Decline and Decay by A. American and Alan Kay is subtitled Strategies for Surviving the Coming Unpleasantness. This recently released book is written to help folks prepare for what is coming. I often find that mediocre books have lengthy or multiple introductions, notes, and forwards, and this book is no exception to my rule. It's one method of padding the page count.
The authors attempt to provide the reader with the necessary knowledge to survive civil unrest. It seems the authors took the shotgun approach to providing information. The chapter on fire is a good example. They have numerous photos depicting the hand drill method of starting a fire, along with three brief paragraphs describing the technique. Even after the photos and written description I was left with questions. Techniques are briefly discussed, but no details are discussed. Throughout the book most of the chapters are short, with very brief discussions regarding the material.
The communications chapter was written by NC Scout, and it covers most of the material from his RTO course, it's probably the best chapter in the book.
Overall, my feeling is the authors decided to jump on the civil unrest bandwagon, though they maintain that they started writing it in 2018. There are better books out there that cover the topic, like Lawson's Civil Defense Manuals or Martin's Prairie Fire. The authors of Decline and Decay do include a recommended reading list, as well as some internet links for survival type businesses and training facilities.
I really enjoy A. American's Getting Home series of novels, as they're both interesting and informative. I really expected a better non-fiction book on survival when A. American is one of the authors. I give Decline and Decay two stars out of five.
