How to Survive

Self-Reliance in Extreme Circumstances

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Pub Date 05 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 31 Dec 2020

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Description

Gripping stories of near disaster and survival—and the lessons to be gleaned from them—from the British military’s chief survival instructor.

When faced with near death, your survival instincts kick in. Instincts can only take you so far, however; it’s preparation and planning that can make the difference between living and dying. In How to Survive, readers will hear harrowing tales of survival and learn from them. These stories are broken down and studied, whether it’s the experience of a teenager hiking to safety as the only survivor of a plane crash in the Peruvian Amazon, a fisherman drifting for more than 400 days in an open boat across the Pacific Ocean, or a US Air Force fighter pilot forced to eject from his stealth fighter thousands of feet above the earth.

John Hudson, a military survivor instructor, introduces the mindset that he feels is imperative for success: the Survival Triangle. This combination of effort, hope, and goals, along with a few practical skills, provides a premade planning template that can be used to jumpstart the whole survival process.

About the Author: John Hudson is the British military's chief survival instructor and a former RAF helicopter pilot. He has also been a resident survival expert on two seasons of Discovery Channel's Survive That. Hudson is based in Cornwall, England.

Gripping stories of near disaster and survival—and the lessons to be gleaned from them—from the British military’s chief survival instructor.

When faced with near death, your survival instincts kick...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781682686454
PRICE $15.95 (USD)

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Average rating from 6 members


Featured Reviews

I love it. I was expecting "how to build a fire" and got "how to get through the shittiest times in real life". It is now required reading for both of my children and I will probably pester my husband until he reads it too.

Hudson walks you through several life AND death situations and delves in to the reasons people survive or don't survive in the most positive way you could imagine. It's all in your head.

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I really wish this was out before Christmas because I would happily wrap 3 of these copies for my family. With the world in its current state How to Survive provides readers old and young with some direction and guidance on how to survive through the shit life throws at you and thrive.

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How to Survive isn't your typical survival book. While it's got some things that you would find in your "Dummies Guide To Survival" kinds of books like how to build a fire or how to build an igloo it's less of a how-to book and more of a book on how survival psychology works and why you need to do certain things to not just survive being marooned on a deserted island but also to make it through the stresses of everyday life.

Written by RAF survival instructor (and the British Dude on "Dude, You're Screwed" which aired on Discovery way back when), John Hudson breaks down why you need to train yourself to react. How to handle panic attacks. How to handle things like, oh say, a global pandemic that locks down your city/state. It's a book on psychology but a practical book that's filled with anecdotes featuring people who survived but also those who didn't and it analyzes what they did right and what they did wrong and how you can apply that to your standard life.

The book is laid out in a logical manner, centering around anecdotes and stories from history as a framing device and learning module. I found it easy to follow, and I also appreciated the bullet points at the end that were essentially a TL:DR for the chapter. It reminded me in some ways of a textbook, which makes sense considering what the author does for a living.

It's a book that as I read I could see a lot of value it. It answers a core question: Why. Why study survival? Why prepare for the worst case scenario? Why carry a few small supplies, just in case. Why do things in a certain order. Etc. I've already recommended it to a few people who I've seen not be able to handle something unexpected or panic in several situations. Or those who I've seen get overwhelmed by life and trying to figure out how to triage things.

Additionally as an editor, I also would recommend this book for people who are interested in writing characters dealing with a survival situation. Knowing how an everyday person vs. a trained person reacts can be invaluable in creating believable scenarios and characterizations. This extends beyond the action/adventure genre but also into sci-fi, fantasy, YA, paranormal, urban fantasy, and even Romantic Suspense.

I fully enjoyed this book

And so because of that I give this:

Five Stars

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