Blending battlefield experience, cutting-edge disaster research, and real-world stories of ranchers, homesteaders, and policymakers, Resilient Citizens is a gripping and essential guide for anyone ready to stop hoping and start preparing in an age of polycrisis and cascading collapse.

Resilience is a mindset.

From war zones to wildfires, pandemics to power outages, the threats we face today seem bigger, scarier, and more unrelenting than ever before. Why, then, does society take a critical view of those who prepare for the worst while hoping for the best? Why do so many people write them off as crazy, conspiracy-minded “doomsday preppers”?

In Resilient Citizens, Army officer and disaster expert Dr. Chris Ellis challenges the myths, dismisses the fearmongering, and takes a much-needed, long-overdue scholarly look not just at prepper culture in America, but our overall social, physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health.

This isn’t another doomsday prepper guide or government-endorsed emergency brochure. It’s a deep dive into the people, perils, and politics of preparedness—from ranchers in the Rockies to policymakers globally—and a call to action for those who refuse to outsource their safety to luck or bureaucracy.

Unpacking thousands of hours of research, Dr. Ellis will help you—

• Learn the traits and strategies of those best equipped to survive and thrive amid disaster.
• Understand the psychological roadblocks that keep people stuck in denial or helplessness.
• Discover how different belief systems, subcultures, and nations approach long-term resilience.
• Debunk popular myths about “preppers” and discover the truth behind America’s growing culture of preparedness.
• Examine the historical and political roots of America’s preparedness paradox.
• Reveal the number one resilience item every household must own.

Whether you’re a concerned parent, a curious skeptic, or a seasoned survivalist, Resilient Citizens will challenge your assumptions and inspire you to think bigger, prepare smarter, and ensure your own survival in a chaotic world and uncertain future.