Customer Reviews

The NEW Passport To Survival. 12 Steps to Self-Sufficient Living

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having an earlier 1974 version, I find this new update absolutely fascinating. Rita Bingham continues her mother Esther Dickey's legacy by providing us with the most current information to help us learn provident living. Not only does Ms. Bingham tell us what to do, but how, and where to go for additional information. She tells us how to use that information, and her recipes are wonderful. This is one of only two books that I recommend to my friends who want to be more self-sufficient, the other being "Making The Best Of Basics" by James Talmadge Stevens. This duo is a must have base for anyone wanting to learn more about taking care of themselves.

Whether you are preparing for a hurricane evacuation, the end of the world as we know it or just trying to stop living hand to mouth, there are many helpful tips in this book to become a more prepared person. I have no intention of ever becoming a vegetarian (as suggested in this book), but did find most of it interesting reading.

Not the last word by any means, the book offers a broad, easy to digest introduction to disaster planning in the context of an extended personal or civil emergency rather than an end of the world scenario. In that vein, it offers much to those who haven't considered the problems they may face when the electricity goes out and the grocery store shelves are empty. For truly comprehensive advice, however, you need to look elsewhere - this is no bible on the subject.

The most glaring flaw of the book is its new-age style food and health advice. It perpetuates junk-science claims about the alleged superiority of "live" foods, toxic effects of meat protein, suppression of the immune system by sugar, benefits of enzyme supplements, etc., etc. And she really flogs the unsubstantiated claims regarding the antimicrobial effects of grapefruit seed extract and the efficacy of homeopathic remedies.

Overall, I would award the book four stars for those who have never before considered disaster preparedness planning; and for those who have, just one star because it would add nothing to your knowledge. Two and one half stars is the average, knocked back to two stars for not sticking to proven fact. An emergency is no time to start experimenting with unproven, unsubstantiated "contemporary wisdom" regarding nutrition and health matters.

The NEW Passport To Survival. 12 Steps to Self-Sufficient Living

I've been interested in disaster preparedness for most of my life, but have done precious little to actually prepare. Why? Cost, for one thing. Lack of storage space in our suburban rambler, for another. The final nail in the coffin is a house full of picky eaters who have been raised on a diet high in meat protiens (Me included, I grew up on the farm eating beef, chicken, venison, rabbit, pheasant & ducks.).

The NEW Passport To Survival shows you how ease your family into the simpler diet that survival storage necessitates. "One meal a week, and they only have to try two bites!" I thoroughly enjoyed Rita Bingham's frank and casual style of writing and can-do attitude. She shows you how to start out cheap, intergrate your survival stores into your daily diet, then use the money you save to expand your survival stores until you have at least a year's supply of food for your household put back. One thing she does leave out though: What do you do if they take the required two bites and still say "Ewww!?" (In our house it would most likely mean Costco frozen chimichangas.)

There are recipes to get you started toward the end of the book, as well as copious recommendations for the author's storage food cookbooks throughout the text and in the appendices. I'm sure that if you hit your favorite Internet search engine, you can probably find a wealth of them on-line, as well.

I'm looking forward to my beautiful bride reading this book, and getting her feedback on it. I think we may just be embarking on the road to food security!

The NEW Passport To Survival. 12 Steps to Self-Sufficient Living

This is a very informative book with lots of good recipes. It is an easy to read-easy to follow book. With things going the way they are in the world, it can't hurt to be prepared.

I checked this book out from the library [sorry Amazon] but I like it so much I'm going to buy it [and if Amazon has the best price, I'll buy it here]. The author does a nice job of urging the reader with plausible calamities to prepare for to get started on preparedness without scaring you to death. I like how the author speaks from her own personal experience and tells the reader what works for she and her family.

That being said, she receives 4 stars because it is starting to become a little dated and I don't agree with quite everything that she advises the reader to do. The book is 11 years old now, if the author is up to the challenge I would challenge her to write an updated "Passport to Survival" maybe call it "The NEW, New Passport to Survival" (or not). The "tweaks" I will make to her suggestions, however, are matters of taste and preference, I think the core plan that she outlines in her book is a good one.

No one book is going to have everything you need, especially on such an important topic as this. However, this is one you should consider adding to your personal library.

This book is absolutely rich with information. The detail is superior to many military survival manuals and the military definition of survival really isn't the focus of this book! This is a book every person should have at their disposal.

If you want to eat healthy, on good tasing foods, and do it cheap this is the book you MUST HAVE. The side benefit is that you will create a more sulf reliant life style that is great for the entire family. This is the book everyone will be getting for gifts this year.