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Preppers Want to Know: A Survival Book
Preppers Want to Know is a survival book by Aaron Liford that answers questions that Aaron had but couldn’t find good, concise answers to.
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]Sidenote: Every time I read this title, I get this song stuck in my head.[/su_box]Questions like ‘how can I protect against EMPs‘ and ‘what’s the best way to freeze dry food’.
The topics tend to lean more toward extreme situations like nuclear attacks and economic collapse but just because they’re extreme doesn’t mean they aren’t plausible.
Topics Covered:
- How to Survive a Nuclear Attack
- How to Prepare for Martial Law
- How to Freeze Dry Food
- How to Protect Against EMP
- How to Prevent Home Invasion
- How to Survive a Terrorist Attack
- How to Prepare for Economic Collapse
The Review
Let me start by saying that I wouldn’t recommend this book for “weekend preppers” or survivalists who are more interested in living off the land than the machinations and politics of mankind (that sounded real smart, huh?).
If you’re not worried about what to do in the case of martial law and you don’t plan on stockpiling food beyond a few cans of beans, you probably won’t get much out of this book.
However, if you’re the kind of prepper that’s anticipating a societal cataclysm such as terrorist (not a crazy theory by any means these days) or nuclear attacks, Preppers Want to Know is worth the price of admission.
Yes, there are plenty of books on survival but Preppers Want to Know lays it out in a clear and simple way.
What I Liked
- Actionable. Each chapter has actionable steps on preparing for or surviving the scenario. I’m sure I’m going to offend someone with this opinion but there is too much information out there and not enough action.
- Explained why. On top of giving you actionable steps, there are explanations on why they are important. If you’re like me, explaining why I need to do something will increase the odds that I’ll actually do it exponentially
- Concise. The chapters are thorough without being cumbersome. You could write a book on each of these topics (and quite a few people have!) but Aaron gives you just enough to cover what you need to know in a few pages. Obviously you can’t have all the info you need in this one ebook or it would get unruly.
- Informational. PWK gives you the what, why, and how; you supply the who and when. In each scenario, you’ll learn why it’s important, what to do, and how to prepare. But it’s up to you to fill in the rest of the details like who will be doing what task and when you’ll start preparing.
- Eye opening. You can call this last one a pro or not but after reading this book, I was reminded how unprepared I was. And not just that I don’t have a bomb shelter or 2 years of food rations but that if something did happen, I don’t have a system for communicating with my family or a plan of where to meet if we get separated.
- Links. There are links to more information. One of the biggest advantages of digital media is that you can add a link to a source so the reader can delve further into the subject if he/she wants but it doesn’t add bulk to the original content.
- Topical. Lastly, you can say what you want but the scenarios covered in this book are probably the most likely ones to occur. We already have worldwide terrorists attacks on an almost monthly basis and the value of the Euro has been in danger of collapse for quite a while.
Of course, as with everything, there are things that could be improved.
What I Didn’t Like
- Not enough images. My first point is a little ‘nit-picky’ but I think it could have used more visuals to explain the steps. Each chapter could easily be turned into an infographic or slideshow that would be easier to digest than a block of text.
- No flow charts. I would have preferred if it was organized more like a flow chart. For example: You decide to stay in and avoid radiation -> here are the steps you need to take. Basically like the Choose Your Own Adventure books from my childhood. Again, this would be perfect for an infographic.
- Information overload. It’s a lot of information to take in at once. I suggest going step by step and analyzing your situation at the end of each chapter. Is this something you think you should prepare for? How prepared are you already? What are the next steps you should take?
- No checklist. I know, I know, I’m asking a lot out of a book. What can I say, I’m spoiled by the amazing content that comes out these days. Which is why I wish there was a checklist of some sort at the end so I could easily go through the steps and know I didn’t miss anything or have to scroll through a bunch of pages.
- Not linear. The book kind of jumps around. There’s no central theme or structure guiding it. Surviving an EMP blast is next to freeze drying food and protecting your home. But it’s not a novel, it’s guide, so this probably isn’t that big of a deal.
- Needs more specifics. Another nitpicky thing – It would be great if each step/section had a dollar and time amount it would take to implement. Just to get an idea of what resources you need and help you prioritize better.
- Missing step. This actually doesn’t really count as a con, I just wanted to add something to the Fortify Entrances section: Using inch and a half long screws in your catch plate makes it MUCH more difficult to kick in a door.
- Redundant. The Strategic Relocation book is recommended at least 3 times. I’m sure it’s a great book, it just seemed like overkill. However, I will say that each time it was suggested, it was relevant to the topic.
Conclusion
Overall, I’d say this is a good read. I definitely found some areas I want to work on and, even if I’m not prepared for it, I think if one of these situations does happen, I’ll be in a better mindset than I was before.
If you’d like to check out Preppers Want to Know, you can pick it up on Aaron’s website, Smart Prepper Gear.
Do you have a book on survival that you’d recommend? Let us know!
