Preparing for an emergency can feel daunting, and it's tempting to instead just hope for the best and hope your batteries work when you need them.. But I felt this book makes the preparation process more accessible and attainable for the average person who's not a doomsday believer. You can bet this title was a source of info for me during the coronavirus! ( )

As far as books go, there are several genres and types that I gravitate toward. Books that tell you how to do things have a major attraction for me. I picked this book up from the library because it looked interesting, and it did not disappoint. Prepping 101 is an easy to follow guide on planning for the worst. Author Kathy Harrison provides step-by-step instructions on 40 different things you can do to be prepared.

A lot of times we don’t like to think of the worst happening, but it is a reasonable thought to have. Imagine a situation where utilities were out, roads were inaccessible, supermarkets were closed, and Gas Stations were shuttered. Could you provide for yourself and your family if such a thing were to happen? With our aging infrastructure and dependence on devices to do everything it would be quite difficult.

The most valuable thing this book offers, other than advice, is a mindset. It has plans for a lot of things. For instance, if you own your home, do you know where the utilities enter your house? Do you know how to flip the breakers to restore power? If you don’t, you should.

A lot of the book is focused on down-to-earth methods. Canning your own food, planning for water shortages, keeping your pets or children from panicking. In that sense, it is a great resource. It would probably be better to read it and prepare before something does happen though, and that is the most difficult thing of all. ( )

With short, actionable chapters full of suggestions and practical advice, I couldn't put this book down. Skipping the parts that don't apply to me, jumping to those that do - I found this a highly useful book that I'd easily recommend for anyone's reference guide. As well, the author is smart enough to know when other sources are required (for more in-depth conversations, recipes or how-to's); many of the chapters end with a recommended reading list.

I should note, as the author does: this is NOT a 'hunker down in the wilderness survival guide, nor a how to create a bunker information kit. It's meant for families, couples, singles - anyone dwelling in an environment where they might need to live without power, water, sewer or internet for weeks (as I did during a hurricane in the Bahamas a few years back).

My best recommendation? I've housesat full time for years, traveling around the world. I'd easily give this book as a gift to everyone whose homes and animals I've cared for. ( )

What I thought was going to be a handy manual for preparing for unexpected emergencies turned out to be a tiny bit more alarming than I had hoped.

The book begins with some moderate fear-mongering and then offers predictions of catastrophic pandemics and urges for communities to band together in resiliency groups. Hey, I just opened the book to look for tips on food storage and supplies needed for an extended loss of power. Let's take a breath. If I were not reviewing this book, I would have stopped reading at the introduction. Maybe lower the tone of imminent apocalypse so the readers do not do a runner.

Setting aside that, the book was organized very well, and had some great ideas about planning for emergencies.

The book will help the reader to learn how to:
- prepare a binder / container to safeguard your important documents (with a suggested list of documents)
- store food and water (and how much to store)
- make a water filter
- take care of pets during emergencies
- stay clean and healthy with a low water supply and/or no electricity
- dispose of all types of waste
and much more.

There is also a lot of great everyday advice like use local banks or credit unions, and volunteer to help others affected by disaster.

I did not care for the overwrought flavor of the introduction, but there are some good ideas inside. I would advise the reader to skip the introduction and go right to the useful information.

*eARC Netgalley* ( )