William R. Forstchen’s “One Second After
In this book the US is attacked by someone, book never says who but it does say who we made pay for it, with a nuclear tipped missile that exploded at approximately 250 miles up. The main person in the book is John Matherson who happens to be a Military History
Forstchen examines the effect of an attack on the U.S.A. using an EMP (or rather three EMPs). The electro magnetic pulse ruins most electrical gadgets; computers and anything controlled by them, data storage, modern vehicles and planes, electricity generators,water supply, medical equipment, phones and radios.
The small town in which the story is set reverts to a barter economy and its shops soon run out of food and medicines. Local law enforcement has to cope with increasingly desperate local citizens,stranded motorists, and refugees from the big cities hoping to find food and shelter.
Forstchen examines the big issues mainly by looking at the impact on one family. This approach works well, and the reader is drawn in, wondering “what would I do in that situation?” Every single “could have, should have, would have, might have” in the book is written as “could of, should of” etc. It is worth reading as it is well written, well thought out.
In the book I got, I checked it out from the State Employee Library, it had a curious note scrawled on some paper and I thought it was appropriate to the situation and book:
Resources
The authors website.
Good sight for EMP information for laymen.
“Never Forget that you must survive – You are an American – Never Give Up – God Bless America”
D.C.
8/2009
Sincerely,
Robert
{ 32 comments }
This is Bill Forstchen on our local radio talk show here in Western North Carolina. He is discussing the events of 1774 leading up to the Revolutionary War. It's very sobering.
Dr. Forstchen comes in on the second hour. The first hour the host lays the groundwork for the discussion.
http://wwnc.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=TakeAStand.xml
This book in amazing! It is trilling, sobering, and a wake up call to all of us that our ordered society is only hanging on by a thread. Turn off the lights and the country goes to hell in a hand basket.
The book was indeed awesome. Lots to think about. About a day or two after finishing it one thing really struck me. A former Speaker of the House of Representatives wrote the foreward to a post-apocalyptic book! Forget about if you like Newt or not, that aint the point. The point is that a former 3rd in the chain of command, of the most powerful nation on earth (at least when he was in the chain of command), wrote a foreward to a fictional book that discusses what we all talk about on this site! Let that thought sink in for a bit!
I bought that book a few weeks back & agree with you as it was hard to put down. Timely subject that was well thought out & written. The eye opener for me, without giving any thing away was what happened to his dogs. Now I have to go buy a lot more dog food.
Newt is a historian with a PhD in Modern European History from Tulane University & is very articulate, see this excellent video on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjfMjjce2Y. The whole series is quite informative.
EMP has been around for decades and is very spooky but now a real threat because of the unstable, radical ending he world types like Iran, North Korea and a host of other rich 3rd world supporters.
MD, you are on the money with the preparation concepts you provide but would encourage all to take it serious and accelerate your programs because the speed at which some crippling calamity hits will nearly be instantaneous, like turning a light off with a switch.
It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN the fit hits the shan …
Quick FYI:
I believe you meant to say in your last sentence "…. note (not not) scrawled on some paper …."
I am supposed to have a very high level meeting with a major bank (everybody has heard of them) to discuss the pending foreclosure problems & the what's coming down the pipe … and trust me, it's not a pretty picture. Realistic California unemployment figures exceed 21%.
**Spoiler Alert**I read this book a few months ago. It scared the hell out of me. I have three children – two with special needs. The agony of the main character in relationship to his children turned this normally stoic reader to tears.
I have added to my list of needed skills more than the CPR/First Aid/EMT training I already have to include becoming an active herbalist – especially when concerning the medical needs of our family. The pregnancy mini-boom was a facet I never considered – I should since I have a teenage daughter. While reading I actually stopped and told my husband about it. His reaction, well, makes sense. No access to birth control and living day to day with no concept of what your future might entail – of course babies will follow. "Duh"
There were so many things that I think I've prepared for, then a really well written piece of fiction shows me holes in my thinking. I highly recommended it to all.
