The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse book review

Originally posted 2017-08-22 18:47:21.

I must start this article by just saying I was long overdue to purchase this book.  I’ve been watching Fernando “FerFal” Aguirre’s videos on YouTube for quite a long time, and I have even seen this book being read by someone while I was on a flight back home to Denver.  Still, it eluded me for a long time.  But that time is over and I have finally purchased The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse and wanted to give you guys my opinion of it.

The first thing to note in this book is that Mr. Aguirre is not a native English speaker and apologizes for it several times in the beginning of the book.  I personally didn’t find very many errors in the grammar that make it unbearable to read or anything of that sort.  In fact, Fernando’s voice in the book comes out very similarly as he does when he speaks in one of his YouTube videos.  Simple, straight to the point and even a little sarcastically at times!  I for one his approach, however if you’re offended by the occasional curse word, you might be SOL on this book.  (That’s shit out of luck)

Fernando’s experience comes from living in his native Argentina during the 2001 economic collapse that occurred there.  Almost overnight, a relatively wealthy Westernized country experienced a staggering drop in the value of its currency and the ensuing deterioration of their society over the next few years.  What I found most interesting about this book is that it just smashes any fantasies people have for something like an economic collapse in the US – it’s not going to be a Mad Max movie, by any means.  Regular life will go on in some ways, but things will be generally more dangerous and this book provides a realist’s perspective on such things.   Surviving the Economic Collapse illustrates that it’s not necessarily a bunch of fancy gear that will save you, but rather your mental and physical fitness, attitude, and ability to be aware of your surroundings and potentially dangerous situations.

The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse covers a wide variety of topics, everything from what can make the best vehicle in a crises to practical tips on making your home more secure, and even a little financial advice (keep some cash on hand before a crisis and Cash is King  during the early parts of an economic collapse are points that stood out in my mind).

Overall it’s not a very long book, but the insights of Fernando’s experience, for me at least, make Surviving the Economic Collapse a very useful resource all while being an entertaining and easy to read book.   You can check out Fernando’s Youtube Channel, The Modern Survivalist, here.