Resilient Citizens - by Chris Ellis (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Resilient Citizens offers a uniquely high-level perspective on preparedness within the context of society as a whole. Dr. Ellis's personal experiences in situations of societal breakdown combined with his extensive research and personal connections provide unique insight. He goes far beyond the level of individual prepping to the necessity of building resilience for everyone in society. This is a must-read for anyone committed to the survival and continued thriving of our nation and civilization."

--Jonathan Rawles, Founder of SurvivalRealty.com

"A fascinating and definitive book on preparedness and resilience for a global audience. Written with humility, curiosity, and great insight, this is the book for right now."

--Dr. Lucy Easthope, Author of When the Dust Settles

"A must-read for understanding resiliency and the way forward in an increasingly risky world. Dr. Ellis's book is a meaningful framework for analyzing the how, the what, and the why now of preparedness. A book about doom and gloom? No. Hope, responsibility, and community are the true keys to survival."

--Dr. Anna Maria Bounds, Associate Professor, Author of Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City and Bracing for the Apocalypse

"Crucial topic and perfect timing considering today's challenging and dynamic threat landscape, especially in our homeland. The foundation of strategic deterrence is our resilience...[there's] no better person to articulate this than Dr. Chris Ellis."

--Glen D. VanHerck, General (ret), USAF, Former Commander, NORAD and USNORTHCOM

"Every American needs to be a 'resilient citizen.' This book is about much more than preparedness; it's an outline of how to approach life during these turbulent and unpredictable times."

--Seneca Scott, Activist

"For different reasons, and from different personal and political starting points, more people are embracing the need to build practical resilience bottom-up within their communities. Although it's a way of thinking that remains disreputable in mainstream narratives, Chris Ellis gives us a detailed and clear-eyed account of why it shouldn't. There are different ways to cultivate resilience, but it's striking how Ellis's emphasis on personal agency, community embeddedness, and spiritual connection resonates across so many of them. This is a timely intervention on a crucial issue."

--Chris Smaje, Author of A Small Farm Future and Finding Lights in a Dark Age

"I am obsessed with disaster preparedness. Maybe that's because I live in Los Angeles, where natural and man-made disasters do some of their best work. I've been a low-key prepper for years, but after reading Chris Ellis's essential book, I know I'm not alone. This book gives you the reasons you need for why you should always--as the Boy Scouts used to say--be prepared. We don't know what's coming. We just know it will. Highly recommended!"

--Peachy Keenan, Author of Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War

"Illuminating--Ellis maps a fractured America where resilience isn't a hobby, it's a rebellion against a society that's forgotten how to save itself."

--James Pogue, Author of Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West

"This is such a great book. I wish I had had a copy of Resilient Citizens when I started my journey to self-sufficiency five years ago; it would have saved me so much time, effort, and money. If you want to be ready--for anything at all--this book is the canonical starting point for the responsible preparation journey."

--Tucker Max, 4x New York Times Bestselling Author, Homesteader

"Through scary field experience, rigorous research, and selfless public advocacy, Dr. Ellis has become one of the most important voices in the discussion around risk and resiliency in the 21st century. He and I have spent years teaching governments, media, and citizens about the fascinating history of preparedness, the nuances of 'mainstream preppers, ' and why the old stereotypes and politics are doing you and your community a shameful disservice as we face a near future that is certain to be much more difficult than the recent past. This deep-dive study expands on [our] work, highlighting why the flaws of humans and our created systems deserve to be laughed at and critiqued--not preparedness."

--John Ramey, Preparedness Expert, Founder of The Prepared, Cofounder of the Defense Innovation Unit, Former Silicon Valley insider

About the Author

Dr. Chris Ellis is a career Army officer, disaster readiness expert, and lifelong student of how people, communities, and nations prepare for the worst. With over twenty-six years of military service--including time in combat zones and collaborative work across five continents--Chris has seen firsthand what resilience looks like under pressure.

Chris holds a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University, along with four other advanced degrees covering public policy, military strategy, and international security. His work blends academic insight with boots-on-the-ground experience, tackling big-picture threats like civil unrest, nuclear catastrophe, economic collapse, and even the end of the world.

Outside of uniform, Chris is an obstacle course racer, an active volunteer, and a longtime supporter of humanitarian and environmental causes. After his military service, he hopes to keep serving through leadership roles in homeland security or global disaster relief.