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Concrete Jungle: A Green Beret's guide to Urban Survival
As cultural war clouds gather, cities are becoming the flashpoint. In this volume, retired Special Forces soldier Clay Martin teaches you how to survive it. A multi tour GWOT veteran and Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat instructor, as well as long time prepper and competitive shooter, Clay brings a different type of skill set to the party. From laying in supplies to siege proofing your apartment building, this volume answers the questions other experts cannot.
- GenresNonfictionSurvival
219 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 8, 2020
153 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 12, 2020
Prepping for blm
This was actually a very informative book with real tips from someone with the knowledge to back it up. No tips on the best way to kill a zombie or building a $1,000,000 bunker, just legit advice
This was actually a very informative book with real tips from someone with the knowledge to back it up. No tips on the best way to kill a zombie or building a $1,000,000 bunker, just legit advice
July 24, 2020
Basic Crap
Not really all that useful - mainly common sense stuff - written like he really did not give a damn.
Not really all that useful - mainly common sense stuff - written like he really did not give a damn.
August 17, 2020
A Must Read - Especially Now
Excellent information. Concise. Funny. I will be gifting this to my urban “A Team” for sure. Thanks to Clay for sharing his insights and experience for our benefit.
Excellent information. Concise. Funny. I will be gifting this to my urban “A Team” for sure. Thanks to Clay for sharing his insights and experience for our benefit.
February 23, 2021
Great advice
This is not so much as a how to book as it is just advice. There is a ton of good information in this book even for those that do not live in the hellish cityscape. It leaves much to ponder.
This is not so much as a how to book as it is just advice. There is a ton of good information in this book even for those that do not live in the hellish cityscape. It leaves much to ponder.
February 23, 2023
Periodic re-read for me…the author shares some good little nuggets.
It’s short, easy to read and digest
It’s short, easy to read and digest
June 8, 2021
A fascinating guide to the urban survival strategy in a small group. Aimed mostly at the large city dwellers but may be useful for anyone. Even though the author is noticeably taking the so-called “trumpist” position against the Blue team and predicting the political crisis in US, the book could be useful anywhere and for anyone. It covers a range of topics starting from creation of a Special Forces-like team out of amateurs up to the weapon choice, martial arts and ways to protect your house or leave the city in the case of serious prolonged unrest. Nicely done, easy to read and probably pretty useful in reality judging from my own feelings of reading this and Special Forces-background of the author.
July 26, 2021
The best thing I can say is its much better than his other hastily written book, Prairie Fire. I appreciated the exhortation that being prepared for things takes real work and effort. There were a couple of pieces of usable information.
Honestly though it was mostly a blog post about how bad things are and are going to be and you have to be ready to go to war in/at your home. The actual content may appeal to how people were feeling during the riots of the last year but real action plans or tactics were practically non-existent. The advice to hide your political affiliations and not to take any public action that could identify what you think or how you vote seemed disturbing - and this from someone in Boise, ID? It's under 200 pages and easy reading so it doesn't take long to stop wasting your time with it.
Honestly though it was mostly a blog post about how bad things are and are going to be and you have to be ready to go to war in/at your home. The actual content may appeal to how people were feeling during the riots of the last year but real action plans or tactics were practically non-existent. The advice to hide your political affiliations and not to take any public action that could identify what you think or how you vote seemed disturbing - and this from someone in Boise, ID? It's under 200 pages and easy reading so it doesn't take long to stop wasting your time with it.
December 24, 2021
“Win Friends and Influence People, SHTF Edition, 2020”. What a fun read! Full of practical advice and snarky humor from a seasoned veteran Green Beret. This is an introduction to the fighting that may ensue during social transformation. (No, we can’t all have a Velvet Revolution.) The common sense approach to tribalism is at the heart of this book - That is, to make friends and stick with them. To know your neighbors. There is also great advice on timing and duration of hostility - an aid knowing when it’s time to sit tight, and when it’s time to leave. While it’s not a “prepper’s manual” there is good advice on weapons, ammunition, basic sustenance, and how much you can carry how far. Clay Martin is the real deal and I recommend his book - if you are preparing for coping with the violence that often accompanies uncertainty.
March 3, 2022
A short book about urban survival from an Army Special Forces soldier. There are a lot of bad books in this genre; this is one of the few good ones. It is realistic about the risks one faces in such a setting, reasonable general preparations, and provides a framework for how to plan for survival. Nothing really shocking or novel if you're already familiar with this area, but it's a very good how-to guide.
September 9, 2020
Awesome Prep Manual for the Coming Apolocalypse.
This book is written by a retired, combat-tested Green Beret. What’s not to like?
He covers all variables in terms of preparing for civil unrest.
This book is written by a retired, combat-tested Green Beret. What’s not to like?
He covers all variables in terms of preparing for civil unrest.
June 1, 2021
Although slightly dated I believe this is still an amazing book. I live on the road for work, and can't follow half this books rules(industrial construction) that said his book is a must for urban and I would even say suburban people.
July 6, 2021
Review
Lots of great information in this book. From picking a martial arts class to picking a weapon. You never know when an emergency will happen and you will need the skills to survive.
