Bunker: Building for the End Times
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- Create Date：2021-09-10 06:51:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Bradley L. Garrett
- ISBN：0141987553
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Summary
A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020
'An extraordinary achievement 。 。 。 gripping， grim and witty' Robert MacFarlane
'Unputdown-able 。。。 No book could be more timely' Richard J Evans
Today， the bunker has become the extreme expression of our greatest fears: from pandemics to climate change and nuclear war。 And once you look， it doesn't take long to start seeing bunkers everywhere。
In Bunker， acclaimed urban explorer and cultural geographer Bradley Garrett explores the global and rapidly growing movement of 'prepping' for social and environmental collapse， or 'Doomsday'。 From the 'dread merchants' hustling safe spaces in the American mid-West to eco-fortresses in Thailand， from geoscrapers to armoured mobile bunkers， Bunker is a brilliant， original and never less than deeply disturbing story from the frontlines of the way we live now: an illuminating reflection on our age of disquiet and dread that brings it into new， sharp focus。
The bunker， Garrett shows， is all around us: in malls， airports， gated communities， the vehicles we drive。 Most of all， he shows， it's in our minds。
'An extraordinary achievement 。 。 。 gripping， grim and witty' Robert MacFarlane
'Unputdown-able 。。。 No book could be more timely' Richard J Evans
Today， the bunker has become the extreme expression of our greatest fears: from pandemics to climate change and nuclear war。 And once you look， it doesn't take long to start seeing bunkers everywhere。
In Bunker， acclaimed urban explorer and cultural geographer Bradley Garrett explores the global and rapidly growing movement of 'prepping' for social and environmental collapse， or 'Doomsday'。 From the 'dread merchants' hustling safe spaces in the American mid-West to eco-fortresses in Thailand， from geoscrapers to armoured mobile bunkers， Bunker is a brilliant， original and never less than deeply disturbing story from the frontlines of the way we live now: an illuminating reflection on our age of disquiet and dread that brings it into new， sharp focus。
The bunker， Garrett shows， is all around us: in malls， airports， gated communities， the vehicles we drive。 Most of all， he shows， it's in our minds。
Reviews
Joe
，
I had a hard time getting through this， but not for the reasons I would have thought。 The deep philosophical references early on had me wishing it was a more gonzo-journalistic account--and I don't really like gonzo journalism。 It's well researched and the author has great access and good insights; it was just a harder read than I would have liked， considering that the subject is in my sweet spot。Also， the Chernobyl tour coda seemed kind of unnecessary， since the magazines have done it to death。 I had a hard time getting through this， but not for the reasons I would have thought。 The deep philosophical references early on had me wishing it was a more gonzo-journalistic account--and I don't really like gonzo journalism。 It's well researched and the author has great access and good insights; it was just a harder read than I would have liked， considering that the subject is in my sweet spot。Also， the Chernobyl tour coda seemed kind of unnecessary， since the magazines have done it to death。 。。。more
Jon Musser
，
Long flat passages of disjointed conversation with preppers were too much for me。 Also very amerocentric which tends to put me off。 Didn't finish this one （and I finish nearly everything）。 Long flat passages of disjointed conversation with preppers were too much for me。 Also very amerocentric which tends to put me off。 Didn't finish this one （and I finish nearly everything）。 。。。more
Darren Dilnott
，
Thoroughly fascinating， and truly in-depth plunge into the culture of prepping and in particular the bunkers。 The author traverses the globe to try and understand the phenomenon of end times preparedness， and the along the way meets the often shady， yet interesting groups and individuals who are in the business of a apocalypse readiness and safety。Incredible insight。
Jeremy Anderberg
，
Hot dang I loved this book。 Each chapter finds Garrett exploring a different aspect of end times “prepping”: Communities build out of fields of Cold War bunkers， an underground ultra-luxury “geoscraper” constructed inside an abandoned missile silo featuring million-dollar apartment， government bunker-building for continuity of government （which has accelerated in recent years）， the PrepperCon conference for all things survival， companies that build tube-like corrugated bunkers for your backyard， Hot dang I loved this book。 Each chapter finds Garrett exploring a different aspect of end times “prepping”: Communities build out of fields of Cold War bunkers， an underground ultra-luxury “geoscraper” constructed inside an abandoned missile silo featuring million-dollar apartment， government bunker-building for continuity of government （which has accelerated in recent years）， the PrepperCon conference for all things survival， companies that build tube-like corrugated bunkers for your backyard， and more。 Throughout， Garrett tackles the philosophical underpinnings of prepping culture。 Are these people crazy？ Are they on to something？ What lies underneath this belief in a coming apocalypse？ "Bunker" is truly one of my favorite reads of the year so far。 It’s partly a niche cultural tour （which I always love）， partly an easy-reading philosophical exploration， and a little bit of a revealing， beautifully written memoir about what happens when you spend too much time living with the end of the world always in mind。 。。。more
Jamison Moore
，
Suprise cameo by my sister in law， so that's a thing。 Suprise cameo by my sister in law， so that's a thing。 。。。more
Marc Trujillo
，
Not a bad read。 Some of the history wasn't accurate and had some questionable conclusions but overall an interesting read。 Not a bad read。 Some of the history wasn't accurate and had some questionable conclusions but overall an interesting read。 。。。more
Steve Harrison
，
Interesting and meticulously researched look at the world's preppers and their reasons fror prepping。 I found the book overlong and a little repetitive by the end， but if left me thinking that I'm not sure I want to hang around if a cataclysmic event occurs！ Interesting and meticulously researched look at the world's preppers and their reasons fror prepping。 I found the book overlong and a little repetitive by the end， but if left me thinking that I'm not sure I want to hang around if a cataclysmic event occurs！ 。。。more
Kay
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Another one of those "this would've been better as a podcast than a book" books that I found out about from a podcast （go figure）。 Garrett's voice is pleasant to read， so no complaints about the writing， it's just。。。I don't know exactly but something didn't hold my attention。 Blame it on pandemic fatigue maybe， but it felt like it dragged。 Another one of those "this would've been better as a podcast than a book" books that I found out about from a podcast （go figure）。 Garrett's voice is pleasant to read， so no complaints about the writing， it's just。。。I don't know exactly but something didn't hold my attention。 Blame it on pandemic fatigue maybe， but it felt like it dragged。 。。。more
Yvonne Janot
，
I have so far not spent much time thinking about bunkers in the sense in which they are topical to this book。 However， after having been in one of the strictest lockdowns' worldwide for the past 13 months， I would not be opposed the idea of spending time in some of those 'bunkers' described in the book。 This is mainly for the access to a fully stocked library and swimming pool， stuff that really needs to be seen to be believed。 Overall， a thoroughly enjoyable read， unless you are naturally anxio I have so far not spent much time thinking about bunkers in the sense in which they are topical to this book。 However， after having been in one of the strictest lockdowns' worldwide for the past 13 months， I would not be opposed the idea of spending time in some of those 'bunkers' described in the book。 This is mainly for the access to a fully stocked library and swimming pool， stuff that really needs to be seen to be believed。 Overall， a thoroughly enjoyable read， unless you are naturally anxious about the future。 You have been warned。 :） 。。。more
Danielle
，
An incredible range of research and "on the ground" interviews makes this a great social record of the drive to prepare for the worst， in seemingly every way we can imagine。 An incredible range of research and "on the ground" interviews makes this a great social record of the drive to prepare for the worst， in seemingly every way we can imagine。 。。。more
Jessica
，
DNF。 So I think this was well done， but it was so distressing that I couldn't finish it。 Maybe I'll be able to at another point in my life， but it was just so depressing。 The author obviously knows his stuff and it's really well-researched。 But mentally， I just can't do it。 DNF。 So I think this was well done， but it was so distressing that I couldn't finish it。 Maybe I'll be able to at another point in my life， but it was just so depressing。 The author obviously knows his stuff and it's really well-researched。 But mentally， I just can't do it。 。。。more
Adrian
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Garrett， who calls himself an urban explorer， travels widely covering the world of survivalism visiting people who are building and preparing for the end of the world。 We are introduced to a roster of half bright， half mad people who have convinced themselves we are all doomed。 Unless we prepare。 Garrett visits Thailand and Australia but otherwise hopscotches around the US who lead the world in this belief by quite a stretch。 Garrett sniffs out a few scams。 People who have claimed to have built Garrett， who calls himself an urban explorer， travels widely covering the world of survivalism visiting people who are building and preparing for the end of the world。 We are introduced to a roster of half bright， half mad people who have convinced themselves we are all doomed。 Unless we prepare。 Garrett visits Thailand and Australia but otherwise hopscotches around the US who lead the world in this belief by quite a stretch。 Garrett sniffs out a few scams。 People who have claimed to have built bunkers but haven't。 He also realizes what is clear early on that doom and gloom is profitable by selling products to people you've scared half to death。 It appears Garrett was pretty scared himself as he is about 50% 'prepper' by the end。 Me- I was depressed- half from contemplating disaster and half from reading far-fetched bs。 。。。more
Matthew Royal
，
Garrett comes across as a rational skeptic， able to discern between reasonable folk and eccentrics。 I've always been fascinated with the idea of having a secret passage， an underground house， a private island with an office 20 stories deep， and the prepping industry is designed to sell accessories for those dreams by fanning literally any fears。 Who knew that Oppidum was cash-strapped vaporware？Missing from the message of most preppers is what happens "after。" A fair question to ask them for whe Garrett comes across as a rational skeptic， able to discern between reasonable folk and eccentrics。 I've always been fascinated with the idea of having a secret passage， an underground house， a private island with an office 20 stories deep， and the prepping industry is designed to sell accessories for those dreams by fanning literally any fears。 Who knew that Oppidum was cash-strapped vaporware？Missing from the message of most preppers is what happens "after。" A fair question to ask them for when the world collapses is "and then what？"The most compelling messages I see in this book are from the Mormons。 I love that they've already built their post-apocalyptic communities -- they've built pre-apocalyptic communities that have resource resilience at the individual and community levels。 The best outlet for your prepper impulses is to build more resilience into your life: keep a pantry， figure out how you would make breakfast without any power or water， have an emergency plan and a basic emergency kit， build relationships with your neighbors and provide mutual support， participate in community disaster relief programs。 。。。more
Garrett
，
Well， the reader did a great job。 This book is about Garrett running around and exploring bunkers， their potential inhabitants， and the people who are attempting to make a profit off them。What I took away was this: Engauge with your community。 Occupy the space as your main residence。 It only seems like there are a lot of people trying to take advantage， but they are the minority。
Rebecca
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Roman Mars mentioned this book on the 99% Invisible podcast a few months ago， and I said to myself， THAT is a book I want to read。 So I requested it from my local library， and they graciously added it to the collection。 Bradley Garrett started this book in the Before Times， so it made me snicker whenever a doom merchant would mention a global pandemic， among other things， being a reason to hunker down。 No spoilers: Bradley brings us up to date with a 2020 recap in the end。 This book makes a wond Roman Mars mentioned this book on the 99% Invisible podcast a few months ago， and I said to myself， THAT is a book I want to read。 So I requested it from my local library， and they graciously added it to the collection。 Bradley Garrett started this book in the Before Times， so it made me snicker whenever a doom merchant would mention a global pandemic， among other things， being a reason to hunker down。 No spoilers: Bradley brings us up to date with a 2020 recap in the end。 This book makes a wonderful companion piece to https://www。goodreads。com/book/show/7。。。， which I read last year and enjoyed。 "One Nation Underground" outlines the Cold War bunker/fallout shelter mentality， but "Bunker" is no doubt a thoroughly modern， Trump-era read。 Two thumbs up， would recommend。 。。。more
Frances Dinger
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As someone who was raised by a low-key prepper， this was a really interesting read。 I really wish Garrett would have spent more time interrogating the whiteness of prepper communities though。 The absence of that felt like a major oversight。
Pete
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Bunker: Building for the End Times （2020） by Bradley L Garrett looks at bunkers being built to withstand a catastrophe and the people who build them and also at preppers， that is people preparing for the end time。 Preppies， those who are preparing for high paying jobs in the US， are not considered due to the lack of bunkers in their apparel。 Garrett is a cultural geographer who has done quite a bit of urban exploration and is now at University College Dublin。There is an excellent episode of the Bunker: Building for the End Times （2020） by Bradley L Garrett looks at bunkers being built to withstand a catastrophe and the people who build them and also at preppers， that is people preparing for the end time。 Preppies， those who are preparing for high paying jobs in the US， are not considered due to the lack of bunkers in their apparel。 Garrett is a cultural geographer who has done quite a bit of urban exploration and is now at University College Dublin。There is an excellent episode of the design podcast Ninety-nine Percent Invisible that interviews Garrett about the book。 It’s well worth a listen for anyone pondering reading the book。Garrett meets and talks with various people who are arrange schemes to sell people space in bunkers for when a disaster hits。 Garrett writes well and much of the book is an amusing ride looking at the structures they are attempting to sell。 He has a look at people selling shelters that can be buried to allow people to survive for some time。 He also has a look at the Berlin system of bunkers that was meant to protect some people for some time in the event of a war and looks at various plans governments had and the bunker systems that they constructed to try and preserve government。The book covers preppers in Thailand where Garrett talks to a man building a compound for his family to handle a catastrophe。 He also talks to preppers in Australia and the US， some of whom are working out ways to farm on their own hidden in the hill。 Garrett also gets to ‘PrepperCon’ which is a convention for various firms in the US selling bunkers and ‘bug out’ vehicles that are set up to enable their owners to escape a city and live for some time unaided。 PrepperCon is in Salt Lake City and there he looks at the Mormon culture of being prepared for a catastrophe and to help others out in such circumstances。 The describes of how many Mormon’s have a month of food they could use in their basements are very interesting。 Garrett also goes to a firm that makes bug out vehicles and has a look at some of their vehicles。 He also visits a serious， luxury bunker near Kansas City and there is able to view an incredible construction inside a former missile silo。The book ends with a number of the businesses being shown to be scams but with Garrett pondering the industry and the fact that it seems possible that a catastrophe could come。 The book was mostly written just before Covid 19 hit and it makes an interesting addition to the story。 There is also a tour of the area around Chernobyl at the end of the book。Bunker is well worth a read， Garrett makes his trip and observations pretty amusing。 As well as that the book is thought provoking。 In my mother’s lifetime World War II （~70 million people deaths）， The Great Chinese Famine （35-50 million）， the Cultural Revolution （1-10 million）， the Killing Fields of Cambodia （2 million）， the AIDS epidemic （37 million） and now Covid 19 （1million+） have all happened。 In addition there were times when a nuclear holocaust was definitely close。 Over the lifetime of someone born in the last few years who knows what will happen。 。。。more
Grant
，
After recently hearing a lively interview with Garrett， I was a little disappointed that the book and the audiobook narration weren't a little more wry， but it's a solid read that covers quite a few different facets of the movement。 I've enjoyed a number of the 'rich people doomsday bunker' stories that have been popular in recent years， but Garrett scampers across the globe and investigates them hands-on in a way that's far more detailed than a random story in Vice or NYT。There were a few quirk After recently hearing a lively interview with Garrett， I was a little disappointed that the book and the audiobook narration weren't a little more wry， but it's a solid read that covers quite a few different facets of the movement。 I've enjoyed a number of the 'rich people doomsday bunker' stories that have been popular in recent years， but Garrett scampers across the globe and investigates them hands-on in a way that's far more detailed than a random story in Vice or NYT。There were a few quirks in the conclusion that didn't sit quite right。 I'm hardly an Elon Musk fan， but calling Starlink a tool for mass surveillance seems very strange。 Likewise， saying that "many" of the BLM protests became "riots" felt like an unfair and unnecessary mischaracterization。 。。。more
Federico Castillo
，
At some point towards the end of the book it gets a little awkward when the author realizes that most people are selling smoke。 Lots of chasing dead ends around the world。 While the existential anxiety is real， there are in reality very few actual bunkers ready for the apocalypse。Maybe they are well hidden， but at least the commercial enterprises， if they are serious about making money， should have more to show。 I think the author does an awesome job of flying to places and say ok， pics or didn' At some point towards the end of the book it gets a little awkward when the author realizes that most people are selling smoke。 Lots of chasing dead ends around the world。 While the existential anxiety is real， there are in reality very few actual bunkers ready for the apocalypse。Maybe they are well hidden， but at least the commercial enterprises， if they are serious about making money， should have more to show。 I think the author does an awesome job of flying to places and say ok， pics or didn't happen。 These days when a lot of journalism is done from the internet， reading reviews， hyping tweets， chasing followers， there are less old school journalist that go to each city council and sit on the back。 This guy took all those articles about dread merchants and went deep to see what's real。Interesting takes from the prepper community in light of the covid pandemic。 We are often quick to dismiss right wingers spouting about the end of the world as nutty people。 But some of the crazies were more prepared for a pandemic that we give them credit for。 I think we all now take the collapse of civilization a wee bit more seriously。 。。。more
Jbussen
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NOW I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BUILD ONE！！！！ I just read the review and once again everybody has already said all there is to say。 My Thoughts to add: People used to build castles and now they build bunkers。 Actually they built bunkers at the same time as fortifications and never stopped。 Ever。 At any point in history。 BUT！ Since some people can only know about what they can see and ignore what is under the ground， this guy。 He is an urban explorer who points out all the things you may have missed。 Th NOW I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BUILD ONE！！！！ I just read the review and once again everybody has already said all there is to say。 My Thoughts to add: People used to build castles and now they build bunkers。 Actually they built bunkers at the same time as fortifications and never stopped。 Ever。 At any point in history。 BUT！ Since some people can only know about what they can see and ignore what is under the ground， this guy。 He is an urban explorer who points out all the things you may have missed。 They are all around us。 It's a big industry。 They are cool and useful and NOW I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BUILD ONE！！！！ 。。。more
Daniel
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Garett introduced this vast world of bunkering in this book。 There had been doomsday prepares for the longest time。 Governments had built huge underground bunkers for the elite in case of nuclear wars。 Now they are abandoned and are sold to civilians who in turn are trying to develop them into doomsday bunkers。 Garett went to visit all of them。 Unfortunately， a lot of them turned out to be just blueprints and there were just not enough demand。 Some of the hyped-up events had hardly any participa Garett introduced this vast world of bunkering in this book。 There had been doomsday prepares for the longest time。 Governments had built huge underground bunkers for the elite in case of nuclear wars。 Now they are abandoned and are sold to civilians who in turn are trying to develop them into doomsday bunkers。 Garett went to visit all of them。 Unfortunately， a lot of them turned out to be just blueprints and there were just not enough demand。 Some of the hyped-up events had hardly any participants。 A lot of the developers do not find enough buyers and had to resort to money laundering （Trident Lake）。 He calls the companies ‘dread merchants’ who are elusive about their clients in the name of secrecy。 There have been claims of them building for the government but information is classified; there have been claims of billionaires building huge bunkers in New Zealand （except that no permits have been received by the local government）。 Therein lies the contradiction: you need to be secretive so that when apocalypse comes people won’t rush to your hideout for food and shelter; however you can’t sell real estate that you can’t show to buyers。 So far， the only 2 real bunkers that he visited was Survival Condo for the rich， and Vivos Indiana for the middle class。 However， since the Covid-19 pandemic struck， demand had increased for Fortitude Ranch。 There are different kinds of doomsday scenarios: nuclear， meteorite strike， pandemics， climate change and social collapse。 It is very hard to be able to prepare for all of them。 For example， if there is a nuclear fallout， the air will not be safe to be used so you really need water， air， energy and food to be able to ride it out。 Then there is psychological aspects of living trapped underground with people who you hardly know。 At least one person described in the book was mentioning about what he may do when apocalypse comes; it involves getting rid of other people and taking their stuff （fortunately that particular tenant has been voted out， but there is no guarantee that others will not become erratic when the time comes）。 Other people like the Mormons had taken another route: they intend to form self sufficient communities。 Yet others prep by getting ready their mobile Jeep/SUV， stuffing them with food， water and fuel。 That would probably be the best idea because one may not have the means to get to one’s bunker in the case of a real apocalypse。 Will the world change to a Mad Max-style warlord controlled hell？ Or will people be able to help each other to form a whole new world？ On the other hand， prepping too much takes a mental toll; pessimism pervades prepping and bunkering。 One also wonders whether it will be like to live in relative safety when the world outside burns。 A fascinating book！ 。。。more
Tim
，
The book includes some relatively interesting vignettes from his research experiences about "prepping"， but I don't agree with some of the foregone conclusions he seems to hold。 In any case， it left me wondering if he'd just patched together a narrative to organize and justify the book， based on his interest in urban exploration， rather than coming up with a thesis to prove or disprove systematically。 The book includes some relatively interesting vignettes from his research experiences about "prepping"， but I don't agree with some of the foregone conclusions he seems to hold。 In any case， it left me wondering if he'd just patched together a narrative to organize and justify the book， based on his interest in urban exploration， rather than coming up with a thesis to prove or disprove systematically。 。。。more
Cassey
，
I loved this。 So fascinating。
Caolan McMahon
，
Garrett explores a few facilities and describes them， but this isn't a bunker manual， it's more interesting。 It's a study of prepper culture by someone just domesday-curious enough to feel genuine， but with the good sense to put things in context。 Think Louis Theroux interviewing domesday preppers， with a touch of urban-exploration rebelliousness， and you're on the right lines。 Garrett explores a few facilities and describes them， but this isn't a bunker manual， it's more interesting。 It's a study of prepper culture by someone just domesday-curious enough to feel genuine， but with the good sense to put things in context。 Think Louis Theroux interviewing domesday preppers， with a touch of urban-exploration rebelliousness， and you're on the right lines。 。。。more
Dan
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I got bored after 90 pages and quit。 Couldn’t figure out where it was going or what
Brianscottnoleyahoo。Com
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It was fun enough。
Carole
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Excellent study of preppers， their bunkers and doomsday hucksters。 I loved this book; I wish I could have a beer with the author and discuss preppers。
Russ
，
I didn't realize how much I didn't know。 I learned all sorts of new terms like : Doom Merchants and INCH bags> Also the last chapter gave me a panic attack。 The reality of Chernobyl always gives me panic attacks though。 In the end， I totally recommend。 See what I did there？ I didn't realize how much I didn't know。 I learned all sorts of new terms like : Doom Merchants and INCH bags> Also the last chapter gave me a panic attack。 The reality of Chernobyl always gives me panic attacks though。 In the end， I totally recommend。 See what I did there？ 。。。more
Nick
，
So， not only is the world going to end， but only the richest and lousiest people are going to survive it。Bradley Garrett seems like a fairly unconventional professor who realized that instead of just breaking into secretive underground places， he could get a PhD and study them for a living。 It makes him a uniquely qualified writer to talk about the modern apocalypse industry and the solutions they peddle in an uncertain world。 From Mormon moms stocking food pantries to feed their communities in So， not only is the world going to end， but only the richest and lousiest people are going to survive it。Bradley Garrett seems like a fairly unconventional professor who realized that instead of just breaking into secretive underground places， he could get a PhD and study them for a living。 It makes him a uniquely qualified writer to talk about the modern apocalypse industry and the solutions they peddle in an uncertain world。 From Mormon moms stocking food pantries to feed their communities in a disaster to a real estate developer building million-dollar survival condos in a disused nuclear missile silo， Garrett provides a window into a deeply strange world of people convinced that the end is coming and determined to survive it， even if that just means spending your final days in a sewer pipe buried in the backyard。 He's scrupulously fair with his interview subjects， even the ones who appear to be snake oil salesman。Recommended for anyone with an interest in the sociology behind prepping， or anyone who in the current unpleasantness finds the idea of retreating to a sealed luxury bunker （with a pool！） appealing。 。。。more
Keen
，