Surviving Home Replicates Likely Collapse

While I finished the book "Surviving Home" over a month ago I didn't get motivated to write about it until I received notice that the third book "Escaping Home" in this excellent series by A. American was available for pre-order. The first book, "Going Home", was a story about a man who found himself several hundred miles away from his family when EMP shut everything down and chronicled his journey trying to get back to his family and community.

Morgan Carter, the main character in this series, is a prepper, married and has a couple children. He was prepared with his Bug Out or Get Home bag, so he was prepared to walk and survive the 250 miles back to his prepared home.

I found the first book pretty realistic on how I envision the collapse environment with the story of Morgan encountering people who "go ugly early" in their attempts to better themselves and their situation through robbery, depredations and control. I had previously wrote a short review on A. American's first book.

The second book, Surviving Home, took up with the main character, Morgan Carter, back in the community and facing several realistic situations:

An unprepared community. One of the many faults with the suburban or community Bug In plan is that many, if not most, of your neighbors will be unprepared for the collapse. Many of these will be burdens on the few that are prepared. Many will resist any leaders stepping up; Many will turn on you because you have prepared and they have not.

Entitiliest community members. Many neighbors, in both A. American's excellent book and what I believe reality would be, will think that they are owed a share of another's foresight to prep. Surviving Home has some realistic scenarios, and dialog between characters, reverting to immoral behavior when faced with starvation. With that fear to imminent starvation and you have a volcanic situation.

Lack of organization. While many communities will not have an existing or "live in" organized law enforcement entity which could generate a basis for organized security, Surviving Home's story line did, although this character was a weak link for organizing a community security plan which of course would normally include procedures, training, and defensive measures. Not only is a sound security plan a requirement but organizing the community for the long haul which include food, fuel, and material procurement,..... water procurement, filtering, sterilization and storage and even short and long range procurement, reconnaissance and security patrols. A solid leader would have utilized all existing community member skills to the upmost. But then again, I say that "Surviving Home" was realistic and it was.

A. Americans novels also have a twist where the main character's is aided by some ex-soldiers now working for the Military to keep Homeland Security from running amok and turning this country into a facist state.  Good story all will enjoy - look for the lessons. 

We, preppers in general, read Survivalist novels such as the "Going Home, Surviving Home and Escaping Home" as well as the well known series of books written by James Wesley, Rawles for several reasons,......they are entertaining,....we pickup situations and tips that we didn't plan for or even think about. So it helps if they are realistic, as well as entertaining. A. American's series is my favorite survivalist series and this includes the ones by Rawles, Joe Nobody and Crawford.

Post Collapse Book Review: Going Home

 Just finished a collapse and survival tale called Going Home, written by A. American. I know, I know most of you have already read this book, but I am impressed by it enough and I am writing this short review and recommendation for it.

From the get-go, when the main character, Morgan, discussing his Get Home Bag concept where he has two different packs and takes one according to his requirement for that trip.  Basically how far from home he is going and what he wil ned to get back home, as well as packing additional items just in case - I think if this as mission specific packing.

While Morgan did not carry any firearms bigger than a Springfield XD in .45 ACP, spare mags - this may be a practical consideration depending on where you are going and applicable state laws.  He also carried a host,....I mean a butt load! of additional items.  And as the story goes, this character soon procured other firearms taking them from would be robbers or being gifted a rifle from good folks.

Anyway the premise for the story is a prepared individual working 250 miles away from his home and family when an EMP event, either externally or internally caused, placed im in a situation where he had to walk home since modern vehicles were all crapped out.  The story implicates a possible internally caused event - meaning caused by the US Government in order to manipulate the necessities of martial law for cover in dealing with political adversaries.

I really liked the story for several reasons:

1. Plausible survival story - alternatively walking and riding over 250 miles (no route is ever in a straight line) and being faced with what we would expect to see, and that is people taking advantage in the deteriorated security conditions enforcing their will.

2. The author, A. American (probably not his real name -haha), knew his kit and had prepared well, although I suspect the back pack/ruck sack load was heavier than most of us would want to carry.  Read about his gear load and determine if that was something you would have in your Get Home or Bug Out bag.

3. While the storyline is somewhat far fetched about possible US Goverment initiation of the EMP and the subsequent pitting of DHS personnel against DOD personnel and the secretive vetting of county sheriffs if they will support the heavy handed Federal Government, ....I have friends and acquaintances who believe whole heartedly that this is not only possible it is probable.......scary thing indeed.

This branch of the story gains credibility when ModernSurvivalBlog.com reports "the establishment of a federal authority framework that will enable Secret Service agents (not just those guarding the president), and others of the U.S. Secret Service including uniformed division officers, physical security technicians and specialists, and other ‘special officers’, to arrest and remove an elected sheriff for refusing to enforce the law (or anyone breaking the law).  The bills being introduced defines law as including any rule, regulation, executive order, court order, statute or constitutional provision."

4. This is a story without giant gun battles in each chapter and without the fanciful exploits by the hero with are sometimes found in other survival novels. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone who has not read it, so I'll stop here by saying I found it as enjoyable as any of the post collapse novels and more readable and believeable than most. I recommend it and am awaiting the next novel in this series.