First published 2008
Amanda Ripley examines how humans respond when catastrophe strikes without warning. The Time magazine journalist investigates historic disasters from the 1917 Mont Blanc munitions ship explosion to the 1985 plane crash in England to September 11, 2001, when 15,000 people escaped the World Trade Center. Ripley interviews brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and disaster survivors, including a Holocaust survivor who studies heroism and a master gunfighter who conquered extreme fear. She submits to brain scans by military researchers and undergoes simulations of plane crashes and fires. Her research reveals how crowds behave during crises, how the brain processes fear, and why our evolutionary responses often fail us. Ripley discovers that nine out of ten Americans live in areas at significant risk of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorism, or other disasters. The book offers insights into human survival instincts and practical wisdom about how our brains can perform better in extreme situations.
Genres: history, science, psychology, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, real-world-research
Setting: England, Mont Blanc, September 11 2001, World Trade Center
Period: 1917, 1985, 2001
298 pages · Kindle Edition · Harmony