A good read,we need to be ready for everything. Read,prepare,get out of debt.
I dug deep into this posting and I was able to find a wealth of information by doing so. I would advise all your readers to click on the "EMP Information for laymen" at the bottom of the post. A must read! All of my electronics have been protected from EMP using the methods described in the links. I have done this for a long time. This is very important to protect your equipment! (W)
Mary,
Being a herbalist is a wise decision along with EMT training. We should all take steps daily in preparation.
Many will think we are foolish which is ok, why waste time defending our position? There is no need to put any energy upon opposing posts with their choice to live for the day. You can only lead a horse to water …
As for me, I think I'd rather be the 3rd pig living in the brick house.
WITWCT, what do your bank contacts tell you about how long we have until it gets REAL ugly?
MD: You are right. It is a good book. What do you think about World Made by Hand?
It is a very eye opening book. Have you also read
Light's Out by HalfFast ?? I think it may even be better. Lights Out is a internet book. If you don't have a copy I have one I put together that you can read on you computor or ebook reader like the Sony. Ty
MD, not on point, but I think you might want to see and publicize the following:
"The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today" at http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6960824&page=1
I too read when I can and try to cull out what is useful to me and my family. Even when I read just to enjoy. I know the area that the book is set in and it is acurate. I enjoyed the story line and the whole content. Been a long time since i got into a book like this. I finished it at 4 a.m. Read.
As for me and mine we will continue to Pray, Prep, get out of debt as soon a possible, Pray, Learn, if I cant read it now store it, if I read it and its useful, Print it.
mwp
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124125001&sc=fb&cc=fp
I get the feeling this crowd won't be a fan of NPR, but here's an article about naturally occuring EMP's. For those that can't be bothered to read it, twice in the last 200 years there's been massive solar flares that caused huge EMPs. One let them run the telegraph system without batteries
-K
KC,
Not I hadn't seen it – I'm heading over there now to take a look. Thanks for the heads up.
Anon 2/2 @12:09
Let me get my thoughts together & outline a response, it's a bit complicated & remains a highly fluid situation which is very unusual for banks to be anything but static. I am limited somewhat by privacy agreements I've signed and want to be compliant.
I can tell you they (banks) do not have many answers. The defaults are still high, unemployment is high as well & at least 1 million adjustable loans are maturing this year, adding more gas to the fire.
The commercial real estate sector is starting to get hammered this year, especially the areas that have little manufacturing diversity, and will extend for a couple of years minimally.
That note is a true statement true to all Americans. To whoever wrote that note, congradulations . You understand American patriotism.
Both "One Second After" and "Lights Out" are excellent examples non-prepared people tackling a steep learning curve and surviving (in sharp contrast to "Patriots," which I mostly like, but is unrealistic in the levels of preps depicted).
In "One Second After," however, the issue of starvation is more closely examined/described that in most other survivalist fiction. I read it back in August and it completely kick started my preps. It should share the hell out of you.
Still, the likelihood of such an EMP attack on the U.S. is very slim, one of those 'low probability, high risk' scenarios. Launching a ballistic missile from a container ship isn't impossible, but not exactly easy, especially with the guidance systems the likely perps – Iran and North Korea – have on their missiles. For optimal effect it has to be a few hundred km up. A long shot, but theoretically possible.
On the bright side, such an attack would not effect satellites, so if your GPS is shielded (in a Faraday cage or something that acts as such) it should still work, at least until the sats are done.
The lessons from "One Second After" (and "Lights Out") are still applicable in many other collapse scenarios.
NOTE: on the ABC News Obama gun control article; it's from January *2009*. Which I noticed after I'd emailed it to a bunch of people. First saw it a SHTF Plan blog.
