Publication Date:September 30, 2009 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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ISBN13: 9780452295834
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Condition: New
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Product Description The definitive guide on how to prepare for any crisis--from global financial collapse to a pandemic
It would only take one unthinkable event to disrupt our way of life. If there is a terrorist attack, a global pandemic, or sharp currency devaluation--you may be forced to fend for yourself in ways you've never imagined. Where would you get water? How would you communicate with relatives who live in other states? What would you use for fuel?
Survivalist expert James Wesley, Rawles, author of Patriots and editor of SurvivalBlog.com, shares the essential tools and skills you will need for you family to survive, including:
Water: Filtration, transport, storage, and treatment options. Food Storage: How much to store, pack-it-yourself methods, storage space and rotation, countering vermin. Fuel and Home Power: Home heating fuels, fuel storage safety, backup generators. Garden, Orchard Trees, and Small Livestock: Gardening basics, non-hybrid seeds, greenhouses; choosing the right livestock. Medical Supplies and Training: Building a first aid kit, minor surgery, chronic health issues. Communications: Following international news, staying in touch with loved ones. Home Security: Your panic room, self-defense training and tools. When to Get Outta Dodge: Vehicle selection, kit packing lists, routes and planning. Investing and Barter: Tangibles investing, building your barter stockpile. And much more.
How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It is a must-have for every well-prepared family.
Read this before you buyJuly 28, 2010 Guitar Player(Phoenix, AZ) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As part of my investigation into disaster preparedness, I read four books. I'd like to compare them here to help other customers.
The four books can be divided into two groups: practical guides, and the world's gonna end guides.
The first two books are related to what I'd call likely events - hurricanes, flu pandemics, earthquakes, blackouts, food shortages, water contamination, etc. The two that I read are:
- Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family by Arthur Bradley
- Crisis Preparedness Handbook by Jack Spigareli
These two books are similar in their scope. Neither preaches doomsday preparations and both have a wide range of good advice. Spigarelli's book focuses much more heavily on food storage, whereas Bradley's has a more well-rounded handling of subjects and targets family preparation (including the special needs of children, pets, the elderly, and those with handicaps). Comparing the two, I found Bradley's book to be more recent, easier to read, and more comprehensive. The quality of the publication is also better (numerous clear tables, examples, figures, conclusions, etc.). Spigarelli's book has been around for almost a decade and is highly regarded, but feels a bit dated (text looks almost like it was generated on a typewriter, figures are small, tables are not very clear). Not a bad book at all, just dated, and heavily focused on food storage (about 2/3 of the book).
The second set of books are targeted for more drastic, world-changing events - nuclear world war, asteroid hitting the planet, collapse of all government, doomsday stuff. The two books are:
- How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times by James Rawles
- When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes by Cody Lundin
Again, these two books are similar. Both target extreme preparation - massive food and water stockpiles, getting off the electrical grid, living in bunkers, stocking weapons and bartering supplies, etc. Of the two, I found Rawles' book to be better written. Both are recent publications, and I suppose either would do fine. Lundin's does have a color insert in the middle that is nice.
There is some significant overlap between the two types of books, but they are definitely different in their focus. My advice is before buying a book, first decide whether you want to prepare for likely events or doomsday events. For me personally, I found the Practical Handbook for the Family to be the most useful. If you want to prepare for both ends of the spectrum, purchase Bradley's book and Rawles' book. Can't go wrong with that.
Hope this helps!
How to Survive TEOTWAKIJuly 25, 2010 Travis W. West I bought the audio and have it loaded on my iPod which is plugged into my car's stereo. It is a great listen on long trips. Unfortunately, there are numerous lists and hyperlink references in this audiobook. While the announcer does read each and every one, I don't usually carry pen and paper with me when listening in the car. Too bad. I think this audio should included a printed list of all hyperlinks referenced in the book. This alone would make the audio option a GREAT option. As it is, I can only rate it 3 stars because of this "lack of information."
Excellent source of knowledge, good referenceJuly 24, 2010 MJC(Ventura, CA) Where this book will give you the guidlines to survive and continue to live without "the grid", I do have to agree with other reviewers in that most of the author's teachings are geared to people who live in a situation outside of concentrated populations (the author emphasizes lower population areas). There are still a fair number of people in this country that DO live away from mass concentrations of people and this book is mostly applicable to their situations. There is some discussion about bugging out including vehicles that are not susceptible to EMP but the book isn't focused on survival during egress. I bought the book for "future reference", not for my current situation and the author is a wealth of knowledge on self/group sustainment. If you are living in a condo, apartment, townhouse or within an area of high population, it wouldn't make sense to keep more than a month's supply of food available (if even that) and unless it's a fairly temporary loss of power and water you would probably be looking to get out of dodge (before the situation gets ugly) and survive until you reach a safer area where sustainment is possible. Even if you are not in the ideal living situation, this book is worth having and provides valuable information that can still come in handy after relocation.
