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The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse Paperback – September 11, 2009

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,205 ratings

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The Modern Survival Manual is based on first hand experience of the 2001 Economic Collapse in Argentina. In it you will find a variety of subjects that the author considers essential if a person wants to be prepared for tougher times: -How to prepare your family, yourself, your home and your vehicle -How to prepare your finances so that you don't suffer what millions in my country went through -How to prepare your supplies for food shortages and power failures -How to correctly fight with a chair, gun, knife, pen or choke with your bare hands if required -Most important, how to reach a good awareness level so that you can avoid having to do all that These are just a few examples of what you will find in this book. It's about Attitude, and being a more capable person and get the politically correct wimp out of your system completely.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fernando "FerFAL" Aguirre is a father, husband and survivalist that has lived through the Argentine socio-economic collapse of 2001, and the consequences such collapse had in the years that followed. He's the author of numerous articles found on line and is recognized among the survival and preparedness community for his personal experience and no-nonsense approach to survivalism. He's also the publisher and owner of "Surviving in Argentina", a blog he keep up with updated articles, posts as well as reports of the situation in Argentina.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fernando Aguirre; First Edition (September 11, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 254 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9870563457
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9870563457
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.58 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,205 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,205 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's advice useful and practical. They describe it as an enjoyable read with a conversational tone. Many find the book realistic and honest about surviving a crisis. The book provides a straightforward reference guide for common-sense preparations. However, opinions differ on the language.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

270 customers mention "Information quality"264 positive6 negative

Customers find the book provides helpful advice and insights. They appreciate the common sense and valuable insights from the author's own experience surviving the economic downturn. The book helps readers organize their thoughts and get their possessions in order. Readers also mention that the advice is honest, relevant, and specific.

"...Practical, real, current, relevant, helpful, specific advice, specific things to have on hand, discusses: money, banking, bartering, security, guns/..." Read more

"...This very important information, combined with Aguirre's personable and often humorous writing style, makes it very difficult to put this book..." Read more

"...got that colorful way of speaking, that hard edge, and a lot of great information to share. Also, he loves [I mean LOVES] guns and weapons...." Read more

"...with the pointer to 'combine this control of fear with high levels of situational awareness and you'll be well-prepared to face danger and violence.'..." Read more

182 customers mention "Readability"171 positive11 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They appreciate the author's awareness of social issues that lead to crime. The advice provided is clear and practical, making it worth the time and expense. The conversational tone makes it enjoyable to read.

"...It is priceless, truly. It is the single most useful book I've found on the subject...." Read more

"...This was a good book. The writing style, although rambling at times, and still needing to be edited a little more, is packed with good information...." Read more

"...Probably the best book you could buy for yourself and your family to prepare for anything...." Read more

"...His blog is great, check it out (I actually came to purchase the book after stumbling upon his blog)...." Read more

102 customers mention "Survival book"102 positive0 negative

Customers find the book practical and helpful for survival. They appreciate the author's real-world experience and lessons from crisis situations. The mindset of a survivor is also addressed in the book. Readers say it will help them survive when society collapses.

"...like most about this book besides what I said above is that it is a REAL example of what probably will happen to one degree or another in the coming..." Read more

"...important thing about this book is it offers the reader a chance to learn from actual lived experience, rather than speculation...." Read more

"...So this thirteen year old preparedness book has stood the test of time; the author has written an 80,000 word document that builds into an after-..." Read more

"...It’s packed with practical advice and real-world lessons that could prove crucial in tough times...." Read more

64 customers mention "Realistic"49 positive15 negative

Customers find the book realistic and honest. They appreciate its genuine advice and a good window into a post-SHTF world. The book covers the reality-based information they need, providing a true story instead of conjecture.

"...This very important information, combined with Aguirre's personable and often humorous writing style, makes it very difficult to put this book..." Read more

"...This Modern Survival Manual is informed by a grounded realism as it pursues an 'after action review' of the early 2000s economic downturn in..." Read more

"...similar books just buy this one because it’s the most practical and realistic" Read more

"...The good: - Sincere, honest advice from a smart guy. The author doesn't pull any punches. His English is fine by the way...." Read more

29 customers mention "Surviving an economic collapse"23 positive6 negative

Customers find the book provides a realistic view of an economic collapse. They say it offers decent tips for surviving a financial collapse and is practical. Readers appreciate the author's first-hand account of the 2001 economic crisis and his valuable insight into how nations collapse. The book offers practical advice that will get you out of trouble in an economic downturn.

