One Second After

[silversnake]

I'll add my voice to the choir. Got this on Kindle a couple of weeks ago and finished reading it last week. I was skeptical of the book at first because I've seen other so-called preparedness novels heavily criticized for being equally unrealistic, poorly written, and preachy/full of exposition. I finally decided to drop the $10 on it after watching a couple of YouTube videos posted here of the author speaking at a conference. I found him engaging as a speaker and able to spin a good narrative there, so I hoped he could do the same in print.

I'm glad I was right. The book is solidly written with a good narrative that captures the attention as a story without it being overshadowed by the message - though there were a couple of spots where it got a little heavy-handed but not too bad. I wouldn't have been aware of the book were it not for this forum so I'm glad I'm a member here.

While I am skeptical that a large-scale EMP described in the book is at all likely, it did make me think about my level of preparedness in terms of where I live, how well I don't know my neighbors, and how dependent things are on the just in time supply/production chain that can be taken down by not only EMP but also drastic fuel cost increases/shortages, regional natural disasters or disasters in key areas, political instability, economic uncertainty, and any number of other things that are more likely.

I'm hoping my wife will take the opportunity to read it too (we share a Kindle account) as she may have a bit more tolerance for my stocking of the apocalypse bunker (as she calls our basement) than she does already.

[colemoge]

FANTASTIC BOOK

[FlashDaddy]

While I am skeptical that a large-scale EMP described in the book is at all likely, it did make me think about my level of preparedness in terms of where I live, how well I don't know my neighbors, and how dependent things are on the just in time supply/production chain that can be taken down by not only EMP but also drastic fuel cost increases/shortages, regional natural disasters or disasters in key areas, political instability, economic uncertainty, and any number of other things that are more likely.

I'm hoping my wife will take the opportunity to read it too (we share a Kindle account) as she may have a bit more tolerance for my stocking of the apocalypse bunker (as she calls our basement) than she does already.

I agree that any number of things are more likely, but if you are ready for a large scale EMP, you are ready for anything.

Oh, and consider, for security reasons, that you may not want your friends and relatives, or in my case, my kidz, hearing (and then repeating to others) the term "apocalypse bunker". I started out calling ours "the bird flu room", now it is "the pantry".

[Pilsung]

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the more disturbing points of the book for me was when the town's ad hoc emergency committee, the guys providing PAW governance, debated ordering the confiscation of preparedness supplies and essentials from private residences. In the book they decide not to, but I'm a lot more concerned about the arbitrary dictates of local authorities (who can get away with anything under "emergency law" or whatever they'll call it) than I am about, say, cannibal raiders. Which got me to wondering what percentage of the local and national population are actively preparing for some sort of SHTF scenario. If it's under one percent (as I suspect) then local authorities would have few qualms about ordering raids or home inspections to detect and punish "hoarders" who don't voluntarily turn over their "surplus" items. On the other hand, if you have five or ten percent of the community who are active preppers, and who say "Oh, HELL no!" to any would-be jackbooted thugs who want to expropriate their stuff "for the greater good", then local authorities are more likely to back off when it comes to contemplating arbitrary tactics, i.e. New Orleans cops ordering law-abiding citizens to turn over their firearms and leave them to the tender mercies of marauding thugs. From that standpoint, I hope books like One Second After are swelling the ranks of those who are into readiness, and won't take kindly to getting stripped of their supplies by those who refused to recognize, plan or prepare for what's headed our way.

[0122358]

I loved this book...after hearing about it for a year one day my dad and i were at cosco and he saw me looking at it, so he bought it for me cuase hes awsome...anyway i digress...i ended up finishing the book in eight hour marathon read (to say i read fast is an understatment). I just couldnt put it down...

One thing it made me start doing is buying stuff in duplicite when i can afford it. one to use, one to bury in an ammo can. I also wanted to find out the possibility of sawpping a Chevy TBI 350 to carb'd and keeping the parts on hand to switch over in an emergency but thats for the transportation forum...

anyway...great book, think i might reread it.

