It used to be that growing up entailed a healthy does of apocalyptic angst. Now, an entire generation of schoolchildren has come of age without basic bomb shelter education, a generation that has been led to believe that “duck and cover” is a game to be played with waterfowl. Bravely, Rob Kutner has stepped in to fill in this knowledge gap. Better known for his writing work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Stewart’s acclaimed satire, America (The Book), Kutner has ventured out on his own to offer readers a cozy step-by-step series of instructions on how to make the most of the worst of all possible situations.

Recognizing that today’s youngsters are perhaps best schooled in the dire impacts of global warming, Kutner has chosen to concentrate on some of the classic end-of-the-world scenarios. Sure, thanks to Survivor everyone knows how to survive when the world becomes a tropical hothouse, but what about decorating a cave or bomb shelter to give it that “fresh spring” feeling long into a nuclear winter? Similarly, scavenging among the burnt-out urban husks of department stores for edible material is a skill sorely lacking in today’s educational agencies. Thank heaven Rob Kutner rose to the challenge.

Kutner is not shy to tackle difficult topics like romance in a post-radiated world, getting down to the tricky business of assessing mutations in terms of mate selection. Or, if you’ve already successfully picked out a mate, Kutner has included some suggestions as to how to entertain your offspring in an era devoid of children’s television programming.

Fore-armed with Apocalypse How, the astute and thoughtful reader ought to be well-prepared for the end of days. In fact, Kutner has even included the nutritional facts should the idea of “chewing on these pages” become more than a simple metaphor.