FM21-76

If we were placed in a post-apocalyptic situation and I could only save one book, it would be the U.S. Army Survival Manual. The reason I would choose this book is as simple as its title, survival. In a post-apocalyptic world everyone is trying to survive off very limited resources. With a majority of the population being reliant on technology for survival, these people have no idea on how to survive as an actual human being. When you use technology for survival, you become dependent. This dependency causes many people to lose their ability to survive. It's the same concept with animals in the zoo. You have a 500 pound lion that has spent it's entire life in captivity, then you go release it into the wild. This lion would almost certainly die because its never had to learn to survive. Sure there are natural instincts that all humans have, but these only let you know what you need to do to survive, not how to do it. This book provides insight on how to survive in almost all circumstances and conditions on earth. Everything from shelter building to removing venom after a snake bite are covered in this book. I have read it twice and have learned a great deal from it.