by Eric Shonkwiler
Pluto Press
10/20/2026, paperback
SKU: 9780745352589
A leftist guide to prepping
For decades, the political right has monopolized the culture of preparedness, selling a fantasy of rugged individualism, hoarded rations, and fear. But before the rise of big-box stores and just-in-time supply chains, prepping wasn't a political statement---it was just life.
Drawing on his background in emergency services and security, Eric Shonkwiler reclaims prepping from the paranoia of the doomsday industry and reframes it as a vital tool for collective resilience. Red Prepper is a survival guide for the modern activist, teaching you how to build a pantry, filter water during infrastructure failures, and organize your neighbors for mutual aid.
With the looming threats of environmental collapse and rising authoritarianism, Shonkwiler provides the practical skills you need to stop panicking and start building a safer, connected world.
Reviews:
"A brilliant intervention, opening a space that's historically validated and ethical as well as eminently practical. Red Prepper argues that making ready to survive the imminent storms while working steadily to save the world must engage the principles of cooperation, solidarity, and community building--and he shows us, step-by-step, how to begin." --Bill Ayers, author of When Freedom is the Question Abolition is the Answer
About the Author:
Eric Shonkwiler is an award-winning author, security professional, and creator of the long-running preparedness newsletter When/If. He is the author of the novels Above All Men and 8th Street Power & Light, and the story collection Moon Up, Past Full, which earned the Coil Book Award and a Midwest Connections' Pick. After serving as a 911 dispatcher and earning his MFA from UC Riverside, he spent years as a Director of Security and Emergency Preparedness officer in Columbus, Ohio, guiding public health and hospital facilities through the COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale mass-casualty exercises. His work and commentary on emergency preparedness have been featured in The Guardian and CNN.