"...retreat fantasies, this one gives practical, realistic advice for surviving an economic crisis while living in civilization, not hiding from it...." Read more

"...the 2001 collapse of the Argentine economy, he has invaluable insight into how nations collapse and what does, and does not work to live in such a..." Read more

"The book is just as the title says, a modern survival manual for an economic collapse...." Read more

"...an inefficient legal system, failing public institutions, crumbling infrastructure, a cultural change for the worse, more extreme poverty and..." Read more

18 customers mention "Ease of preparation"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for prepping. They say it's a quick-start reference guide that provides common sense approaches to preparation. It offers practical ways to get by in small steps and builds an affordable, executable survival plan. The book is described as an excellent starting point for those looking for realistic preparation.

"...His advice on Firearms is dead on I own a Glock they're simple and very reliable...." Read more

"...It is very much a quick-start reference guide, rather than a sprawling narrative filled with speculative "what-ifs"...." Read more

"...with these shortcoming, this book contains first-hand advice that is simple, practical, and quite honestly, priceless." Read more

"...Best prepping book I've read. Hands down." Read more

107 customers mention "Language"56 positive51 negative

Customers have different views on the book's language. Some find it friendly, easy to read, and engaging. Others mention issues with grammatical errors, harsh language, misspellings, and dense writing.

"...It is not. This book is extremely well written, in a very engaging style...." Read more

"...The author can be brutal at times, use harsh language at times, but he doesn't hold back from what you need to know and might expect in a similar..." Read more

"...This was a good book. The writing style, although rambling at times, and still needing to be edited a little more, is packed with good information...." Read more

"...This book is densely written, and the typical reader will likely need a few different sessions to engage with the material...." Read more

44 customers mention "Value for money"28 positive16 negative

Customers have different views on the book's value for money. Some find it worthwhile with useful lessons on money, food storage, protection, and common sense solutions based on practical experiences. Others feel it's a bit pricey and lacks diagrams. There are mixed opinions on the economic aspects and debt load.

"...helpful, specific advice, specific things to have on hand, discusses: money, banking, bartering, security, guns/weapons, living a "new normal" life,..." Read more

"...However, Aguirre has no competition. This book is easily worth 3 times the price...." Read more

"...Aguirre publishes the book himself, and it's expensive for that reason. He describes being turned down by a number of publishers...." Read more

"...Wouldn't that be brilliant? All in all, this book is WELL worth the money...." Read more

Great realistic information; Poor presentation
4 out of 5 stars
Great realistic information; Poor presentation
I sincerely like the information in this book. I think that its strongest suit is that its based upon real life experience. I find the advice in this book to be excellent in general. This is in contrast to most of the other survival books out there that are based on pure fantasy: that you can survive in some sort of expensive remote compound being self sufficient. If you find yourself living in a major metropolitan city and have fears of TSHTF than this is the book for you!While the premise of the book is an economic collapse such as Argentina underwent; most of the advice would be applicable to many other real-life emergencies such as tornadoes, hurricanes, Earthquakes, and riots (think Rodney King Riots in LA).Among the excellent topics that Mr. Aguirre goes into: Having enough Water and Food, getting by without electricity, Transportation, Security and personal defense, including the authors opinions on what types and specific models of firearms to consider becoming proficient in.However, a few qualifiers: 1) the organization of the book is sub par ( there are no chapter divisions and no index): 2) there are no photos or diagrams and that's weak for a $25 book: 3) some of the advice is just not relevant to anyone living in the USA ( for instance his discussion of old renaults and fuel choice) 4) there is some potentially offensive language that's totally unnecessary 5) its written by someone whose first language isn't English ( so expect the occasional typo or grammatical error).That being said the book is the best advice I have seen on how a society could change overnight. Many of the issues brought up have borne themselves out on television in recent events. The earthquakes in Chile and Haiti are prime examples. I agree with prior posters that this book is in serious need of a 2nd edition. BOTTOM LINE With that being said I would still recommend the book to a friend, even with the $25 price tag.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2012
    I've been looking for some type of survival book that didn't make me feel like a "survival kook" or a paranoid "the world is coming to and end" kind of person...Not that everyone who believes that the end is near crazy; however, I just wanted something that was closer to what I think may be coming and also something I can easily understand, model the advice for my situation, and give me a little more peace of mind.

    What I am preparing for - just in case:

    I live in California where we have earthquakes, out of control fires, mudslides, a lot of people in an urban environment, etc.
    So, my first goal to justify getting "Prepped" was to cover the necessities if we had a natural disaster that knocked out utilities (power, water, gas), caused a run on the grocery stores so food was scarce, and caused some possible social unrest due to the chaos that might result from a natural disaster.

