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Neil Strauss
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Emergency: One Man's Story of a Dangerous World, and How to Stay Alive in It. Neil Strauss Paperback – March 1, 2010

by Neil Strauss (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 985 ratings
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Encountering a host of weird and hilarious characters along the way, Strauss's timely and wry look at the The End of the World As We Know It will make you glad you chose to be on his side.
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  1. Print length
    418 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Canongate Books
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    4.37 x 1.18 x 7.01 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1847677606
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1847677600
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canongate Books; Main edition (March 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 418 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1847677606
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1847677600
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.37 x 1.18 x 7.01 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 985 ratings

About the author

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Neil Strauss

Neil Strauss

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A former New York Times cultural critic and Rolling Stone contributing editor, Neil Strauss is the author of ten New York Times bestselling books, including The Truth, The Game, Rules of the Game, Emergency, and Everyone Loves You When You're Dead. He is also the coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers The Creative Act with Rick Rubin, I Can't Make This Up with Kevin Hart, The Dirt with Mötley Crüe, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star with Jenna Jameson, and The Long Hard Road Out of Hell with Marilyn Manson. His serial podcast To Live & Die in LA reached number one on the iTunes charts, and was named by the Associated Press as the best podcast of the year.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
985 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides good information about prepping. They find the stories amusing and fun to read. The writing style is easy to follow and enjoyable. Readers appreciate the narrative that progresses with interesting data along the way. The visual style is interesting, including graphic elements like technical training. They enjoy the author's personality and the survey of different types of people who prepare for emergencies. Overall, customers find the book practical and entertaining.

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Information qualityEntertainment valueReadabilityStory qualityVisual stylePersonalityHumorPractical content
127 customers mention "Information quality"102 positive25 negative

Customers find the book informative and engaging. They appreciate the eloquent insights and humorous stories. The book is described as a fascinating combination of a personal biography and a generalized how-to book. Readers find it inspiring and an enjoyable read through the world of disaster preppers.

"...It's a nice look into the prepping community in all its forms and why people feel the need to prepare for the worst, while ending on an upbeat note..." Read more

"...More importantly, he actually put his training to real life tests, a key to success in learning new skills like these...." Read more

"...1. The Disaster Survival Cheat Sheet -- details on how to survive everything from a nuclear explosion to being backstage at a Motley Crue concert...." Read more

"...Fascinating, and even though he's (temporarily?) lost most of his sense of humor, he's still a very good writer...." Read more

74 customers mention "Entertainment value"74 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's entertainment value. They find the exchanges amusing and the graphic content hilarious. The book is described as informative and fun, with short chapters and anecdotes that make for a great reading experience.

"...There's plenty of humor peppered in throughout, too, so it's not the bleak or depressing read you might expect from a book focused on disasters and..." Read more

"...The book is at times graphic and simultaneously hilarious. At other times it really shows the transformation that Neil put himself through...." Read more

"...It contains both serious explanations and explanations of humorous situations. The explanations on how to survive mountain lion attacks, etc...." Read more

"...Mmmm....that's a tough one, but I think it would be a good read for a lot of people. But some won't make it through the first section...." Read more

50 customers mention "Readability"39 positive11 negative

Customers find the book easy to read with an interesting writing style. They appreciate the quick chapters and author's positive attitude. The book is described as a personal biography and a generalized how-to book written from a different viewpoint.

"...The book is a fast read, I read it on a flight from Chicago to Las Vegas and found it entertaining, well written, interestingly illustrated and..." Read more

"...Emergency isn't funny at all, rather, it's a straight-forward recounting of the author's evolution into the learning curve of urban and wilderness..." Read more

"...The author has a great attitude and willingness to learn and expand his knowledge as well as his horizon. It takes free thinker for that...." Read more

"...Yes, this book is an entertaining read but it is not a how-to guide in the vein it is made out to be by the marketing or cover...." Read more

34 customers mention "Story quality"30 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's engaging story. They find it well-written with a progression and interesting information. The narrative is enjoyable with humorous anecdotes, keeping the pages turning with short chapters and informative content. Readers appreciate the author's journey to become a prepper in an autobiographical style.

"...Throughout the book he sprinkles a lot of fantastically apt and enchanting quotes from the ancient Sumerian 'Epic of Gilgamesh' thus proving that..." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. Strauss keeps the pages turning with short chapters and amusing anecdotes, and also packs a lot of information in...." Read more

"Although there is good information in this book and the stories are discriptive...." Read more

"...For those who enjoy a good story, peopled with real characters, Strauss fills the bill...." Read more

11 customers mention "Visual style"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's visual style. They find it entertaining, informative, and eye-opening. The comic illustrations are appreciated. The information is presented in Neil's classic style in a charming way that prompts self-reflection and awakening.

