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 would walk the 12 miles from my work to home in a few hours , unless the bridge was shut down …then It would take me a week or more to walk around to the next available crossing. But I would get there eventually ……
I would walk as far and as long as I could physically do so.
I live in a modest sized community and work from home. No matter how far I away from home I might be if an event should be I’d move heaven and hell to get back there.
With 3 designated gathering places (use the closest one, unless circumstances don’t allow and leave message showing where you are going next) already identified, none of us would go home, but we WILL meet up!
I am about 90 miles from my daughter so that is how far I would walk. That being said, we (daughter, husband, husband’s family and I) are making plans that would be more centralized to where we all live. SIL’s family is scattered from Olympia on the south to Everett on the north end. Then out to the peninsula. We are all hoping to purchase a place we can bug out to that we can all easily get to. We are looking at property in the rural areas so I may not need to walk far at all. They may all come to me/my area.
I would walk as far as I have to, just to get to my kids, and then to get them to safety.
I am sometimes 5,000 km from home or more. Typically I am no more than 14 hours driving time (1,400 km) from my home. Having said that I would walk the length and breadth of the America’s if that was what would be required.
As far as it takes, by hill and dale it would be my all-consuming objective on this earth.
As said by many responders here I do not travel very far from home (40-50 miles) and my family is usually there also. My daughter does live 8 hours away and we would certainly try to reach her. Walking long distances is in my genes. My great-grandfather walked to Gettysburg to participate in the great unrest and walked back home to SC afterwards. Given your hypothetical I would walk for as long and as far as it took to reach my home and family. Without family home is wherever I am.
Unfortunately I am not in the best shape, but I would never give up, it may take me a lot longer but I would never stop trying.