Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios

In this impressively comprehensive manual, suburban mom Bedford helps readers learn about, prepare for, and respond to all manner of disasters, such as job loss, catastrophic weather events, and medical emergencies. Bedford’s transformation into a preparedness expert was gradual: at the dawn of Y2K, the married mother of a toddler bought extra toilet paper; later, she stashed blankets and water in her car. She got serious in the wake of America’s economic woes, but online resources were written by and for men, not suburban moms like her. In 2009, she launched the SurvivalMom.com blog and, now, this book. Information is presented in a variety of digestible formats, from “Instant Survival Tip” sidebars to a list of “Lessons from the Great Depression.” But while Bedford offers a valuable roadmap to storing tangibles like food and supplies, she advocates situational awareness and staying healthy and fit. It’s sobering stuff, to be sure, but Bedford’s matter-of-fact yet supportive tone will help keep the willies at bay. (Apr.)