Nuclear War Survival Skills: Updated and Expanded 1987 Edition (Paperback)

~ Cresson H. Kearny (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Oregon Institute of Science & Medicine (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 094248701X
• ISBN-13: 978-0942487015
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #357,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for survivalists only, December 6, 2002

By A Customer

There are a number of do-it-yourself guides to civil defense available, but most seem to be aimed at hard-core survivalists who have crack outdoor skills, and lots of specialized equipment. This book is very different and is written for the average citizen by a former U.S. Army officer, field geologist and civil engineer who built and field-tested the "expedient" shelters described within while still employed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

These shelters can be put togeather within a few hours by ordinary, untrained men and women. (It is a good idea to take a weekend and practice building them.) They provide good protection during the weeks it may take for fallout to decay to negligible levels of radioactivity. (Expedient blast shelters, which also protect against the shockwave from a nearby explosion, are also discussed.)

The author is clear and thorough throughout, supplying checklists for supplies, equipment and materials; detailed building instructions and descriptions of the genuine (as opposed to fanciful) effects of nuclear weapons. There is also a valuable discussion of the purchase and use of potassium iodide compounds for protection of the thyroid gland from absorption of radioiodine. Finally, detailed plans and instructions are provided for the construction and use of a homemade fallout meter(!) to indicate radiation levels. (It is a lot more accurate than many of the over-priced, defective-or-uncalibrated war-surplus "Geiger counters" on the market!)

The 2001 edition contains a new chapter on the hazards of trans-Pacific fallout, which could drift eastward to the U.S. mainland from a nuclear conflict in Asia. (Such as India vs. Pakistan, or a North Korean nuclear attack on the South or Japan.) There is also a new appendix detailing the persuasive medical and scientific evidence that low levels of ionizing radiation below a certain threshold do no harm to humans or other forms of life, or their descendants. In fact, it may make them healthier. (Far from being crackpot, this concept is known in Biology as "hormeisis" and is dicussed in a recent article in DISCOVER magazine; see "Is Radiation Good for You?", DISCOVER Vol. 23 No. 12, December 2002.) This should help to dispel the superstition that radiation is some sort of magic poison, and that any amount is deadly.

Anyone not living in a fool's paradise realizes that the chance of a nuclear detonation in an American city is probably higher now than it ever was when the United States and Soviet Union were locked in mutual standoff. Nuclear deterrance may have worked even on hardened Soviet or Chinese apparatchiks; but to to depend on it alone now against psychopaths and apocalyptic fanatics is to invite hideous disaster.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quick and dirty nuclear war survival, July 6, 1999

By A Customer

Are you bothered when you read that the Russians are building a giant underground city in the Ural Mountains? Have you ever heard of Mount Weather?

The people who want the American people to cower in vulnerability to nuclear attack do not want anyone to read this book. Kearny addresses the things courageous individuals and families can do ON THEIR OWN, using the McGyver approach, to improve their chances of survival.

Drop the giant-cockroach nonsense and learn the effects of blast, radiation, and fallout. Learn to build your own fallout shelter in a day using shovels, axes, and saws. Learn to make a fallout radiation meter from a coffee can, a chunk of drywall, and a piece of aluminum foil. Make a shelter ventilation fan in hours from wood laths, plastic sheeting, cord, hinges, and staples. Make a mortar-and-pestle-style grain mill from a section of steel pipe and a coffee can.

The designs and procedures were developed and field tested on real-live Americans over many years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Even if you have a merely-idle interest in technical subjects, you will enjoy this book, and it might even save your life. This is a great book that changes the way people see nuclear war and strategic military policy.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relevant Again, Alas; also good for writers, August 11, 1998

By	Holly Ingraham "ailurophile" (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With the destabilization of the balance of terror, we are back looking at the possibilities of nuclear wars, at least on a small scale. Kearny's book is dead practical on surviving in your house or in a quickly built shelter in the boonies. No sentimentality here, he points out that older people should do the jobs that risk nuclear contamination, because they are less likely to live to develop cancers from it. Very good on structures, staying warm (how many layers of newspaper sheets to put under your bathrobe), lots of very clear photos and drawings, and pretty good on cooking, sanitation, and lighting, too. Just a trifle weak on nutrition, as he does not understand vegetarian protein. So don't make this the only book you take along. Fiction writers -- here's your protag's survival hazards and solutions in one place, with nothing stupid or extreme.