This is the second of a number of preparedness related book reviews that we are planning. See our first review on One Second After. If there is a specific book or other resource that you would like us to review, please tell us in the comments. You should also review our preparedness bookshelf post for some other titles that you may want to check out yourself.
For this review we are trying something a little different. Nearly all the authors on this site have read this novel, often in several editions so several of us will be offering our thoughts on this most recent edition.
Ekim
In certain groups, one of the most widely read books (#6 on Amazon’s overall book rankings at its release) is James Wesley Rawles “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse
Some time ago I read the screenplay offered on Rawles’s web site and thought myself pretty well informed about the plot and information in Patriots. Since I thought I pretty much knew what the book was about it wasn’t high on my list of books to purchase and/or read, at least not while so many other wanted and needed preps still need to be completed. Fortunately, while visiting a neighbor recently I saw the book sitting on his bookshelf and took the opportunity to borrow it. After a few chapters I realized the story being told, while related, was very different from that of the screenplay. Amazon offers the book for a hair over $10 so I ordered a copy and returned my neighbor’s book as soon as I had received mine in the mail.
According to Amazon.com, Patriots is
Part novel, part survivalist-handbook, Patriots tells of a small group of friends facing every American’s worst nightmare—the total collapse of society. The stock market plummets and hyperinflation cripples commerce and then a seemingly isolated financial crisis passes the tipping point when an unprepared government fails to act. Practically overnight, the fragile institutions of democracy fall apart and every American is forced to survive on their own.
Evading mobs of desperate, out-of-control citizens who have turned Chicago into a wasteland of looting and mayhem, this novel’s protagonists make their way to a shared secure ranch in the wilds of northern Idaho. Here the survival-driven group fends off vicious attacks from the outside and eventually assists in restoring order to the country. The compelling, fast-paced action-adventure novel has readers jotting notes and referencing the book’s impressive index for informative survivalist tips on everything from setting up a secure shelter to treating traumatic flesh wounds.
Without giving any specifics of the plot away here are some of my thoughts on the novel.
Style
Rawles’s style may not be to everyone’s liking. While the overall story is excellent, Rawles delights in providing a detailed back story for each protagonist, often told as in the first person in a long and drawn out manner that borders on being tedious. Further, the story is also interrupted on a semi-frequent basis with in depth explanations of why the group or a character chose a particular piece of equipment. While this is informative it often detracts from what would otherwise be a fast paced, action packed yarn.
I don’t mean this as a criticism of the novel and I think this was a part of Rawles’s overall concept for the novel; Survival Encyclopedia masquerading as entertaining fiction. While Rawles may have garnered a wider audience and higher sales by removing this information, his intended audience for Patriots is immeasurably appreciative of its inclusion.
Information
Having informed you of the wealth of useful information in Patriots, I also feel I must warn you that most of the information on specific equipment and some procedures is a bit dated. I get the feeling that Patriots is a constant work in progress for Rawles that is currently in its 6th incarnation. This latest version was updated to include information on the recent Presidential election and bailouts along with a useful index. Left unedited though were some of the specific equipment that the protagonists use. For example, the specific computer equipment used by one of the characters is mentioned in quite some detail, but the equipment mentioned is no where near top of the line as implied, even by last year’s standards. Also, some of the radio equipment used by the group is long out of production. This is mentioned in the narrative for some specific equipment but not in others.
I think that the take away with regards to the specific equipment recommendations and especially the details on medical procedures and tactical exercises is that you should NEVER base your decisions on what you have read in ONE book or resource. Instead this and any other reference needs to be viewed as the just one stop in your search for information. Patriots is a great starting point for those without in depth prior professional experience with the many subjects broached within the story. But remember, true mastery will always require hands on experience.
While I am positive that Rawles would not condone it during a TEOTWAWKI scenario as described in the novel, someone out there may think that Patriots provides them with a field manual for addressing a gunshot wound in the absence of any other resource. That may seem far fetched but we use the resources we have when dealing with an emergency.
Summary
I found that Patriots was a very entertaining novel to read. More importantly it got me to thinking about some scenarios and preps that I hadn’t devoted much attention to in the past. It also spurred me to do some more research and seek out some specific and in some cases specialized training to allow me to feel more prepared for a number of scenarios that may someday cross my path.
