So I’ve been meaning to blog about this book for quite some time. I was contacted by Cody Lundin‘s publicist to see if I was intersted in getting a free copy of his book “When All Hell Breaks Loose”, and of course I said “YES!” (C’mon – we all like free stuff!)

I didn’t expect too much from the book, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. I had read a little about Cody on his site for the Aboriginal Living Skills School and figured that the book was about survival. But a lot of survival books read like text books, and I figured that this one was no different, except that it had a catchy name.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. The book is a pleasant mix of serious information mixed in with a fun method of delivery to keep you engaged, but most importantly, to keep you retaining the information in the event that an emergency actually does occur. And for those of you reading this in San Francisco, according to the USGS website there is a “62 percent chance of a M>=6.7 earthquake during the next 30 years and that the quake could strike at any time, including today.” That means that being prepared for an emergency is pretty damn important.

Some examples of what you learn from the book are ways to make sure you have plenty of water and food in an emergency (and don’t take the word “food” so literally – you do learn how to cook a rodent in the book), how to stay warm (or cool if that’s the need), to how to keep everyone calm, and even how to deal with (gulp) a dead body, both physically and emotionally. And all of this info is presented in an easy to read format that helps you retain the info in the event that you’ll need to use it.

Anyhow – I highly recommend the book and can guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two about surviving an urban disaster.