Throughout the book you'll find personal stories accompanying the text to further illustrate or drive home a point. The use of these asides brings you into Matthew Stein's life, as he recounts personal stories of survival and tells the stories of others who have managed to overcome the odds to survive.

Not just a survival book, Matthew also covers topics like alternative therapies; how to create a survival mindset; survival strategies; renewable energy; companion gardening; prophecies etc. as well as all the regular topics found in such books - edible plants; first aid; making a survival kit; growing, hunting and foraging; making tools; creating shelters; spinning/weaving/tanning etc.

The book has some great illustrations that make plant identification and first aid that much easier to understand and each chapter finishes with a reference section listing books (along with a short review) and resources (with web addresses where available).

This book is supposed to have been 15 years in the making - and the time and effort taken by the author to research his topic really shows. When Technology Fails belongs in your survival library - as the publisher says, "it's a user-friendly manual for the 21st Century".

There are a lot of books out there that focus on singular aspects of what this author undertakes. I have not ever seen a book as comprehensive as this on the subject. Although the author is an engineer, the book is written for the layperson- and he does a great job doing it. It shows; he has extensively researched all of his topics and offers a huge reference section at the end of each of his chapters.

This author has a keen understanding of where the modern world is going- if something isn't quickly done to change its course; but rather than just complaining about the problems the world faces, he offers time proven solutions that every one of us can utilize, on our own.

With the threat of higher utility bills on the horizon, the timing of this book is uncanny. I truely believe that this may be one of the best books to have in the reference section of your personal library!

A good engineer understands technological theory and is able to apply it in the real world. A good teacher helps other people grasp an abstract idea and its concrete manifestations. A good writer can get an idea across to the reader.

In his new book "When Technology Fails", Matthew Stein succeeds as an engineer, teacher and writer. He demonstrates his broad knowledge of the field of self-reliance. He helped me better understand self-reliance concepts and, especially, their many applications. He writes clearly and concisely. It's a good how-to and why-to book. It does remind me of The Whole Earth Catalogue as the jacket suggests, but it covers many topics more deeply than its predecessor. The extensive bibliography makes it an excellent reference source if you want to explore a topic more, but one gets plenty of practical advice without going further. It also reminded me of my old scout handbook, loaded with self-reliance tips for everything from emergency survival to first aid to energy efficient, low-cost housing. I'm not wild about the book's title. Stein is an MIT-trained engineer, not a survivalist reactionary. The book also provides low-tech, not no-tech solutions.

When Technology Fails is a well-written, useful source of information and ideas for both the neophyte and old pro interested in becoming more self-reliant.

The best leaders know that success is about more than winning--it's about improving and developing. Self-Improvement 101 shares best-selling author John C. Maxwell's tips, tactics, and inspiration that compel leaders to reach ever higher levels.

Drawing from the wisdom in his books Your Road Map for Success, Talent Is Never Enough, Developing the Leaders Around You, Failing Forward, The 360 Degree Leader, Winning with People, and Leadership Gold, John C. Maxwell provides in Self-Improvement 101 the essentials all leaders need to keep striving for excellence no matter where they are or what they are doing. After all, great leaders who are growth oriented rather than goal oriented never "arrive," they just keep building upon what they are learning.

What if there is a You that has never seen the light of day, has never got to say, "Hey, what about me?"

What if there is a You that you have never even met and certainly never permitted to just be, without fear of judgment or condemnation?

What if you live your life on the sidelines in constant fear of failing to please those who forever seem to stand in judgment of you and your life?

What if you discovered that you had settled for what life has served up instead of what you really wanted and needed?

What if you really think and feel things you have never allowed to come out, and certainly never acted on?

What if your marriage is not at all what you really emotionally want and need, but you silently stay the course anyway, selling out your hope to be happy?

What if you are allowing days to turn into weeks and weeks to turn into months and months to turn into years, all adding up to a lifetime of being what some nameless, faceless world has assigned you to be?

If any of these "What ifs" are true in your life, then we need to talk, and through these pages, we will. First, I have some bad news, and I have some good news. The bad news is you are making the choices that have put you in this life circumstance; the good news is you are making the choices that have put you in this life circumstance. Now is the time to make the biggest choice of your life. Through Self Matters, I will help you do just that.

-- Phil McGraw

Joseph J. Luciani, PhD (Cresskill, NJ), the author of Self-Coaching (0-471-38737-1), is a psychologist in private practice with more than 25 years of experience.