"...The book is at times graphic and simultaneously hilarious. At other times it really shows the transformation that Neil put himself through...." Read more

"...Here's a beautiful, apt, and terrifying snippet that sums up the essence of what I gleaned from the book:..." Read more

"...For a fun, informative and entertaining look at how you can better prepare yourself for problems that may lie in the future...." Read more

"...It is a moving and inspiring story and hopefully it will prompt a lot of self-reflection and awakening...." Read more

5 customers mention "Personality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's personality. They find it amicable and relatable, describing the author as an old friend before reading the book. The author explores different types of people who prepare for emergencies and develops friendships with them. He connects with various communities and develops personal growth through his interactions with mentors and friends. Overall, readers appreciate the sense of humor and humanity in the book.

"...but he connects with their various communities, develops friendships with those he meets, and then applies what he learns at a level that borders..." Read more

"...His meetings with a variety of mentors, his fear-filled girl friend, and his personal growth will keep you reading...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the survey of different types of people who prepare for emergency. It is an amusing read albeit with more profanity than my typical read...." Read more

"...It did do that, but with such a great sense of humor and humanity...." Read more

7 customers mention "Humor"3 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the humor in the book. Some find it funny and frightening, while others describe it as unintentionally comical, silly, and raunchy.

"...Emergency isn't funny at all, rather, it's a straight-forward recounting of the author's evolution into the learning curve of urban and wilderness..." Read more

"...Here's a beautiful, apt, and terrifying snippet that sums up the essence of what I gleaned from the book:..." Read more

"...and generally don't worry because "we have it covered", the book is outrageously funny...." Read more

"...All in all, a fun, educational, and scary read. Now, I have to go order some MREs." Read more

8 customers mention "Practical content"0 positive8 negative

Customers find the book's practical content lacking. They say it provides little useful advice and is a waste of money. The book contains unnecessary content and lacks practical value for most readers.

"...There is not a chance in hell it will, as there is no practical, step-by-step knowledge to be imparted by this book, save through several cartoon..." Read more

"...There was a lot of unnecessary content, in my opinion, just fluff filler...." Read more

"...new book I am sure that he had fun but there is really nothing practical for most people in this book...." Read more

"...about the world, a bit guilty about not being ready and not a very effective lesson in life in the end...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Avery
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    As other reviewers have noted, despite the title, this isn't really a book that's focused on survival tips. That being said, as something of a nascent prepper myself, I still really enjoyed this book.
    It's a nice look into the prepping community in all its forms and why people feel the need to prepare for the worst, while ending on an upbeat note about how preparing for worst-case scenarios can bring us together as a community and make our everyday life a little better in turn. There's plenty of humor peppered in throughout, too, so it's not the bleak or depressing read you might expect from a book focused on disasters and the end of the world.
    It may not save my life, but this book has certainly earned a permanent place on my home bookshelf just the same!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dave Lakhani
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Provocative With A Few Tips You Can Use - Neil Strauss At His Best
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    First I have to say that I grew up exactly the way Neil didn't. I grew up in a rural area, learned to hunt, fish, trap, camp and survive early. I was a soldier and in law enforcement so many of the skills he learned were second nature to me.

    That said, I think it is laudable that Neil fully immersed himself in the culture both for the purposes of writing the book and also out of what appears to be genuine concern and interest in the topic of survivalism and doomsday scenarios. I don't think that Neil is a conspiracy theorist or nut, but he did do a phenomenal job with researching and writing the book.

    The book is a fast read, I read it on a flight from Chicago to Las Vegas and found it entertaining, well written, interestingly illustrated and interesting. The graphic novel element of some of the technical training made an interesting read. Here are just a few of the things you'll learn in the book:

    How To Escape From Flexicuffs
    How To Pick A Lock With A Soda Can
    How To Be Practically Invisible
    How To Construct A Ghillie Suit
    How To Fire With A Battery
    How To Make A Bow And Arrow
    How To Navigate Without A Company

    He goes on to talk about dozens of other ideas and techniques that you can use. For anyone who has ever been in the military or even who grew up in the outdoors, most of this stuff is very basic, much of it you learned by the time you were a teenager. For people who didn't, I'm confident this would be eye opening.

    What I really liked is that Neil went to the very best subject matter experts in the world to get his training. More importantly, he actually put his training to real life tests, a key to success in learning new skills like these.

    The book is at times graphic and simultaneously hilarious. At other times it really shows the transformation that Neil put himself through. This is a different book that AJ Jacobs might write when he immerses himself for a year in something but it is just as impactful in terms of watching the change.