    With the above disaster preparation mind-set, I could easily justify to my wife and family why we needed to have extra food on hand beyond the usual week or two we usually stored. I could easily justify why we needed to store 100+ gallons of water and have portable water filters available to use for other sources of clean water. I could easily justify why we needed emergency supplies we never had on hand before (e.g. backup battery generator, flashlights, windup radios, batteries, solar powered devices, solar power chargers, tools (axe, saw, sledgehammer, knives, folding shovels, etc.), food storage containers, walkie talkies for communication, and on and on....These things, and much more, I quickly began to accumulate as part of my emergency preparation.

    And because I told my wife and kids what I was doing with all this "stuff" and more importantly why I was getting all this "stuff", they got it and understood and didn't think I was a paranoid survival nut (not that there is anything wrong with being a paranoid survival nut - we all have our own idiosyncrasies that make us seem odd to others don't we?)

    Why am I telling all this stuff in a review about a book?

    Because the next progression or 2nd goal in my preparedness approach is to prepare for a total financial collapse of our current financial and economic systems. One would have to have their head buried in the sand to not see what is happening all over the world right now (Feb 2012). There's too much to discuss about the particulars of what I've been reading and seeing coming for the last decade or more so I won't go into details about the pending additional financial meltdown that inevitably coming. Suffice it is to say that financial trouble is going to get worse so please prepare now.

    So, I don't leave you with a gloom and doom we are screwed picture of our future, know this: History has already shown us several examples of what we will experience in the coming decade. I personally feel we will bottom out about 2016 (based on other study and books I've read on this topic). History has shown that the world will not end, people do survive and come out at the end, things will get better, and life does move on and continue - just not for everyone. Sorry about that last comment "just not for everyone" but that is just a dose of truth. Tough times leads some in society who cannot cope, who aren't prepared, who might feel let down by their government, who may have an entitlement mindset, who may have nothing left and therefore have nothing to lose, to move towards a more violent approach to get what they need to survive. Most of us will survive the economic collapse. Society will continue. Happier times and more prosperous times will be back. That's the cycle of mankind for ages and ages. Always has and always will be the way things are as long as we are human. Society & economies ebb and flow in waves of optimism and pessimism. You have a choice. Either see life as it is and accept it, adapt to it, work to make it better...OR...be a victim, be in denial, pretend nothing is wrong. YOU DECIDE RIGHT NOW...which attitude YOU want to have!

    Now Why You Should Read This Book ASAP:

    Because the author gives his personal experience of an economic collapse in his home country of Argentina in the early 2000's. He tells us what to expect, what life was like and is like after the collapse, the attitude you must have in order to survive, the skills you might need to cultivate, the tools you'll need to stock up on, weapons that you might want to acquire for personal security, and many practical, real - not theories - of what happens when society breaks down, when governments go broke and can no longer provide security and the infrastructure needed in a peaceful society, and much, much more.

    The author can be brutal at times, use harsh language at times, but he doesn't hold back from what you need to know and might expect in a similar circumstance - should this ever happen in your home country.

    What I like most about this book besides what I said above is that it is a REAL example of what probably will happen to one degree or another in the coming years. So you don't have to fear the worst - that world is going to end and everyone will live in a "Mad Max" apocalyptic world.

    He lived through the worst of the economic collapse in his country, adapted to the new way of life after the collapse, added the skills needed to survive and provide for his family, and shares with the reader how they can do the same. What more can you ask for in a book like this? Practical, real, current, relevant, helpful, specific advice, specific things to have on hand, discusses: money, banking, bartering, security, guns/weapons, living a "new normal" life, and surviving - which is the whole point isn't it?

    I hope you enjoyed this review. I'm in no way associated to the author. I'm passionate about helping others. I love life. I love my country. I love the freedoms I get to enjoy living in the US. I love my friends and family. I want my kids to live in a free and prosperous world. I believe in God and that He has a plan for all of us. Life is precious. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Enjoy each and everyday as if it was your last day on earth - someday it will be.

    We will get through what's coming - especially people like us who are seeking, learning, and adapting.

    God Bless all of you and thank you for reading my review.

    Have a great day, get yourself prepared more a little each day, get this book, and have peace of mind knowing you are not alone.

    --- With love, Tim H
    55 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013
    I've been preparing for over a year now and thought that I had done most of what I needed to do. This book showed me that I've really just begun. Even before I finished the book, it spurred me to make some changes, and I now have a much longer "to do" list.

    I bought this book because I wanted a first-hand account of daily life during and after a monetary collapse. The closest thing to this book is "When Money Dies" by Adam Fergusson. That book describes what happened during the hyperinflation in Weimar Germany in the early 1920s. In that book, there are a few personal accounts of what life was really like in that period, but mostly Fergusson focuses on more objective changes (such as prices, political events, and so on).

