Been reading Amanda Ripley’s book, The Unthinkable, basically a behaviorist account of how people survive disasters. There are some good points that underscore the importance of prepping and, especially, rehearsal and training. 1) Normalcy bias: when confronted with a disaster, most people do not panic but rather act like everything is normal. During 911 many folks in the twin towers spent time chatting, shutting down computers, packing up casually, which doubled the amount of time that emergency managers had predicted it would take to evacuate the building. Similarly, during a fire in a nightclub it is not unusual for the fire alarm to be going off and smoke to be in the air, but people continue drinking, dancing and chatting. 2) Delay can mean death. On average people took six minutes to decide whether to evacuate the World Trade Center on 911. The same applies to plane crashes. These are surprisingly survivable (around 60%) but those who die often freeze up, an instinctual response. 3) Many institutional disaster plans are designed around emergency professionals rather than the people they are tasked with saving. In Hawaii, when half of Maui was burnt to the ground, their alert system worked perfectly. But people didn’t know what the sirens meant and kept going about their business. We have a tenancy to observe the behavior of people around us, and if they’re not panicking, then we don’t act. Furthermore, we rely too much on the professionals to show up and save us when they may not be able to reach us. Ripley gives hope, however, as training and controlling our breathing can increase our survival rate by 50%. Keep prepping, and don’t forget to train.

Why is every apocalypse/prepper related book based in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia? 😆

Ok I exaggerate but I’m onto my fourth book/series and each one is set in these areas!

Btw, my favourite is the One Second After series 📖

Thanks, An Australian 🇦🇺

Edit: Titles are… - One Second After series by William R Forstchen (NC) - The Journey Home series by John Winchester (WV) - The SHTF series by LL Akers (SC) - 48 Hours by William R Forstchen (I lie, DC & PA)

i have some medical ones, survival in the australian bushes (i am australian) and a bunch of others. throw in some book recommendations and we can start a thread for this stuff

Many of us read post-apocalyptic survival thriller fiction but that gets boring after a while.

Some books are filled with heavy prepping, some are just action and entertainment covering what people may do in apocalyptic scenarios. I'm really not looking for tips. If I want that i will buy non-fiction or go to an event.

EMPs have been done to death. I'm tired of these but for some weird reason, they always seem to be at the top of the pile under post-apocalyptic genre, though I have stopped reading them.

No one seems to enjoy good old alien, vampire, or zombies anymore. It has to be realistic. (where did good ol, use your imagination go to?)

Plagues? Like a tired old horse. Since covid, no one enjoys them.

Forget nuclear. Boring. Forget financial collapse. Boring.

So what are we left with to read that you wish someone would write about?

Or as preppers do you just stick to good old thrillers, mystery, military thrillers?

1. Charles Dowding’s Skills For Growing: Sowing, Spacing, Planting, Picking, Watering and More Hardcover – February 3, 2022 by Charles Dowding

2. The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live Paperback – December 14, 2011 by Niki Jabbour

3. American Horticultural Society Pests and Diseases: The Complete Guide to Preventing, Identifying and Treating Plant Problems Hardcover – February 1, 2000 by Pippa Greenwood

4. Rhs Grow Your Own: Veg & Fruit Year Planner (Royal Horticultural Society Grow Your Own)by Royal Horticultural Society

5. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living: Beekeeping, Canning and Preserving, Cheese Making, Disaster Preparedness, Fermenting, Growing ... Raising Livestock, Soap Making, and more! Paperback – October 26, 2011 by Abigail Gehring

6. The Complete Book of Raising Livestock & Poultry Paperback – January 1, 1980 by Katie Thear

7. Small Farmer's Guide to Raising Livestock and Poultry Hardcover – January 1, 1804 by Alistair Fraser

8. Hunting & Gathering Survival Manual: 221 Primitive & Wilderness Survival Skills (Outdoor Life) Paperback – Illustrated, October 6, 2020 by Tim MacWelch

