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 warzones 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 in D.C.—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.

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.

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.