Discover how human beings react to danger—and what makes the difference between life and death“Fascinating and useful . . . [shows that] the most important variable in an emergency is your own behavior.”—The New York TimesToday, nine out of ten Americans live in places at significant risk of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorism, or other disasters. Tomorrow, some of us will have to make … Tomorrow, some of us will have to make split-second choices to save ourselves and our families. How will we react? What will it feel like? Will we be heroes or victims?
In her quest to answer these questions, award-winning journalist Amanda Ripley traces human responses to some of recent history’s epic disasters, from the explosion of the Mont Blanc munitions ship in 1917–one of the biggest explosions before the invention of the atomic bomb–to the journeys of the 15,000 people who found their way out of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. To understand the science behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts. She even has her own brain examined by military researchers and experiences, through realistic simulations, what it might be like to survive a plane crash into the ocean or to escape a raging fire.
Ripley comes back with precious wisdom about the surprising humanity of crowds, the elegance of the brain’s fear circuits, and the stunning inadequacy of many of our evolutionary responses. Most unexpectedly, she discovers the brain’s ability to do much, much better–with just a little help.
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As someone who does safety training for crises such as Covid-19, I found this book illuminating. Ripley deftly examines how the brain reacts to emergencies, and processes trauma. Timely
This is a compilation of stories of people who survived disasters, whether manmade or natural, and an analysis of what characteristics led to their survival. It is a fascinating and compelling read.
Everyone should read this book! I learned so much but the biggest take away was…be prepared with an escape plan in the event of a disaster. You may save your life and the lives of your loved ones.
If you want to think through what YOU’D you in a disaster, find out which kind of person you are, and discover how to train yourself to survive “the unthinkable” scenario, this is a book for you.
It’s one of those books I found such a page-turner, I carried it into the bathroom with me, and stirred a soup while turning pages with my nose. Literally could NOT PUT IT DOWN!
Very interesting. Good read. Grabs your attention and keeps it. Informative: it will change my behavior in many situations, but especially on air flights.
The information in this book could save your life! Well worth reading.
It isn’t a how-to but more than any other source, this book helped me to understand what to do, and what not to do, in an emergency so where others might freeze or panic, I will be able to handle it emotionally and practically so can act intelligently to save my life and maybe the lives of others around me. It taught me the value of preparedness. Then when I tried putting together an emergency go-bag (everyone should have one and you may see why after you read this, to see what happens to people who aren’t mentally prepared to meet the unthinkable) I was astounded that it took two weeks to gather necessities. I saw how impossible it would be to gather all that stuff in an emergency.
I found The Unthinkable to be interesting from beginning to end, and as the author says, in the big picture the stories of disasters wasn’t morbid but strengthening. If we don’t learn from others mistakes then their lives may have ended for nothing. For instance, what I remember from the Coconut Grove fire was not the horror of all those deaths but the importance of dealing with the tendency to freeze if one isn’t prepared (flight and fight are not the only reactions to danger, freeze is a third).
Flat prose but interesting scientific material.
Couldn’t put down !!!!
I was very surprised this is readable and engaging. Very interesting. Made me want to get some training to be ready for a disaster.
I already wrote a review of this. Did it not go through? Let me know.
These are real life stories and how people survived un thinkable disasters. It is well written, informative and a GREAT READ! Engrossing… and heart stopping….REAL LIFE situations and their real outcomes!