9. The Prepper's Water Survival Guide: A Complete Set of Life-Saving Methods You Can Depend On in Any Emergency. Discover How to Find, Collect, Filter, Purify and Store Water to Survive Living Off-Grid Paperback – June 2, 2022 by Raymond L. Hillman

10. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods Paperback – April 7, 2009 by Thomas Elias

11. Herbal Medic: A Green Beret's Guide to Emergency Medical Preparedness and Natural First Aid Paperback – August 3, 2021 by Sam Coffman

12. Build the Perfect Survival Kit Paperback – December 31, 2013 by John D. McCann

My husband saw the FB ads for "The Book" but after some reading, I decided it was not worth $120.

He said he liked the drawings/pictures on the inside and that it was informational (prior to reading the reviews on it). He wanted something that had a "pretty" designed cover so it could be placed on a coffee table, but could actually be read to learn something new.

Does anyone have any recommendations for under $200?

Since I am by no means a walking encyclopedia, I started thinking - what books would be necessary to homeschool a child in a bug-in situation? Well-rounded, practical subjects (skills, trades) in addition to traditional subjects (history, reading, math, science). Ideally as few books as possible that cover a wide range of knowledge, not necessarily lesson plans or workbooks.

I saw a post on this sub about To Build a Fire. Honestly it's an amazing story, and I wanted to make something special. This story is an amazing work, and really outlines thinking ahead and preparing for the worst. I really didn't do it justice, but I am very new to this, and hope to get better.

Let me know what you think! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHIlxpuwmEc

Another similar story I loved growing up was Hatchet. Both are really more Survival stories than prepping, but are kind of related. Does anyone know of any actual prepper stories?

Mods, I read rule 7, and see that I need to post other stuff as well. I just joined, and will try to post frequently. I'm a bit of a prepper myself. I really think this is something the community might like!

I realized I had a big gap in my book resources. I have the information to treat injury and illness, but lack the in depth information on different medications, allergies, and so forth. So I’m not exactly sure what Im looking for but hoping Y’all have some good up to date books on the general topic both medicinal and herbal. Hope all is well and always be prepared:)

Just to make sure I’m not breaking rule 11 I don’t mean how to make/get drugs lol, but like common interactions or what to avoid with certain illnesses and potential interactions.

Question for you: I just started using audible. I’d love some suggestions for dark/gloomy/dystopian/survival novels if you have any? Drop your favourites whether they’re in audio format or print. Here’s my favourite:

The last Canadian (1974) by William C. Heine. A copy of this book lived at my grandpas cottage and was leant out to anyone that was interested to read it. It’s one of my favourite dystopian novels. One of my favourite novels in general.

Our original copy is composed of over 50% duct-tape now, but I was able to find a mint condition copy for less than $50CAD (prices can be insane on this title) that I plan on framing up in a shadow box someday.

I’ve heard that this book was republished for an American audience under another title. “death wind”, I believe. I’ve also read that it was made into a movie in the late 90s called patriot (?). I’ve been meaning to look into both of those.

As a Canadian; I suggest you read the original “The Last Canadian” version. It’s short, but very good. I found free PDF at one point I’ll add in the comments tomorrow if I can dig it up again.

So I am writing a story about the grid going down all over the world at the same time. A supernatural wave of energy washes over the world messing up electrical equipment along the way. Bring all the power-grids across the world down at the same time. Eventually supernatural threats appear and people gain powers.

But the first few weeks are just about a regular unprepared family in the city trying their best to survive as chaos spreads like wildfire. What kind of things will they have to deal with and overcome?

==Edit==

Hey, I just want to say thank you to everyone for replying. It's really giving me a lot of ideas.

Had anyone found a book or this? How is it? How to Escape from a Sick Society https://academyofideas.com/2021/09/how-to-escape-from-a-sick-society/

A line from Netflix's Leave The World Behind, when a main character comments on seeing a very large herd of deer, 100+ heads. The movie was written to have a lot of undertone and subtle meanings according to the Showmakers, and at first I took this line at face value, that the animals were effected by the events of the show and had amassed and circled as a warning. But, watching it again, it feels much more likely that as the events unfold, the deer in small numbers all individually sensed impending danger and began to seek strength in numbers, completely independent of the humans around them. It's not some quirky "warning" from nature, it's the visual demonstration that other species are working to survive what's coming. To survive collapse, seek strength in numbers. That's the message.

