Customer Reviews

The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you are considering buying this book, you are probably looking at the current economy and worrying about the future. You want to know how to protect yourself and your family from the effects of this downturn.

If you read other survivalist books, you start to think that it's useless to prepare. They make you think that you have to be a sharp-shooting tactician who can improvise a hand grenade using peanut butter and Band Aids. This is not true, as Ferfal explains in his book.

Ferfal is an ordinary person (with a wife and two kids) who is living through the day-to-day struggle of a failed economy, with all of the attendant crime and struggle. He gives advice that real people can follow. The book covers home security; personal security; Depression-proof jobs; basic defense techniques for ordinary people; what to buy in advance; legal issues and (my favorite section) advice from his wife. The site I bought it from allows you to preview the Table of Contents.

I am an ordinary wife myself, with minimal self-defense skills, no tactical training, and no "live off the land" knowledge. I found this book useful, informative and helpful, and after I read it I added many things to my shopping list that other "survivalists" never seem to mention.

A minor caveat: English is Ferfal's second language, and his writing reflects it. (The book is self-published, and it seems that he did not have an editor.) The writing is easy to understand, but sometimes amusing (he types "embrace yourself" instead of "brace yourself," for example.) Ferfal also uses cusswords sometimes; he explains why in the book. Neither of these caused me any pain, but you are warned.

1)The mindset of the American survivalist movement was set by Mel Tappan several decades ago: a) Retreat to a small town 400 miles or so from large cities b) Become self-sufficient. By and large, other survivalist writers have uncritically accepted Mel Tappan's strategy --because they wrote based on uncritical acceptance of a theory, not on actual practical experience.

2) However, Ferfal argues persuasively against Tappan's strategy based on Ferfal's experiences in surviving Argentina's economic collapse. He notes that government will always survive, that it will confiscate food and other supplies from the countryside to feed the cities, and that it will maintain the rule of law. All of which significantly affect one's survival plans and stockpiling. For example, he notes that open carry of assault rifles will get you arrested and imprisoned (the wealthy will ALWAYS maintain a police force to protect them) -- and that a concealed pistol and folding pocketknife is more practical.

3) Money will be of PRIME importance --not a curious artifact. Mel Tappan could afford to ignore this because he had married an wealthy heiress.

4) Ferfal agrees with Mel Tappan that isolated retreats in the rural countryside are likely to become what police called "secondary crime scenes" --places where residents are tortured by bandits into revealing hidden stores and are then murdered. He and Tappan both agreed on the importance of being part of a tight-knit, mutually-protective community.

3) What led American survivalists --and Mel Tappan -- into error was that they lacked security clearances and hence knowledge of US Government plans to maintain itself and its control even in the worst disaster: Major Nuclear War. Declassifed FEMA documents show a massive effort by the Government to relocate officials to emergency bunkers, to maintain control through hardened communications networks, and to seize essential resources (food stockpiles,etc) as soon as fallout radiation declines using databases of where the warehouses are located. This to supplement the US Government's own huge caches. Google "FEMA 160 Recovery From Nuclear Attack" or "Atchison Storage Facility".

4) Ferfal's view of the post-disaster environment is far more probable and realistic than Tappan's -- and hence his plans, advice, tactics, and equipment recommendations are more valuable.

5) By the way, anyone planning to retreat to Montana should Google "Malmstrom Air Force Base" and look at FEMA's predicted fallout radiation levels for that state if the Russians ever attack the Minuteman complex buried there. They might also read Jared Diamond's "Collapse" re the fate of isolated colonies like Viking Greenland, Easter Island and the Anazazi settlements in New Mexico. The only places
left with low populations are marginal for agriculture and would die off in the first drought.

I have a background from one of the most famous military elite units in the world; I'm trained in many "black arts", have been to wars and revolutions and I'm getting paid mega bucks to look after people. I don't say this to brag, just to state that I'm not a daydreaming wannabe. I got a lot out of the book, can attest to that the tips actually are sound and that I learned something from the book, so will you.

The author bases his writing on his experience living with his family in Argentina the last few years. The book tells regular people how to live trough extraordinary times. There is much non nonsense information about, kit, tactics, food and how to cope as a family during a crisis or a breakdown of society.

If you have seen the news the last couple of years you realize it might soon affect YOU and your family. Connately to what many books and authors tell you: even after a major economic and political crises life goes on, it's just "different"...

Actually I read this book when it first arrived a few moths ago. Having dumped into "FerFal"'s homepage while researching Argentina as a country to relocate to. I found his homepage giving extremely good and sound advices, both about Argentina but also security in general.

A lot of books are written about survival. I first got interested in the subject in the late 70s, and the books from then are still around, some good, some dated. With the current state of the world we see an avalanche of new books joining the classics, and some old once that never was classics in the first place gaining new fame.

Most "survival" books are unrealistic and at times naive. For instance on fighting and weapons, either they have a fantasy aspect to what is required or they overlook it completely. There will be violence in these scenarios and the bad guys ALWAYS have weapons; this book actually takes this into consideration and has the most matter-of-fact outlook on it I have seen.

