random actors" imposing catastrophic fatal acts on their communities is very real. This book is an important reference work, and one that I would recommend be bought in bulk, and discussed in a structured manner by every school staff and every local police department...and of course by parents!