When Disaster Strikes

November 15, 2011

This handbook tries to explain everything readers need to know to survive weather-related, earthquake, electromagnetic pulse, and nuclear emergencies. Sadly, Stein (When Technology Fails) uses the book to promote his own quirky beliefs, such as the use of colloidal silver, an unproven homeopathic elixir, as a medical cure-all. Much of the text is merely expanded lists of things to remember or what to pack when preparing for disaster. It is filled with statements of general knowledge ("a good sleeping bag will keep you warm, even in severely cold temperatures") that make the text needlessly long. Sidebars throughout detail the author's or his friends' experiences with survival and disaster but add little value. Occasional chapters begin with long quotes predicting or recounting disaster experiences that serve only to alarm. Some readers will find offensive the section on animal trapping. Stein is a building contractor and survivalist who writes apocalyptic works like this one. VERDICT This would serve well as emergency campfire fuel; otherwise, it's not recommended.--Jeffrey Beall, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver

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