When Technology Fails

reviews

Great book! I was drawn in and couldn't stop reading…The depth of this book, covering everything from building materials to spiritual healing, is astounding. It is a one-stop source for the broad range of information and resources we need to create a self-sufficient, earth-friendly lifestyle. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in preserving the health of themselves and the planet-and moving toward a sustainable, sane way of living.       -- Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Editor-in-Chief, Natural Home magazine

"A marvelous guidebook for helping us through the worst of times, and even improving on the best of times..."

-- Thom Hartmann, author, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

I liked this book. It's carefully researched, comprehensive, well illustrated, and readable. It presents much needed alternate information for, in my opinion, technology has already "failed." … So replacement of polluting "high" technologies with non-polluting "low" ones is urgent and Matthew Stein's handbook systematically and accurately surveys a wide array of possible low-tech options. Much hard work, time, and talent went into the building of this basic reference survey of low-tech options. The topics range from first aid and emergency water purification to "green" home construction, textiles from scratch, and the necessary info to create a private power system. You'll spend enjoyable, useful hours leafing through this encyclopedia of possible alternate lifestyles.

-- Carla Emery, author, The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old-Fashioned Recipe Book

Whether you are seeking self-reliance and a simpler life or fear the collapse of social services, this compendium of practical information for sustainable living belongs on your bookshelf . . . and its pages will soon be well-worn. Practical and sophisticated, yet within the grasp of all readers.

-- Fred C. Walters, editor, Acres U.S.A. (the nations leading magazine on sustainable agriculture)

Whether your survival depends on living closer to the intersection of nature's abundance and your own skills--or you see a need to cut the bonds of an over-dependent lifestyle--Stein's excellent guide to simplifying your life, reducing your environmental impact, and pulling yourself out of a jam is sure to gather no dust on your bookshelf… This book is a personal and planetary empowerment tool.

-- Richard Heede, Ph. D., author of Homemade Money: How to Save Energy
and Dollars in Your Home. (Richard is a Research Scholar for the Rocky
Mountain Institute)

Like most of my readers, I spent the entirety of my "pre-Peak Oil" life as a fossil-fueled zombie, slavishly servicing the petro-techno, hyper-energetic collective narcosis commonly referred to as "the US economy."
 
Then I found out about Peak Oil and realized, "Holy Mother of God . . . if this shit's true, I'm like totally screwed. . . and worse yet, I don't even know the first thing to do to begin getting unscrewed."
 
Then I found Matthew Stein's book, When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance and Planetary Survival. This book which covers pretty much everything you need to know to begin preparing for "life after the oil crash."  It has so much valuable information, I am even considering stocking up copies for "investment" or future barter purposes as a book with this much valuable and life-saving information will certainly be more valuable than the US dollar post-peak.
Review From Matt Savinar, proprietor of the website
"Life After the Oil Crash:"
To read Matt Savinar's complete review CLICK HERE
 

Matthew Stein has written a clear, concise book on the subject of survival that, while educating, also does what few others have managed to do - entertain and engage the reader.

Throughout the book you'll find personal stories accompanying the text to further illustrate or drive home a point. The use of these asides brings you into Matthew Stein's life, as he recounts personal stories of survival and tells the stories of others who have managed to overcome the odds to survive.

Not just a survival book, Matthew also covers topics like alternative therapies; how to create a survival mindset; survival strategies; renewable energy; companion gardening; prophecies etc. as well as all the regular topics found in such books - edible plants; first aid; making a survival kit; growing, hunting and foraging; making tools; creating shelters; spinning/weaving/tanning etc.

The book has some great illustrations that make plant identification and first aid that much easier to understand and each chapter finishes with a reference section listing books (along with a short review) and resources (with web addresses where available).

This author has been active in the areas of alternative medicine, water treatment and renewable energy for 15-20 years - and the time and effort taken to research his topic really shows. When Technology Fails belongs in your survival library - as the publisher says, "it's a user-friendly manual for the 21st Century".

John Egan - survivalistbooks.com

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.

Joseph Bean - Maui Weekly

For Joseph Beans complete review CLICK HERE

When Technology Fails is a massive project done well. First the book gives a superb presentation of WHY one should be more aware and prepared - and then HOW one should go about this. The scope of this book, from “complete self sufficiency”--as in all primitive--to the more realistic scenario of self-sufficiency using modern techniques and materials, is thorough. Not only is the information presented well, but a solid bibliography can carry the student as far as he desires in any particular area of interest.

--John McPherson, author of Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills

 

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