The Great Indoors

 'Bunker: Building for the End Times' by Dr. Bradley Garrett

Some books are lucky enough to be published at just the right moment.  'Bunker: Building for the End Times' by Bradley Garrett, released near the start of the Covid-19 global pandemic, is just such a book.

Apocalypse Now?

At the height of the Cold War, US citizens were told to prepare for nuclear attack, ensuring they could first survive then rebuild.  Though the threat faded, the general sense of dread remained, and many people continue to believe an extinction-level event is just around the corner.  Some expect disease, some climate disaster, others an attack from abroad, but all 'preppers' stockpile and plan in order to survive the inevitable collapse of society and state.  Somewhere to go and a way to get there are essential.  In 'Bunker', Dr. Garrett explores both the prepper subculture and the modern-day bunkers that preppers hope to survive in.  From the buried tubular descendents of Anderson Shelters, to converted 1960s government installations, repurposed military vehicles to luxury, inverted tower blocks, it seems everyone thinks they know how to survive the end of the world.

Edging to the Centre

Until recently, the idea of prepping could easily be dismissed as the preserve of the tin-foil-hat brigade, a symptom of paranoia and an overactive imagination.  As the impact of climate change becomes hard to ignore and an actual plague is sweeping through the population, preppers have gone from figures of fun to potential prophets.  

After panic buying stripped shelves bare, many ordinary people have become amateur preppers, putting by extra essentials like toilet roll and soap, just in case.  What once seemed like an extreme behaviour is suddenly normalised, and 'Bunker' and its subjects have become both relevant and relatable. 

Garrett's writing is perfect in this context.  Evocative but non-judgemental, informative but not alienating, he manages to delve into prepper culture without leaving the ordinary reader behind or 'othering' his subjects.

Lone Wolves to Homestead Preppers

As you'll guess from the name, 'Bunker' is focussed on the structures preppers intend to hide in before rebirth into the post-apocalyptic world.  Something of equal interest is the communities Garrett's interviewees aim to build.  Three main types seem to emerge:

• The lone wolves, only interested in number one, likely to kill anyone who approaches once they're hunkered down.
• The homestead preppers, community-based, often Mormon groups whose outlook includes co-operation and empathy.
• New communities, strangers brought together just because they've all bought sanctuary in the same complex.

I found it interesting how the yardstick for survival was not a useful skillset, but rather how much you could pay.  Is this a symptom of survival being in the hands of the individual rather than the state?

Top Secrets

One of the challenges that dogs Garrett's research is the elusiveness of some bunkers and the business people building them.  Some argue that they don't want the unprepared to know where to find them when the end times come, but could there be a more sinister reason?  Garrett does seem to hit a lot of metaphorical brick walls trying to find out more about the real ones at times.

Overall

I enjoyed this book all the more because of the context it was published and read in.  Perhaps it would scare some, but I found it weirdly comforting that the will to survive is still alive and well and making practical decisions. 

I would've been interested to learn more about how different preppers envisage a post-apocalyptic future, but I think Dr. Garrett was right to stay away from this and retain the focus on geography and building.  Anything else could easily slip into rambling science fiction and unfounded prediction.  

'Bunker: Building for the End Times' is a well-written, accessible and timely exploration of a particular reaction to worries about the future.  As well as those with a taste for the unusual in society, people interested in engineering, construction and practical problem solving are likely to enjoy it too.

Now, what next..?

This post is based on the audio (Penguin Audio, 2020, read by Adam Sims) and hardback (Allen Lane, 2020) versions of 'Bunker: Building for the End Times' by Dr. Bradley Garrett.  Access to the audiobook was provided free of charge by the publisher.