When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency, 2nd Edition

I read this book a couple years ago, and then bought extra copies as gifts for friends and family, with my only request being they "pay it forward" by giving a copy to people they care about also.As someone who (like the author) has spent much time thinking and reading about sustainability (or lack thereof), this is the book I would have written too, except Matthew Stein reads more and writes better than I ever will. Engineers like us spend time thinking about how things can go wrong to hopefully avoid failures. Unfortunately we all know things often fail anyway, and there are a number of significant (potential) risks both locally and globally going forward; so I'm afraid those who believe nothing bad could ever happen just haven't been paying attention.The wise among us might learn some basic skills from previous generations that have largely been forgotten in our modern tech frenzied lifestyles. If you don't have time to learn now, putting this book on your shelf may be some of the cheapest insurance you can buy. If and when the time comes you need some of this info, it will be great to look up in one handy reference. Of course, the author can't cover every detail of so many subjects in one volume, but there is generally enough info to get a good idea on things you may be interested in, while all his sources are nicely discussed in context to help toward far more in-depth study on any subject desired. In fact, I was especially pleased and impressed to see a number of my favorite other books recommended in this one as well. Finally, I'd like to try the Kindle version (when I get my screen fixed) since 500 pages is hefty to carry on the go, but I'll keep my paper copy in a safe place too -- for obvious reasons.

I bought this book based on the comprehensive table of contents and excellent reviews. I was impressed when I received it but figured it would be more of a reference than something I'd read from cover to cover. That changed after reading the first couple chapters - I was hooked and am almost tbrough the entire book. The material is presented in a very clear and concise format with enough detail to be informative without overloading the reader. Each topic is then followed by a comprehensive list of references for further education. The author is an engineer by education and has experience in many of the areas covered. This is evident in his approach to the topics. If there is a single theme that is most prevalent - it's sustainability - the need for both industry and individuals to prosper without depleting resources. This is not based on extreme environmentalism but rather the logic of limited natural resources being strained by (1) population growth, (2) the emergence of China, India and other countries as industrial / consummer nations and (3) the damage already done to our water / ecosystems. I highly recommend it whether your just interested in the topics or are a full blown "prepper".

I'll say 90-95% of this book is filled with great information for someone who has no formal training in military/survival or tactics. There are parts of this book that you could rip the pages out of it to lighten it up some and have a great technical manual for standard survival skills. Some covered subjects in this book are not done as in depth or at all in other survival manuals. The medical and identification sections of plants and animals I particularly like as a more comprehensive source than other guides.The pages that could be torn out are pure trash and liberal garbage as an attempt to get people to think the "progressive" way (global warming, greenhouse, peak oil, the usual), even for someone that may have no real interest in those topics. I would love to give this book 5 stars for the wealth of practical information, but those few sections ruin it and drop a star. If the publisher would re-print this book with the same information in the practical and majority sections of this book, then call it the "comprehensive survival guide for the outdoor enthusiast," it would be a 5 star best seller in the genre.Even if you aren't a liberal type and, like many survivalist type people, lean towards a conservative viewpoint, get this book for the wealth of content and just laugh at the other pages or use them for kindling.

This is what I expected AND A WHOLE LOT MORE. This book has EVERYTHING you need when the world crashes.

This book appears to be very comprehensive on the subject matter. It definitely looks to be a definitive text on the subject of sustainable life in the absence of technology. I say that it 'appears' so because I haven't finished reading it but even just a quick flip-through gives you a sense that there is an immense amount of information inside. There are diagrams and charts and very good descriptions of the subjects of each chapter. The drawback, which is hardly even one, is that for the amount of information you get the book is on the hefty side. It is paperback however the length and width dimensions are larger. For a book you keep on the bookshelf it's just fine but if you were packing it up or thinking of taking it around with you then it may get prohibitive. I still gave the book a 5 star rating because the larger size is to be expected and for the money it is easily one of the best deals on books of this sort.

Got this for my boyfriend for Christmas, he really likes it. So many detailed descriptions, offers a lot to learn!

I was happy to learn some of the knowledge found in this book. I am someone who depends too much on technology.

This is a very comprehensive and practical textbook. I haven't read it throughout but what I have seen is mostly of a very high standard and well written. It does contain a lot of pages of other references, I'm not taking a star off for that since it doesn't detract from the content. It does contain one or two things I don't entirely agree with (to do with silver particularly) but again the quality of the rest of the content is too high to feel a need to penalise it here.

any one interested in self sustainability this is a must

What a fantastic read. Everything you need for when the power goes for good.