Always plan for the worst, and hope and pray for the best...July 16, 2010 M. Payte(United States) 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
My dad always tells me, "Always plan for the worst, and hope and pray for the best." I really liked reading this this book. It has a lot of great pointers and it is really very thought provoking. Just like with anything you hear and read nowadays, you need to absorb it all in moderation. Take the knowledge for what it is and apply it to your life accordingly. Yes, it's true not many of us can afford all the suggestions in the book. I looked at my budget, and for me, being in the middle class of American society, there is no way that I can afford all of his suggestions and advices, but it does get you to start thinking on what you can actually do, and to do it little by little. I'm no hardcore survivalist by no means, but my parents, aunts/uncles, and grandparents have taught my siblings and myself the importance of being prepared. My parents have lived through the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, and they have first hand knowledge of how bad things can really get, and the atrocities that humans do to humans, and why it is important to be prepared. If worst comes to worse, then you will have the comfort that you have prepared you and your family to the best of your ability. This is America, and it is our duty as Americans to always be prepared and to help our fellow Americans out if we possibly can, as Rawles puts it, "...its the Christian thing to do..."
One last thing, I'm also a former US Marine. So having a prior background in the military, or even having exposure to family or people that have lived through a catastrophe, ie. World War II, will give you a better understanding and perspective when you read this book.
Be PreparedJuly 13, 2010 Allan M. Lees(Novato, CA USA) 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
We live in an extraordinary time: the world is more inter-connected than ever before which creates amazing possibilities and also the potential for unexpected downsides. Most people just assume life will continue to organize itself around their desires, but every once in a while that assumption is rudely challenged. Just think of the hundreds of thousands of people who suddenly found themselves stranded when a previously obscure volcano in a tiny North Atlantic island began to belch ash thousands of feet into the air... Just imagine how uncomfortable life can get when the power goes down, or when a wildfire means you have to leave home and hearth, or when a flood comes rushing through the door.
Most people just think, "well, I'll deal with that if it happens" or "the authorities will take care of the situation." Hmmm... Katrina, anyone? For those of us who think that being prepared is a prudent step, akin to having the right auto insurance and life insurance policies, eating well and exercising regularly, a bit more is required than just hoping for the best or refusing to think about the worst. Rawles is writing for those out on the extreme edge of preparedness philosophy but that shouldn't deter the more casual reader. While no check-list approach is ever going to prepare you for a real emergency, this book is a great starting-point.
It's main weakness, however, is that it doesn't really address the midway case so well and the author is over-confident about his own strategy. In the event of a total meltdown, a breakdown of society and a decline into the abyss, it's doubtful whether a nice rural retreat would last too long. Well-armed drug gangs, not to mention militia and other sizable groups, would soon locate and acquire any attractive assets. Nothing shy of a small army could keep such types away for very long, and personally I would want a better strategy than fighting to my last round. Getting somewhere difficult to reach (for example, the high Sierras or the Rocky Mountains) might work better, though the drawback is that you really have to practice a lot on a regular basis for that kind of thing and most people simply don't have the physical characteristics - nor the mental willingness - to cope with more than a weekend camping trip, if that. And if there were clouds of nuclear radiation or poison gas or biological agents floating around, it wouldn't matter much where you were: death would find you regardless of your preparation. Even in an NBC suit you wouldn't last too long, and it would be a sweaty and uncomfortable interlude.
My advice to readers of this book is to make use of the lists and use it to think about your own level of preparedness. Could you get everything necessary for a week out-of-doors, plus your family, into your vehicle in less than 20 minutes? If so, could you actually get anywhere? California, for example, doesn't even have an official disaster plan because the authorities recognize that with so many people and cars the roads would become log-jammed within minutes. So if you wanted to get out, chances are you'd need to walk out - and the vast majority of Americans are too heavy to get very far. Stay at home instead? Most urban and suburban houses are indefensible, so those armed marauders aren't going to have much difficulty breaking in and taking what they want, even if you're standing inside with a shotgun or three. So plan for reasonable contingencies: a fire, an earthquake, a major power outage or national emergency. How much food would you need? How much water? How would you contact, and reach, your family during work hours? Do you have a formal plan in place and does everyone have a copy (because people forget things when there's a panic in the air)? Does everyone have long-range walki-talkis (because the first thing to fail under load will be the cellular phone networks) and are they constantly charged? Things like this are obvious only when you've done the drills again and again and identified the flaws, the gaps, and the false assumptions. But who does this kind of forward planning? Answer: pretty much no one. Yet, as has been well put, Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. Without it, no book in the world is going to help you.
If you really want to be prepared for your average mini-disaster, make it part of your life. Get out into the wilderness once a month for at least an overnight trip, and preferably a multi-day trip at least once a year. Get out in all seasons, because that disaster isn't necessarily going to happen on a balmy day when the weather is just perfect. Learn what clothing is necessary, learn how to walk long distances with a heavy pack - in short, make your training and learning an enjoyable part of your normal life. Be healthy, fit, prepared, and have a blast finding out what would work and what would not. Think about where you'd go with your family if the worst came to the worst. Prepare ahead. Have fun doing it. And resist the temptation to get paranoid, regardless of the ultimately bleak message Rawles conveys.
