The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why Summary and Reviews

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why
by Amanda Ripley

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $12.41
You Save: $12.54 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $9.44 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Amanda Ripley
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-10
ISBN: 0307352897
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Crown

Book Reviews of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why

Book Review: This Book Can Save Your Life, Let You Sleep Better at Night, and Learn How to Improve in All Areas
Summary: 5 Stars

This is the best non-fiction book you are likely to read this year.

I was attracted to this book because I have been in bad car accidents and two hotel fires, once had the airplane window near me break during a flight, designed the plan for an event where the safety team saved two children's lives, and have driven through many dangerous blizzards where every other car was spinning off the road out of control. From those experiences, I learned to appreciate that there were good and bad features about my reactions during those stressful times. I was also astonished to see how many people would have been injured or killed if someone hadn't taken fast and insistent action.

Needless to say, I'm convinced that I will have experiences like these again in the future and wanted to be better prepared. I was very pleased with what I learned as Ms. Ripley explained the psychology and physiology of dealing with various life-threatening situations. With this added information, I'm sure I'll make faster and better decisions in the future . . . and implement those decisions better.

Many books written by journalists about serious subjects don't get much below the surface of who, what, when, where, why, and how of events they wish to use as set pieces. Ms. Ripley is the happy exception to that rule. This author really thinks about what she is studying and went all over the world to gain more information. In addition, she writes well.

I was very impressed by how well she expressed the problem of human beings not knowing what to do if they haven't thought about a problem before or haven't had experience in an area. This is a subject of much interest to me because it is the main barrier to people grasping important opportunities that they are ignoring.

I hope that Ms. Ripley will consider writing a book that looks at why people don't seize opportunities when they are not in a threatening situation. I believe that her recommendations for better leadership, more preparation, clearer directions, advance experience with simulations, and knowing yourself better would apply to that class of problems as well. By combining the two perspectives, I think she could help us understand how to be more successful, as well as safer.

Brava, Ms. Ripley!

Health, Mind & Body Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in My favorite books of 2008
Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel ("Rebel Inc." Classics) ImageSombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel ("Rebel Inc." Classics)
by Richard Brautigan
Rebel Inc; Published: 2001-01; Hardcover; Book
Pleasure of My Company ImagePleasure of My Company
by Steve Martin
HYPERION; Published: 2003; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.42
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why ImageThe Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why
by Amanda Ripley
Crown; Published: 2008-06-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops: $24.95
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life ImageBorn Standing Up: A Comic's Life
by Steve Martin
Scribner; Published: 2008-09-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops: $15.00
Ender in Exile ImageEnder in Exile
by Orson Scott Card
Tor Books; Published: 2008-11-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops: $25.95
Here, Bullet ImageHere, Bullet
by Brian Turner
Alice James Books; Published: 2005-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $15.95
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (Vintage) ImageThe Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (Vintage)
by Leonard Mlodinow
Vintage; Published: 2009-05-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops: $15.00
Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse ImagePatriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse
by James Wesley Rawles
Ulysses Press; Published: 2009-04-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.11
Price in other shops: $14.95
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive Image98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
by Cody Lundin
Gibbs Smith; Published: 2003-06-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.39
Price in other shops: $16.99
Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things ImageEveryday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things
by Laurence Gonzales
W.W. Norton & Co.; Published: 2008-09-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.85
Price in other shops: $25.95
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior ImageSway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
by Ori Brafman, Rom Brafman
Broadway Business; Published: 2008-06-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.50
Price in other shops: $21.95
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) ImageTraffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
by Tom Vanderbilt
Knopf; Published: 2008-07-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.89
Price in other shops: $24.95
Outliers: The Story of Success ImageOutliers: The Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2008-11-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.15
Price in other shops: $27.99
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes ImageWhen All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes
by Cody Lundin
Gibbs Smith; Published: 2007-09-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.87
Price in other shops: $19.99
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why ImageDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
by Laurence Gonzales
W.W. Norton & Company; W.W. Norton & Co.; Published: 2004-10-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.58
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life ImageThe Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life
by Ben Sherwood
Grand Central Publishing; Published: 2009-01-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.77
Price in other shops: $25.99