You will be completely blown away by this book! Trust me. Well, I can’t be 100 percent sure that absolutely everyone will be as enthusiastic about it as I am, but here’s my reasoning. I’ve reviewed hundreds of books. I do it this way: I read the book, trying not to stick too many post-it notes on the edges of the pages. The notes indicate things I really ought to mention in a review. Then I go back scanning through the book, stopping only where memory prompts me, to add more notes. First time through, I put 17 margin markers in this book. That may be a record. Going back through, I more than doubled the number.

A review cannot cover 34 points. That would be a book in itself.

Instead of attempting to mention nearly three-dozen “most important” points, let me tell you what the book is. Then, remembering that I considered it very special, you decide.

If you remember Stuart Brand’s famous Whole Earth Catalogs, you have an idea of the format and style of the book. It is a kind of encyclopedic reference book that just happens to be an exciting read as well. It’s subject—like the catalogs from decades ago—is survival. The tone is purely practical, and the language is always either totally understandable or fully explained.

A cover note calls the book “the first to offer, under one cover, basic instructions and recommended resources for the wide range of skills and technologies necessary for self-reliant living and achieving mastery of all kinds of emergency conditions.” Those of us who live on islands where a strike can stop the power, the food supply, the transportation and everything else—before we even consider the possibility of either terrorism or basic tech failure—should be reading carefully.

Not only does Stein offer the hard-core how-to information, he also explains very patiently and effectively why we should care. He explores possible futures, basing his assumptions on present trends. Then he launches into the necessary low-tech preparations and skills: survival, water, food, shelter, medicine, clothing, energy, metalworking, storage, utensils, chemistry, and do-it-yourself versions of chemistry, engineering and machinery.

As Stein so clearly understands, the more of us who learn these skills and use them, even now when modern technology is taking care of everything for us, the better. If we can produce our own food, a tug boat strike is no problem. If we can produce our own power, a power failure or a terrorist attack on a power station is not a problem. Use the skills or don’t, but no one could read this book without thinking, “I could at least do this and I could probably do that.”

In the end, When Technology Fails is as much a challenge as an instruction book. It asks the unanswerable question: Have you done everything you possibly can to ensure your own survival and comfort no matter what comes? Better stated: Have you done everything you possibly can to ensure the safety and comfort—not to mention survival—of those you love in case of unforeseeable emergencies?

Read this book. Sooner or later, one way or another, you’ll be glad you did.