I think one of the highlights of the book is the parts about upgrading yourself. Survival is, funny enough about being fit. Being prepared sure is a good thing, but having all the food and guns in the world is of no good if you are not fit and willing to fight for it; you will not survive, period! I know a lot of people that are not prepped for anything more than the next bar fight, but they sure as hell would take all your stock when TSHTF if you are not fit and armed.

The examples the author uses about the misconceptions often held as dogma on survival is alone worth the price of the book. A lot of thing written other place might get you killed in real life

So his language is not correct, neither is mine, who cares? You are not getting a book about grammar but about staying alive in the real world gone mad, THAT'S where this book delivers.

Is it perfect? No, I don't mind the brutal langue or imperfect English, but I find some of the topics could have been edited better from the homepage to the book, a few photos added and so on. But all in all it is by far the best book on the subject I have read.

Get this book and start to prepare. The worst that can happen from being prepared is that you get peace of mind and a better quality of life. The best thing that can happen is that you actually might survive to enjoy it.

I predict this book will be a classic

First of all, this is by light years the finest work on survivalism I've yet encountered. When you compare this book, which is based on experience, with others based on theory, you can arrive at only one conclusion: there is no substitute for experience!

To elaborate, the probable difficulties facing a survivalist group holing up in a shared retreat in remote regions is really brought to light by the wisdom of this book. That people are territorial creatures (even close family members) and can't so much as get through a Christmas holiday season under one roof without major differences of opinion ought to speak volumes for the massive potential for crisis-sized problems in a highly stressful conventional survivalist setup. And then there's the ongoing real life example of Zimbabwe where a hyperinflated currency, collapse of infrastructure and economy, and tyrannical government have combined to provide us with a living picture of how bad an idea it is to try to stand firm in a remote farm retreat. This book highlights such dangers (and more) and dispels so much of the mythology surrounding preparedness that it absolutely must be widely disseminated as a strong antidote to mainstream survivalist error.

And of course, for someone whose first language isn't even English, this book is an outstanding achievement. Which brings me to another point. Everyone should, as the author states, factor an emigration strategy into their contingency panning. It's a serious limitation on your options if you only ever consider relocation within your own country. Better to have a plan B, C and D. And to learn a relevant foreign language could one day prove priceless too, which is something we in the Anglosphere tend to overlook in our arrogance.

In sum then, don't hesitate to acquire this must-have book and re-evaluate your survival planning while you still have the chance.

Foreign Enemies And Traitors

I read this book in one non-stop session. It is the best modern survival guide I've read, by far. It's not oriented to a total grid-down (no electricity, forever) where you must already be living in a remote mountain fortress to survive roaming bands of cannibal biker zombies. Yes, that could happen, but it is far more likely that the USA will experience something similar to what Argentina went through in the last decade. Government services may nearly collapse, but the government won't disappear. This means that the police won't be able to protect you from gangs of armed home invaders, but they will eventually show up, and might arrest you for homicide, after you shoot a burglar on your property. The government will be corrupt and inefficient, but you will still have to deal with it.

The book is grounded in historical reality, not only from the Argentine collapse, but from many other historical precedents. The sections on armed and unarmed self defense are worth the price of the book. So is the section on living and working in a collapsed economy. Ferfal's first-hand experiences ring 100% true. This book is a crystal-ball view into our likely future in the USA. It is worth ten times the cover price. Buy it, you will be glad you did. Then lend it to your more naive friends and family members, so that they too can prepare themselves for the slow-motion economic and political train wreck that we're heading toward.

I've written three novels about America's future, and this book reinforces what I am already thinking. Buy this book and pass it on to those whom you care about.

If you are interested in a highly practical urban/suburban survival manual this is it. Too many "survival" or "preparation" manuals focus on things like "bugging out" or surviving in the wilderness/living off of the land... Here's the cold, hard truth... Virtually no one / none of us can "live off of the land" for an extended period of time - finding/creating adequate shelter, finding/obtaining adequate nutrition, etc.

The truth is, if the SHTF (defecation hits the fan), the reality is that 96% will be where we live - likely an urban or suburban setting. We need to know the best way to prepare and survive and thrive where we live. Were we to "bug-out" and start to drive for the hills, here's the truth of what will happen... we will eventually get stuck in gridlock, run out of fuel, be attacked by hungry/hostile refugees, and be in a world of hurt...

The reality is staying put, getting appropriate training, and having adequate supplies in your own home is the way to go... Hopefully, you don't live in a volatile inner-city area that is dangerous in the best of times, let alone in times of turbulence. If you can - M O V E!

This book teaches you how to do things right. It is practical. It is sage advice. Mr. Aguirre knows of what he speaks.

English is Mr. Aguirre's second language. Don't let that bother you, it didn't bother me (some typos/grammar issues - who cares?). Buy this book for the wisdom it contains and what you can learn from it.

It may save your life or the life of those you care about it.

I recommend it fully.