    Overall I really enjoyed this book and and thrilled to see someone take such an active role in restructuring their life in a way most never will. I'm confident if you enjoy the outdoors and if you are interested in survival you'll enjoy this book. If you want a great set of resources, Neil reveals very openly most of his sources in the book which is kind of cool.

    Well done, exceptionally well written as you'd expect from Neil Strauss, and fun to read.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • R. Kol
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Kindle Edition of Emergency with Bonus Content!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I pre-ordered my copy of Emergency on Kindle and was thrilled to see it downloading last night. This review will primarily focus on the bonus content included on the Kindle edition as others have reviewed the story. In my opinion the bonus content was extremely well done, and it is definitely worth it to purchase the Kindle edition to supplement your hard copy. The bonus content is as follows:

    1. The Disaster Survival Cheat Sheet -- details on how to survive everything from a nuclear explosion to being backstage at a Motley Crue concert. I especially enjoyed the differentiation on how to survive being "chased by a mob," versus being "chased by THE mob." Neil indicates that he developed this list from his notes, experiences, and additional sources as a guide to answer any survival question that was thrown at him by interviewers. It contains both serious explanations and explanations of humorous situations. The explanations on how to survive mountain lion attacks, etc. are on point and in-line with what I've been told by park rangers in the Rocky Mountains.

    2. Contents of the Bug-Out Bag -- detailed description of Neil's favorite "bug-out bag" from the survivalist boards. Contents of the bag are described in detail and divided according to the items in each of the bags zipper pockets, detachable pockets, straps, and belts.

    3. The Mini-BOB -- This was awesome and probably my favorite bonus feature. A BOB compiled by Kevin Reeve of onPoint Tactical. This bag contained a "nearly lifetime supply of basic survival tools" that was crammed into a pouch the size of a fanny pack. I am definitely going to replicate this and carry it with me at all times. The book contains a couple of pictures of the Mini-BOB and a detailed list of contents by item. For me, this bonus feature alone was worth the price of the Kindle edition.

    4. The Emergency-Preparedness Myths That Can Kill You -- A list of the top ten myths of survival that are dangerous and could potentially harm you. These myths were extremely helpful and informative, and I found that I didn't know a lot of the information included in this section. This section includes both the myth and the correct information that will help you in the event you encounter the scenario described in the myth.

    5. The Lost Chapter of Emergency? -- "How to Rob the Cradle and The Grave." This may or may not be a cut chapter from the book according to the author....I may or may not rescind my statement above in #3, this actually may or may not be my favorite bonus chapter. Awesome stuff!

    6. The Lost Chapter -- full previously unpublished text of some sections of the book that were edited/cut down in the final version of the book.

    It was definitely worth it to purchase the Kindle edition for me. I already have the hard copy, but the bonus features alone on this edition were worth the purchase price. I'm glad they decided to wait to release this and add some very worthwhile, valuable bonus content. Well done!
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Raphael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bom livro
    Reviewed in Brazil on January 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Adorei este livro. Tem ainda muita coisa a aprender e este livro mostra algumas coisas bem interessantes.
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  • Z
    5.0 out of 5 stars How to survive in difficult conditions - written in an enterntaining way.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This book has taught me a number of ways to experience the world and nature. Neil Strauss is an entertaining writer, and many of the things in this book can be added to your bucket list of life. I actually listened to the audiobook first, but enjoyed it so much I wanted to get the book. Totally worth your time.

    Summary of the book - how to camp, how to survive in difficult conditions, how to escape when you are tied up, how to survive without electricity and running water - all excellent skills you can learn.
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  • Julio Can AB
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting and entertaining read
    Reviewed in Canada on July 23, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I learned about this book after seeing Neil Strauss on a documentary about alien invasion. This is a terrific book. Don't read this book expecting to get a bulleted list of how to survive an emergency. It's not a reference book, it's a story about what Neil Strauss learned in his own journey into being a prepped or survivalist. And it is a terrific story. Strauss is very thorough. He covers everything you need to consider to prepare for survival; from surviving in the bush; surviving in urban chaos; learning how to survive in these environments, and so forth. He covers everything you need to know and many things that are extra.

    You will need to read the whole book to get the full value of what Strauss has learned. But it is an easy, fast, and very entertaining read.
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  • Cam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
    Reviewed in Australia on October 31, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Loved the book. It's a real eye opener and if you love Neil's other books this one won't disappoint at all!
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  • jsartison
    4.0 out of 5 stars Might not ACTUALLY save your life.
    Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A bit of a fun read. Not the "how to" book the title might imply. It stimulates thought more than anything. What will save your life, is some self motivation to learn some skills and self reliance. This book might be a spur to you, but it won't give you the actual tools. I enjoyed the book though.
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