Rate this book

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why (2008)

by Amanda Ripley(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0307352897 (ISBN13: 9780307352897)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Crown Publishing Group

review 1: This was a great book to listen to--well-read by the Audible narrator and there's nothing like light social science about disasters to hold my attention. Apart from a few quibbles with the author's terminology (she uses the term "evolve" unfortunately a few times, such as to describe how police officers develop the ability to stop flinching at gunfire through repeated exposure) this was not only interesting but also pretty moving. It's fascinating to consider what makes people react as they do in extreme situations--why the bus boy is the one who leads the escape from the burning building while managers and adult guests stand by, or why the steelworker is the only one to jump into the icy river to save plane crash victims. I don't know if I have any real answers to thos... moree questions, but I do feel like I know at least a little more about what most people are likely to do in a crisis. (Freeze up.) And I'll never ignore the safety drill in an airplane again, which apparently ups my chances of surviving anything actually survivable, airplane-wise. Let's not dwell on what that might actually look like. Let's just say that this was a good read and leave it at that.
review 2: This is such a good book, I would suggest everyone one read it. It was recommended to me by someone else researching disaster communication who added it’s just a ‘bloody good read’ and I would be inclined to agree with them. Not only is it a good read, but it’s also particularly informative. Ripley’s focus is on disaster behaviour, how people react to disasters and what they do. She argues for a disaster or survival arc, as people move from denial, to deliberation and then action, and the actions and behaviours which are associated with these. She looks at fear, risk, freezing, action, heroism and trauma providing a variety of examples from both natural and human made disasters, plane crashes, car crashes, police activities and terrorist attacks. You start imagining how you would react in a disaster, what would your evacuation plan be. How would you react in that situation? What is your disaster personality? Some of the sentences are a bit clunky as they conform to a journalist style of writing, however the book is definitely an interesting and gripping read, and I would highly recommend it. less

Download links for: The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why

Advertising