I read this book several months ago when it was first released and it gives factual advice from FerFal's real world experiences in Argentina. I highly recommend this for anyone who wishes to prepare for surviving in the aftermath of an economic collapse. This book won't guide you on foraging wild berries, building an igloo, or surviving on a desert island. It will however provide you with a roadmap to overcoming adversity in your everyday life should economic troubles seriously hit home. If you want facts without the fluff of many survival "manuals" this is it.

Albeit not very well proofread (this book deserves a second edition!), it is a very useful, straightforward book written in easy to understand English, full of very good advice on urban survival. Having first read Fernando's blog [...] I knew what I was buying.

The book is a well-structured manual-style material common with the blog, but apparently a lot more was added to it. The book addresses everything from (layman's) psychological and physical readiness to discussions about various weapons and tools that may become necessary when the "worse-case" scenarios happen.

Having grown up in a similarly collapsed world of ex-Soviet Union, in one of the worst economically-hit districts of Tallinn (Estonia's capital) back then -- Kopli, with many of those aspects (petty crime, widespread alcoholism, narcomania and crime associated with it) being described in Ferfal's book seen by myself and having a lot of trouble dealing with that back then, I can say that this book very useful.

This book has made my world perspective a bit wider, showing me that many things that are general to modern life is not specific to just Eastern Europe or Old World, but is more or less universal. I've also found a lot of advices to be very useful, generalizing my own hunble experience, too.

Highly recommended.

Ferfal tells his story and offers tips of how to survive an economic collapse. Little things that you would never think of can kill you when your county implodes. Ferfal, though his experience, show you how to prepare and how to cope with a society and economic system in decline. Ever look at a stray cat as dinner? After reading this book, you will realize that almost nothing is off limits when there is no affordable food. The time to prepare is now, before inflation, before the infrastructure collapses, before TSHTF.

I do not recommend this book as a first introduction or main guide for surviving economic crises or natural disasters. It contains good information, but it also has a number of significant issues. I read this book to learn about the Argentinean economic crisis and practical things to do to cope with such an event - rather than survival tips which many other books cover, and I ended up somewhat disappointed.

Let's start with the bad since it is most obvious as you read the book:

- No illustrations and overall low production value. It is also clear that the author is not a professional journalist or writer and this is his first book.
- Very poorly organized. It is basically like a long stream of consciousness Word file printed into a book. Chapter titles are the same font and size as normal text, just bolded. There isn't even a page break between chapters. Also the sequence and even choice of topics is not obviously logical.
- Needs editing - repetitive at times, overly conversational tone, too much foul language, and also comes across as way too bad ass. Representative quote from knife chapter: "grip it as if you plan to have a corpse hanging on that blade". Reminds me of an Argentinean Gabe Suarez (for those familiar with his writings), but even more bad ass attitude.
- Overemphasizes personal protection. At the same time, for all his preparations, the author does not mention having had to resort to serious force in a past real-life situation.
- Not enough detail on what exactly happened during the economic crisis in Argentina, how events took place. I know this sounds strange given the main claim of the book, but the historic moment could have been laid out better.
- Makes Buenos Aires look like a more desperate place than Mogadishu. It ain't so bad - I've been there. Yes, there are shantytowns and bad neighborhoods, but we have these in California these days too. With common sense, you will be safe. Some numeric data on how much crime increased compared to pre-crisis days could have put things in perspective.
- Insufficient advice on how to prepare financially for such a crisis. From Argentinean friends I know that they basically got caught by the crisis with their pants down, at least financially speaking. Yes, keep more cash on hand, and some in precious metals or foreign currencies. Given that in the US people have 401(k)s, stock market accounts, etc, this is not enough to cover the big picture, but then again, it would be hard for a foreigner to cover these things well.

The good:

- Sincere, honest advice from a smart guy. The author doesn't pull any punches. His English is fine by the way.
- Debunks the Cold War era survivalist ideas about setting up a survival retreat in a remote rural area, stocking up on food and random pre-industrial tools and commodities, and defending it all with a lot of guns.
- Covers the necessary prerequisites like water, food, survival gear, personal safety. Water and food are not well handled however; most US books do a much better job. Personal safety and defense is covered arguably better than in most survival books.
- Plausible advice on jobs and business ideas in the aftermath of a serious crisis.
- Nice mini political analysis at the end of what government does during turbulent times. For most Americans who are not first generation immigrants or haven't traveled to dodgier countries this will be quite an eye opener.
- His blog is great, check it out (I actually came to purchase the book after stumbling upon his blog). Full of common sense advice and good pointers.

With some serious editing, the next edition could be a great book. As is, it is too much of an acquired taste and too rough. If you come from reading older survival books or other authors (esp. Tappan or Rawles), this could be a refreshing perspective. Also, many Americans could benefit from learning how tough life can be after a serious economic collapse, which they generally can't imagine since last time it happened in the US was 70 years ago.

In my opinion, a better alternative to this book (which even covers the Argentinean crisis!) is The Ultimate Suburban Survivalist Guide: The Smartest Money Moves to Prepare for Any Crisis