Life After Terrorism

Life After Terrorism is a well-researched book containing a wealth of information not only on what terrorists may do next, but also what they are unlikely to do next. Before you think this is just a book for survivalists, keep reading.

Author Bruce D. Clayton P.h.D. draws you into the world of terrorists and their motives with a rollercoaster description of what could happen, and then explains why most of our worries about terrorists are unfounded. Of course, the next loop in the rollercoaster is just ahead when he explains what is highly likely and why.

Highlights Of Life After Terrorism

The book is well written and entertaining to read, which is rather shocking for a survival book. The vast majority of survival books are badly written, poorly edited, or painfully dry; in some cases all of the above. It’s no Emergency, but it is still pretty darn good.

Life After Terrorism is grounded in reality and sanity. The author lays out the facts, options, and scenarios, and explains how likely each given scenario is to happen. This was actually a very pleasant approach. You get a little jolt of excitement from the idea of some dramatic catastrophe. Then you are safely brought back down to reality.

Bruce Clayton stays out of politics and religion, which seems to be next to impossible for most authors. While I understand the desire to incorporate these themes, leaving them out certainly makes for a more pleasurable read.

While the author does not go into detail about any one topic, there are some good useful tips about things like planning evacuation routes, and why gas masks and HAZMAT suits will not be very useful. The majority of the tips are what not to do or worry about; it’s a different twist.

About Terrorism

Dr. Clayton does a very nice job of breaking the different types of terrorists and their motives down into six major groups: Lunatic Loners, Fringe Groups, Religious Cults, Revolution and Resistance, State-Sponsored Terrorism, and International Terror.

One interesting fact about terrorism brought up in the book is that “al Qaeda is an umbrella organization” with many heads. “Al Qaeda is not a snake,” Clayton says. “It is a hydra. Cut off one head and two will grow back.”

Gripes

“Move to the country.” That’s the answer most often given to survivalists. While this is a good solution in some ways, it is not perfect. It’s also simply not where most people live or want to live. Thankfully, the author does not go on at length and turn moving to the country for survival purposes into a soapbox rant.

Life After Terrorism contains a few items that were current when it was published in 2002, but which are now dated.

A History of Terrorists it’s not. While historical references are made, any detailed or even brief history of terrorism is missing from Life After Terrorism. Including a history of terrorists in the book would have been a nice lead-in and provided an interesting look at how terrorism has evolved over the years.

Dr. Clayton rails at militias and makes some rather sweeping generalizations about them. I don’t belong to one, but I also don’t believe they are all Revolution and Resistance terrorist organizations.

Recommended Purchase

Of all the survival-related books I have read, this one is up there in the top five for Urban Survivalists. It was a pleasure to read, and its faults were easy to overlook. Even if you are not a survivalist, given the times we live in, it’s still a good read for anyone who likes to stay informed.

Life After Terrorism on Amazon

• ISBN 10: 1-58160-599-4
• ISBN 13: 978-1-58160-599-0
• Copyright 2002 by Bruce Clayton, Ph.D.
• Published by Paladin Press

Other Books by Bruce Clayton

Life After Doomsday: A Survivalist Guide to Nuclear War and Other Major Disasters