[Tohrture]

I got this book from a client who thought I might like it. It actually ended up scaring the crap out of me lol. How likely is it to happen...more likely than not. Regardless it did bring up a few issues such as medications, probable die off rates ....things I had never thought of before. I live in a medium sized city (I think) and it got me to thinking of people who do illegal drugs and what will happen in a disaster situation if they are not longer able to get a fix? At any rate I did think the book was very well written, it only took me a few hours to read it (I'm a voracious reader) and when I was finished I ended up back at the bookstore. What did I buy? Patriots by James Wesley Rawles, SAS Survival Handbook, How To Survive The End Of The World As We Know It by Rawles, and Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Layton.

Has anyone thought to combine Food Stockpiling with Extreme Couponing? (Yes I'm serious)

[Prepared American]

I just recently read this book, all I can say is EXCELLENT. Very good read and definately a very real perspective on a what if book.

[PsyGuy]

I just finished this book last night....

Excellent!

[Skully Dog]

Yes, it was excellent! If anyone you know poo poo's this book, just ask them if they know what the Compton Effect is. - 9 out of 10 will say no....then just tell them they might want to get educated about the subject before they say anymore.

[AeroRat]

Yes, it was excellent! If anyone you know poo poo's this book, just ask them if they know what the Compton Effect is. - 9 out of 10 will say no....then just tell them they might want to get educated about the subject before they say anymore.

Supposing they had issues with the book that weren't scientific?

[Skully Dog]

The theme of the book is an EMP attack. This is what my comment was based on. - However, I found nothing in the book that was too far fetched that it could never happen. After all for the most part as a nation we are only two or three missed meals away from a meltdown.

[AeroRat]

Cool. I wasn't crazy about it, but my criticism has somewhat less to do with the technical aspects of the situation.

[bennyG19]

It would've been better if he didn't write would of and should of and could of all the time.

[Steve A]

It would've been better if he didn't write would of and should of and could of all the time.

I just finished the book and thought that it was great. However, the author, or editor, should know the difference in the use of "of" and "have."

[HackHack]

This is truly one of my FAVORITE books!

Here is why:
We all have those friends that looks at you funny when bring up Survival or Preparing. You know those friends that think you should wear an aluminum foil hat.
Well I gave 90% of my friends this book and got great and understanding responses from it.

Yes as a Prepper there are some things in the book that i disagree with. But for a beginner, this books opens up the mind to Surviving. How fast and unexpected something can happen. It does that in a way where it eases you into the situation.

Great book and i can only recommend it

[WayOfLife]

I really liked this book. I read it a couple times then loaned it out and never got it back.

[duodecima]

I finally read it - I had been afraid I wouldn't like it but overall it was good. I have some picks with some of the details in my field, but it's mostly minor stuff.

What does it say, tho, that I thought it was a very optimistic portrayal of how things would work out?

[Zombie309]

Chapter 13 of this book...absolutely brutal. If I ever re-read it I'll just skip that one.

[westside01]

I'm a little late to the discussion, having just finished reading the book. I've never researched it before, but only "knew" that a side effect of a nuke was an EMP and basically how it affects anything electronic. I was shocked after doing my own research,that a single device detonated at a sufficient altitude could result in an EMP that would cover the whole United States. The story was predictable at times, yet still a very good read. It identified weaknesses in my own disaster planning. On a side not, I don't advocate the use of marijuana, but I thought how simple yet brilliant. When the pain killers are gone, cultivating some "weed" to be used as a pain killer/muscle relaxant.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Having read both, I felt that One Second After and Lights Out both overstated the effects of an EMP scenario. At times I was left thinking that the only thing missing was an ACOG that didn't work because of EMP, a la Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. (ACOG's have no electronic components) To anyone reading, just remember that fiction books are not source material, look at what they used as a source, and then read that for information after verifying the validity of the source.

[bltjr1951]

To anyone reading, just remember that fiction books are not source material, look at what they used as a source, and then read that for information after verifying the validity of the source.

Then again, people swear by "Patriots".
On one site a guy quoted it so much, people thought he wrote it.

[Rev]

Having read both, I felt that One Second After and Lights Out both overstated the effects of an EMP scenario. At times I was left thinking that the only thing missing was an ACOG that didn't work because of EMP, a la Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. (ACOG's have no electronic components) To anyone reading, just remember that fiction books are not source material, look at what they used as a source, and then read that for information after verifying the validity of the source.

One Second After was going for the worst possible scenario. He even said so.

[dontesia]

I am new to prepping. I enjoyed reading the book. It made me think.