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Feb 14

What Three Survival Books Would You Choose?

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Recently I watched the movie, the Time Machine. At the end, as the hero returned to live in a world with no technology, he took along three books. The question was asked, “Which three books did he take back to his ‘new world?’”
Which three books would I want to inspire and teach a new world to become a community such as we have in the USA? (With all the good things we experience, freedom, good food, clean air; not the bad parts such as crime, nuclear threats or poverty). It is my responsibility, remember, to create this entire new society from scratch.
It was difficult to decide on just three books, as my mind went to at least ten ‘types’ of books I think would be necessary to create my perfect world.
1. FOOD: Something about crops, planting, nurturing, crop rotations, etc. Add animal husbandry-how to keep animals fed properly, with the addition of dealing with veterinary issues. To start with, we need at least four chickens, cows, pigs, horses, rabbits, fish, (all kinds) cats and dogs. Must have cats. What perfect world has no cats? Maybe the animal book is a completely separate book. (We are assuming we have means to grow crops, and access to tools, seed and all of our animal species).
2. COOKING – A basic cook book dealing with various ethnic foods recipes, including lasagna, chow Mein, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and a plethora of food choices. The book must have several recipes that heavily rely on chocolate. We want to know how to eat well to stay healthy, right? Our world will have access to all types of food, but we will have to learn to grow our own crops sooner or later…preferably later.
3. SURVIVAL SKILLS; We need a book relating to basic survival skills – building a fire, a shelter, getting water from point A to point B, First Aid, building a trap, a fishing pole, etc.
4. HEALTH: This book must teach about herbs and natural products to use for medicinal purposes. We have no Obama care in our world.
5. RELIGION: The Holy Bible – to build a faith- based society of Judeo=Christian values.
6. LAWS: A copy of the Constitution – We must have law and order.
7. ENLIGHTENMENT: A dictionary, thesaurus, school books to teach reading, writing, ‘rithmatic.
8. ART and SCIENCE: Several good books come to mind: You can only have three or choose your own. a. Don’t Be All Washed Up-Water Colors and You; b. Thrill at the Pottery Wheel; c. What was Einstein Really Thinking; d. Rembrandt–Not Just Toothpaste; e. Weather-Should I take My Umbrella Tomorrow? f. How to Create Electricity with a Potato; g Nuclear Fission-Better Not Go There; h. Was Picasso Really Crazy?
9. HISTORY: Digital Version of Encyclopedia Britannica with Smart Phone Reader.
10. INTERNET: Connections to Amazon and EBay with limited access, only for wise people over 35 for the purpose of ordering Cozy Mystery novels, and chocolate.

What kind of world would you create and what books would you bring if you had this opportunity?
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6 Responses for "What Three Survival Books Would You Choose?"

  1. James Callan says:

    Very interesting, Elaine. And tough. I’d want to find a way to glue several books together so they would only count as one.

  2. All the above 🙂 The first one that came to mind was a Bible followed by gardening and survival.

  3. Marja McGraw says:

    I particularly liked your comments about chocolate. So true. LOL

    I'd want to include How To books on making necessities like candles, soap, anything we'd need. I liked your list and it seems like you could base a mystery on these thoughts.

    • Elaine Faber says:

      Maybe we could expand the Ebay orders to things like bathroom tissue too. Would hate to live without it. Hadn't thought about a mystery. why don't you write it?

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