Lots of great information in this book. From picking a martial arts class to picking a weapon. You never know when an emergency will happen and you will need the skills to survive.
January 10, 2021
Lots of food for thought if civilization in your area goes south. Some very good and practical ideas are presented in this book.
March 13, 2021
Written like a conversation where Clay Martin wants to pass on as much useful information at an actionable level quickly.
Picked up good ideas from his printed lecture.
Good read.
Picked up good ideas from his printed lecture.
Good read.
May 10, 2022
As the world slowly circles the bowl, this is recommended as one man's vision of how to survive.
January 22, 2025
If you have any interest in emergency preparedness and playing out thought experiments in "shit hit the fan" scenarios, this book is really cool. I learned a lot from it. I generally like his humor too. I feel much more prepared if things ever get apocalyptic.
It was VERY heavy on guns and military-like tactics. The author is apparently a super badass Green Beret sniper so kind of makes sense and he said that's where he's a "third degree black belt" in terms of his expertise. But he also has really solid advice on hand to hand combat as well, matching the recommendations of book The Gift Of Violence by Matt Thornton, who is an expert on the topic.
He has some good points about how a decline into chaos might not happen right away and how you need to function differently in different phases as things slowly slide from normal society into mad max chaos. For example if laws are still being somewhat enforced then you maybe can't walk around with a rifle strapped to your back, so you have to carry a concealed pistol. He also talks about when to Bug In vs Bug Out and how to have plans for each. As well as how to build a team of neighbors and locals who can help each other. Having a team is crucial, he really emphasized that being a lone wolf is a completely losing strategy.
If you're not prepared to start training with guns then you might not find too many actionable tips from the book, but still it gives you a really good education. Especially if like me you had no knowledge of urban warfare. At the very least I'll watch movies and TV with a bit more understanding now :)
He did have a couple good tips of food and water and basic stuff like that. One was to have some extra protein shakes on hand as an efficient want to store some food (also kid friendly). Another was to have some fiber gummies to combat constipation that can come from protein shakes and a poor diet from disaster food. (I didn't even know fiber gummies were a thing, gonna try em out)
Warning, I gleaned from the book that he is on the Right side of the political spectrum and frankly it's a little terrifying that extremely capable guys like this are on that side and ready to go lol. His follow up book Prairie Fire is all about 'winning the civil war' presumably from the Right side, which is extra terrifying. I might check it out just out of morbid curiosity. He seems like a good guy. It's just scary how divided our country is.
It was VERY heavy on guns and military-like tactics. The author is apparently a super badass Green Beret sniper so kind of makes sense and he said that's where he's a "third degree black belt" in terms of his expertise. But he also has really solid advice on hand to hand combat as well, matching the recommendations of book The Gift Of Violence by Matt Thornton, who is an expert on the topic.
He has some good points about how a decline into chaos might not happen right away and how you need to function differently in different phases as things slowly slide from normal society into mad max chaos. For example if laws are still being somewhat enforced then you maybe can't walk around with a rifle strapped to your back, so you have to carry a concealed pistol. He also talks about when to Bug In vs Bug Out and how to have plans for each. As well as how to build a team of neighbors and locals who can help each other. Having a team is crucial, he really emphasized that being a lone wolf is a completely losing strategy.
If you're not prepared to start training with guns then you might not find too many actionable tips from the book, but still it gives you a really good education. Especially if like me you had no knowledge of urban warfare. At the very least I'll watch movies and TV with a bit more understanding now :)
He did have a couple good tips of food and water and basic stuff like that. One was to have some extra protein shakes on hand as an efficient want to store some food (also kid friendly). Another was to have some fiber gummies to combat constipation that can come from protein shakes and a poor diet from disaster food. (I didn't even know fiber gummies were a thing, gonna try em out)
Warning, I gleaned from the book that he is on the Right side of the political spectrum and frankly it's a little terrifying that extremely capable guys like this are on that side and ready to go lol. His follow up book Prairie Fire is all about 'winning the civil war' presumably from the Right side, which is extra terrifying. I might check it out just out of morbid curiosity. He seems like a good guy. It's just scary how divided our country is.
February 9, 2024
I really think Martin would be a hell of a guy to hang out and have beer with. He sounds exactly like a lot of my old Army buddies and I mean this in the best possible way.
This is not a life-changing book, most likely, because if you're reading it, you've probably also read other books adjacent to SHTF scenarios. However, there's still good stuff in there.
For example, he's blunt: he doesn't talk about prepping for years or nuclear holocaust or anything, just civil unrest denying resources to cities (in this book). He suggests, for example, not prepping for years and years of food--rather, a few weeks of food and water to tide you over till something happens--either the city unrest gets resolved or it's stabilized enough for you to bug out somewhere else. What's the point of a year of food if you're rucking out of your city? You literally can't bring it all with you.
He has some good suggestions--one thing I've never seen in a prepping book about food that he discusses is the possibility of buying fiber supplements. Because yeah, getting backed up with poop is not just uncomfortable, it can get a lot worse esp if your stockpile of food is processed carbs.