Suburban Survivalist
A reader sent the link and I failed to notice the date before I posted it here as soon as I realized how old it was I deleted the article. The last few days I've been pushed for time, that's what happens when your in a hurry…
Read the following article by Newt & the author from March 29, 2009:
http://newsmax.com/Newsfront/gringrich-emp-weapon/2009/03/29/id/329110
It is very interesting about EMP
hey Suburban Survivalist,or anyone
who is the Author of "lights out"
thanks bob
Another great book is Things Fall Apart by Fred Heiser.
"An article published in Iran's security journal Nashriyeh-e Siasi Nezami in 1999 identified an EMP attack as a way to defeat the US as a military power and as a state."
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=89476
listen to the audiobook of 'one second after'
its even more frightening.
I have to admit i was not a big fan of the book. I am a survivalist like most here and EMPs concern me. I found parts of the book eye-opening such as the medical needs of people with heart problems or diabetics. But i also found some parts of it grossly exaggerated like making an army out of college students and roving gangs.
It makes for an interesting story, but i don't think it was necessary. I would have preferred the writer spend more time looking at the little things that we often take for granted.
Just my $.02 on the book. Nice review though :)
Andy
Anonymous said… March 2, 2010 11:46 PM
hey Suburban Survivalist,or anyone
who is the Author of "lights out"
thanks bob
Just do a google search for " Light's Out by HalfFast" should get you to a few sites that have it. or if there is a way to upload a file I can pass a copy I copy/pasted to a word doc to MD to share TY Del
If you or have a family member has diabetes, you should check out the following two links.
The first link is about a Jewish WWII refugee who survived on homemade insulin for four years during WWII. She and her husband made her insulin by following the instructions in a book published in 1926.
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2002/01/01/3495/evas-insulin/
The second link is an article from 1927 with a detailed description on how to make insulin.
http://www.jbc.org/content/72/1/57.long
If you have someone who is a diabetic and really want to try this, I strongly suggest that you get training in chemistry now, and stock up on all the supplies. A modern high school lab is more advanced than a college lab in 1927. It worked in the past, and a lot of people survived diabetes for years before they came up with the modern bacterial grown insulin.
Obviously, if you make/use insulin, you are doing so at your own risk, but it's good info to know in case SHTF.
Andy,
I understand your thoughts about the book, but I want to offer one thought and one caution.
First, I can see the drama of the college student army vs. biker gang appealing to a larger audience than survivalists. Plenty of Americans just like to watch Mad Max, etc. and do nothing to prep. So, if I wanted maximum appeal to get the word out I can see why the author might add such drama. It's kind of like the obligatory love/sex/nudity stuff in a military film.
As for the caution, please do not discount the "gang" portion of the book as unrealistic! I've spent 2 years of my life in beautiful places like Somalia, Haiti and Afghanistan and I'm here to tell ya "gangs" exist in a void of government and security. They have different names. In Somalia they are called clans. In Afghanistan the name is tribe and in Haiti they are called gangs. They all have the same thing in common; POWER. They own the guns and thus get the food. If you are in their way they will rape your wife and daughters, kill your sons, and a$$ rape you and then take all of your stuff. I've seen it in all three countries. EVIL does indeed exist.
Please do not underestimate the potential evil that might exist in our own society if there is a collapse.
Good book. My wife went to Walmart for more food and ammo after reading it. She also put together a bag to keep in her car. You can't argue with that.
I've passed One Second After on to two friends already. Once it makes the rounds it will go to a used bookstore just like Patriots. Hopefully someone else is now passing Rawle's book around to their friends.
By the way, sharing these books are great icebreakers when you think someone might be survival minded and you don't want to give out too much personal info.
Lights Out is a much better book (free) on the subject of EMP.
Also, remember this is a very low probability scenario.
Continental U.S.-wide EMP requires a true multi-megaton (thermonuclear) fission-fusion device to be detonated several hundred miles up.
A crude Hiroshima-size fission-only weapon won't suffice, nor can a Scud or other 3rd-world missile lift such a payload to the height required.
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