Book Review: Patriots

Patriots: A Novel of Surviving the Coming Apocalypse by James Wesley Rawles is a researched  account of surviving a massive economic collapse of the USA. The premise is that with federal obligations (welfare, medicaid, social security, etc.) increasing to the point that they match or exceed the gross national product, the government just starts printing money to try to get out of the hole. This leads a massive devaluation of the dollar and triple digit inflation. While this isn’t likely to happen, it is a possibility. The novel takes the viewpoint of various survivors:

1. A “survivalist” group from Chicago – you could either call them survivalist, or a conservative well organized commune with guns. Either way, I liked them. They did not come across as paranoid or anti-government nut jobs. This is a likeable group who tries to do good with their limited resources. Their stories often include tips that are good for being prepared for any emergency (not just a giant economic collapse).
2. A couple of brothers from eastern Washington – These two I did not like. They are on the run from the law for shooting police officers. They ignore and/or break laws they don’t like or  feel or constitutional. They also believe the Oklahoma City bombing was done by the US government (which is just as stupid as the idiotic belief that the 9/11 attacks were done by the US government).  These guys are the type who give Second Amendment rights supporters and preparedness advocates a bad name. THey are only in the book for one chapter. I find their inclusion nothing but the author’s excuse for a political diatribe

One of my first problems with this book is the theme of Christians being persecuted in today’s society. Maybe this is true in Chicago, but it is not true in Dallas. Another problem I have is the short shrift given to the US military. Even if they had to march in on their feet, they would not allow the kind of anarchy that happens in this book to occur. I think John Ringo’s take on a socio-economic collapse in The Last Centurion is a much more realistic approach to what would happen. John Ringo shows a better understanding of what drives the different types of communities in the USA. My biggest problem is the author’s take on how the US military and Western European militaries would act in a peacekeeping role. There is no way either group would take part in the large scale atrocities portrayed in the book. I believe the auther received the inspiration for their actions from the actions of UN peacekeepers in Africa. However, these “peacekeeping” troops are not from Western European or the US military. If my memory serves me correctly, they were from Pakistan or India.

Overall, I like most of the book (especially the real life preparedness tips). But, I really can’t recommend it for most of my friends.