If you haven’t read it yet, you can purchase your own copy through Amazon here: Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse
Connor
I’m always on the look out for good preparedness-focused evangelizing material. I’ve found that doomsday-scenario novels are often a good method of opening a person’s eyes and getting them to think about the “what if”. The TV show Jericho has been a great method for me to encourage those who enjoy watching TV to think about what life would be like in a TEOTWAWKI setting.
Patriots has become one of the books that I recommend to others, due to the simple fact that it is so “meaty” in terms of information and survivalist action. That being said, the material is rather dense and so I currently recommend One Second After
As has been said, Patriots is more like a manual than novel; you will want to read it with a pen and paper at your side to take notes and add items to your list of preps to buy. While the items discussed may not be pertinent to your situation or mesh well with your personal preferences, the sheer magnitude of items covered in the book will cause you to think of things you otherwise hadn’t. For the average prepper, it’s well worth the investment of time and money to gain valuable perspective on a host of circumstances we may one day be confronted with.
Jayce
For the person reading this book for the literary experience, I’m sorry, but you will be let down. The book is a bit scattered in nature, with long aside’s exploring the depths of side characters you won’t see for a long time, if ever, again. Details abound on what would seem to be inane details to most people, making the story a little harder to read for those simply looking for a good story.
What this provides though is a much more entertaining way to read about Rawles suggestions on several best practices. Of course Patriots is a story of a “Worst Case” example (several actually) in the preparedness world, and shouldn’t be approached as a “This is exactly what people think will happen”. Instead, the reader should read this first as a story, and take notes about the concerns that it raises in your mind, as to what you actually feel are valid things you should verify in your preparedness portfolio. You should come out of this book with a nice list of “what if’s”, and at least one suggested solution to many of them.
One of my biggest gripes has been voiced before, and it is in the nature of the main characters. All are successful individuals, none with children, who have an amazing amount of resources to dedicate to their preparations. Many times while reading it I would comment along the lines of, “Try that with kids”. The information was still extremely useful, and it did just serve to make me think more, but it would have been nice to have that angle in the story. With that said, it does a great job of emphasizing the importance of preparations in the “hero’s” lives, and the difference that knowledge and physical items played in their success as compared to other people.
Phil
Patriots was one of my favorite reads in the last couple years, as Connor mentioned, it is meatier and heavier than One Second After
This book presents a lot of moral dilemmas – for instance, what do you do with those who have turned to cannibalism? What do you do with those who rob, kill and destroy while taking advantage of the crisis situation? What do you do with those who are starving and come by your way peacefully? If you are starving, do you take things that you stumble across? And so on. Fortunately, being a Christian, I agree with most of the moral resolutions in the book – others may not.
As a survival manual, I made several pages of notes while reading Patriots and used them to incorporate into my preps as much as I could. However, many of the things in this book demonstrate a level of preparedness that many of us cannot attain very easily. For example, they had a nice cabin on a big ranch in Idaho. They had retrofitted the cabin with steel doors and windows and fortified everything. Right now, I can’t even afford to buy land with a cabin, much less to fortify it. This book does a fantastic job of describing how a group of friends can/should ban together to help take care of each other. Strength in numbers will be essential in a SHTF scenario and to accomplish that properly requires a lot of pre-planning. The pre-planning is covered fairly well in this book and provides a lot of ideas.
In all, this book will likely help open your eyes to at least one area of preparedness that you haven’t yet considered. I strongly recommend it as both a good survivalist read and as a survival manual. This is one of those books that you’ll want to read every couple years.
[amtap book:isbn=156975599X]
[amtap book:isbn=0765317583]
Thanks for the review. I keep meaning to order my copy.
Thanks for the review. I keep meaning to order my copy.
I was very excited to see you did a review about this book. Personally I really enjoyed it. Yes, there were a few things I would have liked to see changed, but over all, I thought it was a very informative book. In fact, when I would suggest we do a specific thing for preparations and my husband would look at me funny, I would say “read the book!” I have just ordered the new book, since I read the previous version, and am interested in the up dated version.
Thanks for the review. I’ve also ordered the One Second After book, I will be busy reading when the kids are finally back in school.
I was very excited to see you did a review about this book. Personally I really enjoyed it. Yes, there were a few things I would have liked to see changed, but over all, I thought it was a very informative book. In fact, when I would suggest we do a specific thing for preparations and my husband would look at me funny, I would say “read the book!” I have just ordered the new book, since I read the previous version, and am interested in the up dated version.
Thanks for the review. I’ve also ordered the One Second After book, I will be busy reading when the kids are finally back in school.