His advice on fitness is sound--if you're not practicing rucking now, well...you're behind. One day you might be carrying everything you own out of the city on your back. You need endurance. Not high intensity cardio necessarily, but the ability to walk and walk. (Also this means comfy boots and socks/shoes, which he doesn't mention but I will because if your feet hurt, you are sucking the suck).
Some of his stuff is impracticable, or harder to put in practice, if the reader is, say, female. There's no way I'm going to be kicking ass with martial arts. I did martial arts and my experience is that a big determined dude without any nice fancy rules? Can wipe the walls with me. And I'm older now and....yeah. I look much more like prey than predator. That doesn't mean I shouldn't try to present a harder target, just...I'm realistic (which I think Martin would actually approve of--I don't have fantasies of myself as Black Widow or something).
Anyway, it's an interesting read that will get you thinking about how you would exfil an uninhabitable city. Let's hope this remains on the bookshelf and not in the real world, friends.
This is not a life-changing book, most likely, because if you're reading it, you've probably also read other books adjacent to SHTF scenarios. However, there's still good stuff in there.
For example, he's blunt: he doesn't talk about prepping for years or nuclear holocaust or anything, just civil unrest denying resources to cities (in this book). He suggests, for example, not prepping for years and years of food--rather, a few weeks of food and water to tide you over till something happens--either the city unrest gets resolved or it's stabilized enough for you to bug out somewhere else. What's the point of a year of food if you're rucking out of your city? You literally can't bring it all with you.
He has some good suggestions--one thing I've never seen in a prepping book about food that he discusses is the possibility of buying fiber supplements. Because yeah, getting backed up with poop is not just uncomfortable, it can get a lot worse esp if your stockpile of food is processed carbs.
His advice on fitness is sound--if you're not practicing rucking now, well...you're behind. One day you might be carrying everything you own out of the city on your back. You need endurance. Not high intensity cardio necessarily, but the ability to walk and walk. (Also this means comfy boots and socks/shoes, which he doesn't mention but I will because if your feet hurt, you are sucking the suck).
Some of his stuff is impracticable, or harder to put in practice, if the reader is, say, female. There's no way I'm going to be kicking ass with martial arts. I did martial arts and my experience is that a big determined dude without any nice fancy rules? Can wipe the walls with me. And I'm older now and....yeah. I look much more like prey than predator. That doesn't mean I shouldn't try to present a harder target, just...I'm realistic (which I think Martin would actually approve of--I don't have fantasies of myself as Black Widow or something).
Anyway, it's an interesting read that will get you thinking about how you would exfil an uninhabitable city. Let's hope this remains on the bookshelf and not in the real world, friends.
Read
May 28, 2021Martin's Concrete Jungle and Prairie Fire are both solid, casual reads about how to prepare for societal collapse, the former in an urban environment and the latter in a rural.
Recommendations:
- Have water and food on hand, but if the water stops flowing in your city it's time to leave
- Learn both a striking and grappling martial art
- Even with these skills an edged weapon is still likely to defeat it
- Fortify your home if things get rough, sandbags are good
- You can't do it alone, have a team, work with trusted locals for intelligence on human movement in and out of your city/area
- Have a go bag with supplies if you think you may need to evacuate. Better to have it prepared rather than need it and not have time. Remember that you'll have to carry it though and they can get heavy fast
Recommendations:
- Have water and food on hand, but if the water stops flowing in your city it's time to leave
- Learn both a striking and grappling martial art
- Even with these skills an edged weapon is still likely to defeat it
- Fortify your home if things get rough, sandbags are good
- You can't do it alone, have a team, work with trusted locals for intelligence on human movement in and out of your city/area
- Have a go bag with supplies if you think you may need to evacuate. Better to have it prepared rather than need it and not have time. Remember that you'll have to carry it though and they can get heavy fast
December 29, 2023
You might get more out of it if you know less going in. But the info to noise ratio is lamentable, and the right wing nutter / religtable / MAGGAT / crybaby vibes (boo hoo, the right can’t get away with anything ) are strong, with some casual slurs and references to Rhodesia and goblins and degenerates telling you exactly what kind of person wrote this.
Nevertheless there are things you can learn from this, and everyone has something to teach. I’d like my audible credit back though.
Nevertheless there are things you can learn from this, and everyone has something to teach. I’d like my audible credit back though.
September 17, 2021
Was okay. Maybe a good primer on ideas for the completely uninitiated. Pretty much just a book saying don't be an idiot. Use common sense. Get some training (and which he thinks is worthwhile i.e., don't be an idiot). Worth a perusal.
January 16, 2026
A good concise introduction
A no nonsense primer on the basic, but necessary tools needed for your apocalypse watch party. Would like to have seen more info about some areas, but over all it’s a good easy read that covers the bare bones. Your mileage may vary.
A no nonsense primer on the basic, but necessary tools needed for your apocalypse watch party. Would like to have seen more info about some areas, but over all it’s a good easy read that covers the bare bones. Your mileage may vary.
January 27, 2024
Great information for someone in a large to medium size metro city. More useful than Prairie fire in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews