Urban Survival Guide: Learn The Secrets Of Urban Survival To Keep You Alive After Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters, and Breakdowns In Civil Order [Paperback]

David Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2010

Congratulations! You're about to learn insider secrets to survive disasters, pandemics, economic collapse, and breakdowns in civil order...even if leaving the city isn't an option! This book is different than other survival books. It is a full-fledged 12 week Urban Survival Course that will walk you through the process of getting prepared for urban survival. Every chapter is designed to be completed in one week and it will give you a "Here's what to do next" set of action steps to complete. By the end of the course, you won't have a head full of useless information that you'll soon forget like you do with other books. Rather, you'll have dozens of new practical urban survival skills that will be hard wired into your brain so you will be able to react immediately and use them without hesitation. "Urban Survival Guide" is a must have for prepared families who might have to survive disasters in urban areas.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Morris, AKA SurvivalDave, is one of the few survival authors who won't try to "wow" you with his credentials. Why? Because frankly, his credentials don't matter. Survival "experts" are a dime a dozen, but what's rare and valuable is David's ability to take complex survival topics and write about them in such a way that you can actually start applying the knowledge and skills immediately on a daily basis. David doesn't live in a yurt or on a fully stocked rural retreat. He lives in the real world in a city with a wife and young kids. As a result, he has worked with dozens of subject matter experts to develop strategies to survive breakdowns in civil order while remaining in the city. David is one of a select group of authors can write so that both newbie preppers and hard core survivalists with military and law enforcement experience rave about his work and learn something new on every page.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (March 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1450582230
• ISBN-13: 978-1450582230
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

120 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book tells the reader to "go look on the internet", October 31, 2010

By 

crinklecuts - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Urban Survival Guide: Learn The Secrets Of Urban Survival To Keep You Alive After Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters, and Breakdowns In Civil Order (Paperback)

There is useful advice in this book. Unfortunately, the information that is given is sparse and so general/introductory in nature, that I could take little away from it. The author presents a number of pertinent topics in summary only, with advice to visit his blog or search the internet for additional information. I don't purchase books to provide me with lists of links, or keywords for Google searches, or to sell me additional advice/guides/tools/books from the author.

Several areas of the book are annoying or off-putting. The author also fails to define several acronyms (TEOTWAWKI is used first on page 113, and several times thereafter, and not defined until page 159). It's written in a condescending and (from my male perspective) a sexist tone (I wouldn't buy this for a wife or a girlfriend). Finally, the writing is OVERTLY political and religious, and this devisive tone detracts from the message of survival and preparedness.

I've not spent a great deal of time researching and preparing for survival in disaster situations. Most of the information I've learned about the subject has been from the web, including the CDC, Are you ready, etc. There is little additional *useful* information presented in this book. And some of the topics are laughably bizarre or unrealistic - how to create disguises, how to "vet" a team of experts, or items like: "live in a state that prohibits gun confiscation".

However, little does not mean none, so I cannot say this purchase was a total waste. Topics such as `Why to avoid shelters', `Urban Movement' and `Secrets to cheaply harden your home' were useful. Still, the information is presented in a light manner that describes WHY these activities/preparations are useful, with scant detail on the HOW to accomplish or implement the recommendations. If you're looking for a polished and dense tome of PRACTICAL advise, look elsewhere. If you buy it, make sure to read it before the power goes out, because you'll need an internet connection to find out how to actually survive.

Worst case scenario: the paper will make for nice kindling when disaster strikes. But, remember for 75 cents you can always buy a full newspaper.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the Neo-Urban Survivalist, February 7, 2011

By 

J. Cook - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Urban Survival Guide: Learn The Secrets Of Urban Survival To Keep You Alive After Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters, and Breakdowns In Civil Order (Paperback)

The Good:
-The author puts in a lot of good info pertaining to the subject, and uses examples of survival situations as recent as Hurricane Katrina. Even the most experienced person will still learn something here.
-Easy to read; no degree needed.
-At the end of each chapter the author recaps the important points and gives the reader suggestions for homework to help make the lesson more memorable.

The Bad:
-Spelling and grammar errors. I caught approximately ten spelling and/ or grammatical errors without even looking for them. Not overly distracting, just mildly annoying. I'd expect better given the price of this book.
-The author repeatedly references his website for more information, and constantly promotes his Urban Survival Program (not free). There are a few points where he leaves you hanging lest you check out his website. Again, annoying.
-Information, even within a chapter, tends to bounce around a bit, and could go a lot more into detail.

If you are new to the "Urban Survival" topic, then this book will be great, however, if you've read any other survival books, or watched Youtube survival videos then you may only take away a few new points.

In my opinion, this book wouldn't be worthy of 5 stars even if the problems were resolved. I think the content needs to be a little more in-depth given the nature of the topic. I would've given it 3.5 stars if I could have, instead of 4. Resolve all of the issues and it would be 4.5 solid stars.
That's my 2 cents.

44 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Resource - a Must Read, April 1, 2010

By 

sartx (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urban Survival Guide: Learn The Secrets Of Urban Survival To Keep You Alive After Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters, and Breakdowns In Civil Order (Paperback)

This book is a must-have, regardless of where you live. I was already in "preparation mode" when I discovered Mr. Morris' Urban Survival online course. He delivers a tremendous amount of knowledge in a format that is easy to understand - and apply. Whereas some authors write about doom and gloom and the necessity to build mini-fortresses in the wilderness, Mr. Morris lays out succinct and practical plans for surviving in-place. It really helped me to organize and prioritize my preparations. I am much more confident now with the direction my preparations are heading, and with the breadth of knowledge I gained through his online course. Even if you believe you'll never face a disaster scenario, this book will teach you how to become more self-reliant. If you believe that some form of disaster, break-down, or collapse is in our future - all the more reason to order this book today! Learn, train, prepare - and enjoy life!