Personally the book read to much like a manual to me… and the advice was nothing you can’t find on the blog or other forums free.
I liked One Second After better myself.
I still own this book, and it’s entertaining but not my favorite ;)
Personally the book read to much like a manual to me… and the advice was nothing you can’t find on the blog or other forums free.
I liked One Second After better myself.
I still own this book, and it’s entertaining but not my favorite ;)
I read the book and found it to be a great read. I doubt that the UN or anyone would step in, but who knows?
I’m reading it again for the second time, this time with a highlighter~!
BTW, Jim Rawels’ wife is dieing and I’m sure he could use your prayers.
Be prepared.
I read the book and found it to be a great read. I doubt that the UN or anyone would step in, but who knows?
I’m reading it again for the second time, this time with a highlighter~!
BTW, Jim Rawels’ wife is dieing and I’m sure he could use your prayers.
Be prepared.
I have to say that I was excited to finally have the opportunity to read the book. I read survivalblog.com regularly and had heard much. Boy, was I disappointed.
Did it bother anyone else that Dan Fong was usually referred to as Dan Fong, and not just Dan? What did the new moms use for diaper rash? Or women use for monthlies? Or men use to shave? When they bugged out to the woods, what did they eat without cooking (the fires during daylight only would have had smoke give away their position, right?) and how did they clean their clothes? The toilet paper issue would have been a good idea to bring up in the book IF it had actually been mentioned again after 3, 4, 5 years after the crash. Almost everyone had the same voice (talked the same way), and as a review above said, most people don’t have the financial means to do that much prepping, so how many people, really, can this book help? I found this book to be good with basic info, but a huge pain to read. No one seemed real, and the first rule of fiction writing is to help the reader “suspend disbelief” – or make it feel real.
This book should have been just a non-fiction manual, and never been attempted as a novel. Where was the editor during the publishing process (first or last times?).
I read it in a bookstore, over the course of several days. I’m very glad I didn’t buy it. Pat
You do know there is a unabridged. to keep the story movin along every time they brush there teeth is not going to be in the story.
I have to say that I was excited to finally have the opportunity to read the book. I read survivalblog.com regularly and had heard much. Boy, was I disappointed.
Did it bother anyone else that Dan Fong was usually referred to as Dan Fong, and not just Dan? What did the new moms use for diaper rash? Or women use for monthlies? Or men use to shave? When they bugged out to the woods, what did they eat without cooking (the fires during daylight only would have had smoke give away their position, right?) and how did they clean their clothes? The toilet paper issue would have been a good idea to bring up in the book IF it had actually been mentioned again after 3, 4, 5 years after the crash. Almost everyone had the same voice (talked the same way), and as a review above said, most people don’t have the financial means to do that much prepping, so how many people, really, can this book help? I found this book to be good with basic info, but a huge pain to read. No one seemed real, and the first rule of fiction writing is to help the reader “suspend disbelief” – or make it feel real.
This book should have been just a non-fiction manual, and never been attempted as a novel. Where was the editor during the publishing process (first or last times?).
I read it in a bookstore, over the course of several days. I’m very glad I didn’t buy it. Pat
I just finished reading Patriots and I have similar comments that others have made. All of the characters were physically fit, financially fit, etc. What about families with young children? I was a little disappointed that they offer a job to a machinist, but allow a refugee group with several young children to carry on without offering them to join the group. What about the chronically ill or disabled? Do they have no value because they can’t carry their weight? I would have preferred more character development and less of the logistics. He could have put a logistics list in the end and skipped over a lot of unnecessary details.
I just finished reading Patriots and I have similar comments that others have made. All of the characters were physically fit, financially fit, etc. What about families with young children? I was a little disappointed that they offer a job to a machinist, but allow a refugee group with several young children to carry on without offering them to join the group. What about the chronically ill or disabled? Do they have no value because they can’t carry their weight? I would have preferred more character development and less of the logistics. He could have put a logistics list in the end and skipped over a lot of unnecessary details.
The morality of the book is Darwinist. That may lend doubtful credence to the story's “realism”. The members of the group knew by college or before that society could very well crash. If you are a 10buck-an-hour wage slave (as many of us are) you would not survive past chapter 2 if this were for real. This group of people were physically, intellectually, and financially fit enough to persevere in this situation. Not your common cadre of Midwest suburbanites. But that's what makes these people heroes.