Ok, sure I’m prepared for the zombie apocalypse, and to a degree, everything else. But, my particular apocalypse is economic. It could be a general economic apocalypse like a new(er) depression or massive trade war, or it could be a very personal economic apocalypse like an extended bout of unemployment or a huge undelayable expense like a hernia surgery or something.
A while back I came across this book. That link will take you to my review of it. While the story may not have enough gunplay and cannibal armies for some peoples tastes, the character sketches were what sold me…the everything-will-be-all-right characters, the it-cant-happen-here-characters, and the we-adapt-or-we-die characters.
But for me, what I found most compelling was the descriptions of extended families forced to share one house, people crammed into every space, dinners of bread soaked in grease, homes being squatted in and owners forced out, take-by-force food fights, etc. All he scenarios that seem plausible in a societal collapse. As a result, it makes me wanna go double-check my food supplies and squirrel away more cash and metals. And guns.
Anyway, I picked up a used copy on Amazon for six bucks since I loaned out my other copy and never saw it again. I don’t mind not getting the books back if I loan them out. If it bothered me, I wouldnt have loaned them out in the first place. But to me its worth the cost of a ten dollar book to share it with someone I like if I think it will nudge them towards a more preparedness-oriented lifestyle.
free d/l:
http://www.libgen.io/foreignfiction/?s=mandibles&f_lang=All&f_columns=0&f_ext=All
:::thumbs up:::
I think that the wrong Mandibles.
We’re discussing “The Mandibles: A Family” By Lionel Shriver
I think about that book often. Its lack of zombies and gun play is exactly what makes it such an excellent mind-opening tool for people who may not otherwise wish to consider how they’d fare in a societal collapse scenario.
I recommended the book to my (very liberal) doctor friend. He couldn’t stop raving about how much he enjoyed it, and later confessed that it made him consider learning how to use a gun for the first time in his life. He’s still a ways away from stockpiling beans and rice, but the book certainly opened his mind to new considerations of a less-than-perfect future.
I picked up that book based on your review and thoroughly enjoyed it. When a book makes me yell out loud at the characters both because of them doing things right and them doing things wrong, I consider it well worth reading.
Steve
Situations such as the ones encountered in these types of stories just reinforce my belief that it’s a wonderful idea to avoid large cities and situate yourself in a fairly remote area with a low population density, high gun ownership, relatively little in the way of government, and lots of natural resources such as water and land but (very) few high value assets that would require the government to increase its presence to secure during large scale social unrest.
Having said that, you will still have a significant percentage of the population that totally relies on .gov freebies and “entrepreneurial” activities to live and will probably react in a predictable manner when the EBT stops working. Best way to deal with them is in an organized, methodical, and ruthless manner the very first time a group of these types decides to “check out” the possibilities in your neighborhood.
They will most likely be unorganized “sure thing” individuals who will quickly avoid your area and seek easier targets if a few of their cohorts fail to return. Some (the most dangerous) will however for various reasons – particularly when the pickings get slim, the easy targets are gone, food is scarce, and law enforcement is barely functioning (my area only has about 1 law enforcement officer for every 500-600 residents – mostly in the 2 small towns and it’s pretty rural but still has ~ 20,000 spread out in a geographically large county – they’ll be quickly overwhelmed for service).
That’s why once it starts – Most likely a Venezuela type scenario, not a Bosnia IMO – you can’t let your guard down. Protect family and what you have at all costs and “Be Prepared”.
Regards
For readers who prefer games to books, consider checking out: “This War of Mine”. It is focused on civilians surviving during a civil war, and brings up many of the issues described in this post (getting enough food, who do you trust and help, etc).
Commander:
The books of James Wesley Rawles are always worth a look.
While his books make excellent prepper fiction, he has an unfortunate habit of wrapping his plots in an unpleasant degree of religious extremism, but the good bits make his books worth picking through.
I’ve pretty much got the entire collection. In fact, somewhere I still have a downloaded version of his early draft of ‘Patriots’ from when it was called The Grey Nineties…….
LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Beth Pfeffer. Written as a diary by a teenage girl, the description of what occurs is pretty good. The apocalypse was a comet striking the moon, moving it out of its orbit and that causing major climactic mayhem. I thought it was a great book and even has a sequel, though the original in my opinion was better.
I am constantly amazed that Jean Raspail’s “Camp of the Saints” is never mentioned when apocalyptic literature is mulled over. Particularly now, with the influx of illegals in the news daily, this book deserves to be read. It is by no means an enjoyable read, but a visceral one that stays with you for a long, long time.
Fever…by Deon Meyer
I’m bout qtr way thru it, really good so far
set in SA post pandemic
Another good source for used, and especially for out of print books is alibris.com. From what I can tell, it is actually a large number of used book sellers listing their wares on one searchable platform. Can search by title, by author, or by ISBN number.