What other media are people out here chewing on? I'd love to hear some other quotes that resonate with you.

I have read the trilogy and loved them. I was hoping some of you guys could recommend any of your favorite books related to prepping (preferably novel types)

Also if you haven't read "One Second After" - William Forstchen I really recommend it, book 2 and 3 were really good as well and you can pick up the whole trilogy for about $30 right now.

Edit- I appreciate all the input you guys have provided, I will eventually buy all the books/authors you guys suggested. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season!

I'm an independent journalist and I wrote the document with the above title. It's short (70 pages) and includes pictures from my time studying riots in Minneapolis and Kenosha as well as numerous other protests in Minnesota. It includes topics such as the kinds of threats that can be encountered (people with guns, fires, damaged infrastructure, chemical irritants, etc.) and the behavior of different groups that can be encountered (protesters, rioters, looters, vigilantes, police, etc.). This research took a couple of years, and is being posted just ahead of the US 2024 election. The information is meant for civilians who find themselves in the midst of extreme civil unrest. Much of what's in it is simple, common sense stuff, but can be helpful for those without much experience in civil unrest.

You can download it for free by going to:

www.riotsurvivalguide.com

Saw a post here asking what would you do if neighbors showed up in need of food... Just finished a book about this with a different twist.

Guy heads to his isolated Montana ranch after a social collapse, (yadda yadda) but finds squatters have been living in it. Then gets conscripted into a new back-to-work govt program to pay off his mortgage and other debts. Becomes a US Marshal after 2 weeks training. Told to restore order and don't worry so much about the law. Good read.

Uncomfortable Wolves https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVNXD9JB

The last week without internetade me realize how many times a day I Google how to do something. Looking for a good book to consult a variety of information. Not as much how to build a snare trap or develop a shoddy IED like Anarchist cookbook but realistic answers to things that might pop up during a month or two after a natural disaster or maintaining your household etc

Such as what to do if you break a bone, a wound gets infected, or things like what plants can act as an antibiotic. That type of stuff.

I just got the book as a gift and I'm gonna give it a look through. Wondering if anyone read it and if so what their opinions are

I'm still scroll through the Archive.org database and just came across the section with the above title. There are 1294 results. I'll be here a while. Just wanted to pass it on for those interested.

I ran across a book called No grid survival guide by Claude something.. saw the reviews weren't too good. So I was curious if anyone had good survival educational books they would recommend. We currently have books on the native plants around us that are safe and how to prepare etc. some books on basic survival. I was curious if anyone could recommend a more in depth complex survival educational book.

Hi everyone, I've been planning to start prepping a bit and I was wondering if anyone has read "The Knowledge - How To Rebuild Our World After An Apocalypse" or "The Knowledge - How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm" books by Lewis Dartnell and could enlighten me on if they actually have useful information in them or if it's just a ploy thing? Are they worth the $20 - $30?

I want to start off by saying thank you ahead of time for everyone’s feedback and assistance.

I’m looking for anyone who can assist me with building a cache of the most useful books based on opinion and experience that I should invest in. Most of the posts I have found seem outdated (or maybe they still are highly recommended) . Looking for books on many useful topics not really a one book fits all thing. Any help is appreciated and thank you again.

American Handgunner (FMG Publications) used to have a special edition magazine they ran called "Survive Magazine". It was a little heavy on entertainment value (I guess buying another case of bottled water is kind of boring to write about for magazine material), but I really enjoyed thumbing through it years ago.

Is anyone subscribed to this magazine still? Do they still publish it? I can't find it anywhere online, but my Google-Fu has been weak before. Figured I would ask.

(Admin’s let me know if this isn’t allowed.)