The title is "EMP Survival," not how to build faraday cages, etc. While there is good information about faraday cages and other engineering and theoretical information, the value of this book is that it combines some excellent, practical, and detailed tips about real survival (from the author's experience, not just from someone else's "be prepared for disaster" list). In addition, he emphasizes how an EMP can (and would) strike with probably no warning to the general public. At first it would seem that your power is simply out - something we've all experienced. But it then goes on to explain how to determine that we've been hit with an EMP by trying other electronic devices. He goes over what might work, what might or probably would not work, and somewhat on how to protect AGAINST an EMP. This isn't an engineering book, and should not be rated against that criteria. And at the "Kindle" price for our Andriod phone, it was outstanding. While we already practice some emergency preparation items including food storage, cooking options, heating, light, protection, etc., this had some tips and personal experience with various products or commodities that was very helpful to us. It's great for beginners as well as those reasonably far along in their preparation - particularly those that have not been very aware of EMP as a very real potential threat. It can even happen because of a large solar storm, not just from a terrorist nuclear device.
It should be noted that a freighter just miles off one of our coasts could launch a short to medium range missile with a relatively small nuclear bomb, and get it high enough to create a devastating EMP across hundreds or even thousands of square miles. And a larger missile (such as an ICBM) carrying a larger device that detonates over the central US (over Iowa, approximately), at a height of around 250 miles, would likely result in the loss of almost all electronic equipment (including the power grid system) nation wide. Recovery from a nation-wide event would likely be measured in years, not weeks or months like a more localized EMP - and the author stresses that possibility very well, I think. No heating/cooking (except fires), no refrigeration, no mechanized transportation, no power tools, no natural gas, no water - basically, we'd be in the early 1800s in an instant, with no way forward for a long, long time. Preparation is a must.
This isn't just a theoretical but highly improbable event - it's a very real threat that Congress has investigated many times. We just don't hear about it on the nightly news, where politics or Hollywood scandals dominate the headlines.
