Gaye Levy
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Today’s entry in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival is Escaping Home by A. American. By now you know that A. American is the author of the hugely popular books, Going Home and Surviving Home which are part of the Survivalist Series. I shared an interview with A. American a few weeks ago and he is currently working on answers to some additional questions.
But in the meantime, I have an excerpt of his latest book for you, plus, one of our most fabulous book giveaways yet: a copy of all three books in the Survivalist Series. Now how cool is that?
Sitting by the fire reading ESCAPING HOME
An Excerpt from Escaping Home
The following excerpt will give a sense not only of what Escaping Home is about, but of A. American’s writing style.
It took weeks to walk to home, but I made it. The entire time I was focused on just getting there. I never really gave much thought to what would happen afterward. Even my most pessimistic thoughts of how life would be at home didn’t come close to the reality. Now our neighborhood is basically empty. Many have simply disappeared. We are down to our small group now: my family, my neighbors Danny and Bobbie, and Sarge and his gang. Fewer people around means more eyes on us, attention we certainly do not want.
In the Before, people used to talk about the FEMA camps and whether or not they would ever choose to go into them. In the Now, with the harsh light of reality shining on the situation, many of those who said they would never be taken to one of these camps were happy to walk in on their own. We’ve been the target of raiders and of the federal government, both apparently trying to force us into the camps. Now we must decide whether to stay and fight, or find someplace to retreat to. Escape may be our only option.
We have a place—the perfect place for long-term survival, really. But my family, Mel and the girls, may not be ready for it. While the rest of the country may have fallen apart, our preparations are mitigating the effects they feel. With running water, power and abundant stored food—at least for now—they see it as an apocalyptic holiday. But there are forces at play, beyond our control, that may bring about this last desperate move.
Life in the camps isn’t what it appears to be. While there is food, water and warmth, the price is near slave labor and virtual imprisonment. In the care and custody of FEMA, backed up by the DHS, those inside the camp have no rights, no freedom and, worse yet, are exposed to the possible brutality of their caretakers
So What do I Think?
Having read the first two books in the series, I was anxiously waiting for this one to be released. Although I am only partially through it, I have not been disappointed.
Part of A. American’s writing style is to talk about feelings. You know – the same types of feelings, issues and concerns that we have as we attempt to prepare our mindset for a collapse situation and heaven forbid, strategies for making our way back to our families in a SHTF society.
To me, ignoring feelings and emotions is catamount to ignoring the seriousness of the matter. A. American writes about the humanness of his character’s feelings and for that reason, I look forward to each of his books.
The Book Giveaway
A copy of all three books in the Survivalist Series (including Escaping Home. Going Home, and Surviving Home has been reserved for one lucky reader. Here is this week’s question:
How far could you walk to make it home if you were separated from your family?
To enter the giveaway, you need to answer this question by responding in the comments area at the end of this article. The deadline is 6:00 PM Pacific next Wednesday. The winner will be notified by email plus there will be an announcement in the Sunday Survival Buzz. He or she will have 48 hours to claim the winning books.
Note: If you are reading this article in your email client, you must go to the Backdoor Survival website to enter this giveaway in the comments area at the bottom of the article.
The Final Word
Have you ever wondered why I ask these questions? The reason is simple. By answering questions that are part of the BDS giveaways, you are forced to think about various situations and assess how prepared you are given a particular aspect of your preps. Sneaky of me, I know.
I hope you will enter the giveaway to win your own copy of A. American’s Survivalist Series. And just in case you missed his interview, here is a link: Going Home and Surviving Home: An Interview with A. American.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Spotlight Item: Escaping Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)
When society ceases to exist, who can you trust?
After the collapse of the nation’s power grid, America is under martial law—and safety is an illusion. As violence erupts around him, Morgan Carter faces one of his most difficult decisions yet: whether to stay and defend his home, or move to a more isolated area, away from the prying eyes of the government. He and his family are hesitant to leave their beloved Lake County, but with increasingly suspicious activities happening in a nearby refugee camp, all signs point towards defecting. Morgan and his friends aren’t going to leave without a fight, though—and they’ll do anything to protect their freedoms.
Escaping Home describes the struggle to live in a world with no rules, and how, sometimes, the strength of family is the only thing that can pull you through.
Bargain Bin: Today is all about books. Listed below are all of the books in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival. There are both fiction and non-fiction titles and a bit of something for everyone.
THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK FESTIVAL 4.0 – NON-FICTION
Backyard Cuisine: Bringing Foraged Food to Your Table
Home Remedies
Living on the Edge: A Family’s Journey to Self-Sufficiency
Make It Last: Prolonging + Preserving the Things We Love
Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills
The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms: Helpful Tips for Mushrooming in the Field
Good Clean Food
The Amazing 2000-Hour Flashlight
Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living
The People’s Apocalypse
Go Green, Spend Less, Live Better
THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK FESTIVAL 4.0 – FICTION
Going Home: A Novel of Survival (The Survivalist Series)
Surviving Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)
Expatriates: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse
The Border Marches
Rivers: A Novel
After the Blackout
The End: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series)
The Long Road: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series)
3 Prepper Romances: Escape To My Arms, plus 2 other e-books (your choice)
Prepper Pete Prepares: An Introduction to Prepping for Kids
THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK FESTIVAL 4.0 – LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS
The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
Escaping Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)
Living Ready Pocket Manual – First Aid: Fundamentals for Survival
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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials
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The Amazon Top Ten Most Wanted Survival and Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!
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11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: This little book will provide you with the motivation to get started or stay on track with a self-reliant life. 11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life, co-authored with my long time pal, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com), and can purchased from Amazon.
90 Responses to “BDS Book Festival – Escaping Home and The Survivalist Series”
I know this is an older blog article, but I could not resist posting because I loved the A. American book trilogy so much. I’ve said this before but will say it again: I learn more about prepping and survival from fiction than non-fiction. These books are really well-thought out and entertaining, as well as being graphic about some serious issues. I would recommend to anyone interested in prepping and survival.
When does the next book come out. I was really disappointed this morning when I read the last sentence this morning in Escaping Home and did not have the next book to keep reading. I just loved these books.
If we have the time, we could walk any distance. If walking carrying our emergency kits, we would be traveling slower and probably more circuitously, to avoid dangerous encounters. Most days we are not much more than 30 miles from home. All the way home I’d be wishing I had a collapsible bike.
I would walk as far and as long as I had to get home to my family because as everyone else has said Family is what is important to survival. I would pray I would make it home & they would too if they were not. If my family was not with me, I would worry about them.
Since i am ex military i have done the 20 mile road march and let me tell you it is not easy and to be physically able to do that distance now would be a miracle. That said the answer to my dilema if driving were not possible is 750 miles that is the distance i would ave to go to get home if a disaster strikes when i am at work so fair warning lock up your bicycles if you plan on needing them because i will definetly be “borrowing” a few to get home.
This is a hard question to answer with a short response especially when we do not know how our bodies respond with rashoned food. in short i would take however long it took to walk however far i needed to go to get back to my family and retreat.
about a year ago i set out to see how my body would respond to less food than normal. (part weight loss and part testing myself. 1,950 calories was my total intake of food for the first 5 days, then i went upto 1,000 calories per day for 37 more days. this was to be a 42 day test. i did plenty of research about minerals and vitamins to give me what i would be lacking in food intake.
days 4 and 5 were the hardest as i was getting dizzy and light headed. when i moved to 1,000 calories per day with the vitamins and minerial supliments i was much better. my duties at work require that i walk between 5 and 9 miles a day. so as long as i kept a steady pace i was ok.
now that i know what to expect if i am forced to ration my food i know what is reasonable for me. i keep my car kit in my truck (in a back pack) at all times and i keep 4 things for food. Jerky, honey, peanut butter and SOS food labs Datrex inc food rations. this is a baked product which i like much better than most of the other stuff on the market for lots of calories is small packages. A good stach of the vitamins and mineral supliments are also in my pack. i keep about 30,000 calories in my truck. i also have all the assorted other non food items you would expect.
yes the pack is heavy but i weigh in at about 260lb with much less body fat that a year ago. i live in the pacific nw and love going for hikes with my wife. about once a month i will bring along the pack so i stay use to it.
one more thought. do NOT try what i did with out talking to your doctor as without the vitamins and minerals we came up with i would not have been able to go the whole 42 days with out hurting my health.
sorry for the long response, but this is the short version of my notes. enjoy and stay prepared
I would walk whatever distance I needed too. I have been powerwalking as exercise for years. I vary the walk and what I wear and the terrain to help me be prepared. I walk in all types of weather conditions. We have a plan and I have marked off distances from my office to home. When I travel from there to home. I hope I am ready, and I hope I do not have to prove it.
But to borrow and maybe paraphrase the words of “Twenty-five Miles” by Edwin Starr:
Cause I got a good woman waiting for me, that’s gonna make this trip worthwhile; cause she’s got the kind of lovin and kissin that makes this grown man go wild. So I got to keep on walking, huh, I got to walk on!
Come on feet don’t fail me now, I got ten more miles to go, I got nine, ( step on step on) eight, seven, six, I got a five more miles to go now, over the hill and just around the bend, Huh, although my feet are tired I can’t lose my stride I got to get to my baby again!
So I keep on walking, Huh, I got to walk on……
Off subject a little we borrowed On the Beach” (the old black and white version) from a local library and watched it. It gave us some good discussion. It is long and slow at times, but makes you think.
Bill – Edwin Starr who did “War”, right? I am off to get the .mp3! It is also on YouTube if anyone wants to hear it //youtu.be/hFredbE3goM.
Gaye:
That’s the man. “War” is a pretty good song too. I sang a little to my wife the other morning and made her smile.