    In the Modern Survival Manual, Aguirre describes many of his and others' experiences in Argentina in 2001 and the time since. He also gives a lot of advice and interpretation. The reader doesn't have to agree with everything he recommends or interprets to get a lot of value from this book. The $25 price may seem pretty high for a lightly edited, self-published paperback of this length (250 pages). However, Aguirre has no competition. This book is easily worth 3 times the price.

    It's remarkable that no one else has written a first-person account of living through a monetary collapse. It would be great for other authors to report their own experiences like Aguirre does, and give ordinary people and historians a sense of what happens (and what to expect) in these circumstances.

    One thing to consider when reading this book is that when Argentina defaulted on its loans and the Argentine peso crashed, there were other currencies that were still considered solid, such as Euros and US dollars. Just as in Weimar Germany, Argentines could still usually carry out business with other currencies (although not always easily) and migrate to other countries to escape the chaos. If the US dollar were to collapse, essentially all other fiat currencies (that is, ALL other currencies in the world) would collapse, too, because the dollar is the world reserve currency. So there likely wouldn't be any alternate currency people could use and there might not be any country that would offer a safe haven. This means that the circumstances Aguirre describes could be considered to be something like a best case scenario for people in developed countries if the US dollar were to collapse.

    The most important thing about this book is it offers the reader a chance to learn from actual lived experience, rather than speculation. This very important information, combined with Aguirre's personable and often humorous writing style, makes it very difficult to put this book down.

    Thank you, Mr. Aguirre!
    14 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Yavor Lazarov
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fernando is the man!
    Reviewed in Germany on February 25, 2021
    Bought this book with great expectations and they were mostly met. If you want advice and SHTF survival tips from a guy that has actually lived through a crisis, then this book has to be on your bookshelf. Learned a few valuable tricks and ideas that I hadn't met written or talked about anywhere else. Recommended!
  • Octavi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bien, es necesaria complementar su visión de las armas
    Reviewed in Spain on April 13, 2020
    Una aproximación muy realista y lógica a la preparación.
    Solamente la parte de armas creo que está sesgada debido a su pasión por las mismas ya que para Fernando “es una cuestión de principios, los hombres libres tienen armas” comenta. Alguien con conocimiento en el uso de armas como él ya indica que ha estado a punto de matar a dos familiares y su abuelo se disparó en la mano, por lo que no debe infravalorarse este riesgo, pero se agradece su sinceridad. En Europa, al menos, creo que la recomendación no es acertada en la situación actual.
    Veo importante en este punto complementar el libro con estudios sobre el incremento del riesgo al tener armas en casa.
    Por el resto, muy bien, te hace reflexionar y probablemente prepararte mejor, mental y materialmente.
  • Andy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating details of an economic collapse
    Reviewed in Australia on August 17, 2024
    This book is well written and although its definitely developed towards a US audience, i found it extremely valuable.

    Certainly the most valuable book on effects on a society in an economic breakdown i have found.

    While doomsday threats of wars, damaging natural events, terrorist attacks or EMPs, economic collapses are quite common in some countries.

    Great book, definitely recommended
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bar none, the best book on the subject out there.
    Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2016
    I have read and own many books that cover the topics of survival, self-defence, and disaster mitigation, both because of the nature of my work (law enforcement/military) and also because I believe it to be of great importance of late due to geopolitical and economic instability around the globe. Having said this, I found this book to be a cut above the rest. It is a very down-to-earth, candid, and pragmatic look at various things a person needs to consider before and during an economic collapse. Because Mr. Aguirre has lived through this very thing in Argentina, he draws from firsthand experience. This book is not 'fear porn', unlike many of the other books on the subject, some of which I found to be quite absurd and impractical.

    I think this book will benefit any person who is looking to harden themselves and their loved ones for an economic collapse/depression scenario - from the novice to the veteran survivalist. For that matter, even the people out there who believe such an event would result in 'the Walking Dead' or 'Mad Max' would benefit greatly from reading Mr. Aguirre's words.

    I made a point of personally emailing Mr. Aguirre, telling him what I thought of this book, but I decided to write a review on it here so that everyone else considering purchasing this book knows that it is a very wise investment.
  • Alb Pix
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interessante sotto tutti punti di vista
    Reviewed in Italy on February 2, 2016
    Interessante sotto tutti punti di vista: tattici, pratici e teorici. Sul blog di Ferfal si trovano i medesimi argomenti ma il libro ha una maggiore valenza in quanto si può leggere e rileggere. Consigliato a chi interessa l'argomento "surviving" nella versione più ampia e soprattutto urbana.