Book review: Emergency by Neil Strauss

I finished this book a few months ago and have been meaning to write a post about it ever since. I’m not going to tell you it will change your life, but reading it might save it.

Desperately trying not to sound like a complete wild-eyed, tree hugging doomsday-er here, but… I really do believe the shit is going to hit the fan sooner rather than later. In our lifetime most likely, in our children’s  definitely.  Either economic collapse, climate change, food shortages or a combination of all are going to change the world we live in, and with that is going to be come some serious challenges.

I can see your eyes rolling from here. But give me a chance to re-deem my thinking. What happens if tomorrow the water stops coming out of the taps? What happens if tomorrow, the food trucks stop coming to a city like London. How long before people start doing some seriously hard core stuff to survive? Will you survive?

That will never happen right? That could not happen to a major city in an established, wealthy Western country right? The government would not let us die of thirst, starvation or disease right?! Wrong. They have done in the past and will do again.

Read more about Hurricane Katrina on Wikipedia

Global economic meltdowns and global warming aside, these same concerns can be applied to many day to day situations. Do you know what to do if you are in a life threatening situation? Knife attack, car accident, one of a gaziolion things that can hurt you?

Let me tell you the most important thing I’ve learnt reading this book: You are the only person that is going to look after you. You need to know how to survive. If you think it won’t happen to you, then think again. Just watch the news, listen, read between the lines.

Ok preaching over. If you want to know more, read Emergency. It’s not a survival manual. It’s a story about a proper city dweller, 100% reliant on the system to survive, who realised how fragile it all is and that he needed to know how to take care of himself, it’s a record of his journey. It made me not only think, but act. You should do the same.

EmergencyNeil Strauss

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