Essential Self-Defense: A Play

Name: Essential Self-Defense: A Play
Price: 11.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3.8 (5 reviews)
Author: Rapp, Adam

by Rapp, Adam

Literary Fiction Horror

3.8 (5)

124 pages~2.1 hr readPublished by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

$11.99Near peak price

Last checked: Apr 19, 2026

Price history: $0.50 – $13.49

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $0.50 – $13.49

Buy on Amazon - $11.99

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Perfect for you if...

You appreciate darkly comic plays that blend small-town unease with oddball romance and don't need everything explained.
You enjoy ensemble casts of strange characters (poets, butchers, punk librarians) doing ordinary things in extraordinary circumstances.
You're drawn to Adam Rapp's theatrical voice. if you've loved his previous work, this is essential.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer straightforward horror without theatrical abstraction or meandering character moments.
You need clear plot resolution and want the mystery of the vanished children solved definitively.
You're looking for a traditional narrative arc rather than the surreal logic of stage plays.

About this book

In this play by Adam Rapp, Yul Carroll, a disgruntled misfit, takes a job as an attack dummy in a women's self-defense class. He becomes mysteriously drawn to Sadie, a repressed bookworm who practices her self-defense skills on him. Meanwhile, in the unassuming Midwestern town of Bloggs, local children are vanishing at an alarming rate. Yul, his lady friend, and a group that includes poets, butchers, and punk librarians prepare to confront the darkness threatening the edge of town.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$0.50 – $13.49

Price has dropped 16 times over the last 22 months. Goes on sale roughly every 43 days. Typically stays discounted for 26 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #392K in the Kindle store — a niche title.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 3.8★ from 5 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has remained stable at 3.8 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

Based on past patterns, a price drop could happen soon. It typically goes on sale every 42 days and the last drop was 55 days ago. Typical discount: 96% off.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.