The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley
TITLE: The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why
AUTHOR: Amanda Ripley
DATE PUBLISHED: 2009
FORMAT: Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780099525721
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In 'The Unthinkable", journalist Amanda Ripley investigates a variety of disasters to determine how people react in a crisis, and ultimately tries to determine who survives and why. Ripley makes use of academic research and news articles, as well as interviews with survivors and scientists.
While the stories and studies were interesting, I found that the author didn't make her arguments very well - she doesn't connect her chapters and she doesn't tell us why people with the specific traits identified in the book survive (the points are scattered throughout the book). The material covered was also somewhat superficial. The book however does provide some interesting material on how better to be mentally prepared for a disaster, most of which is common sense, but there are still useful nuggets of information in the book.
This book is easy to read, informative and educational, but I wish it included more indepth material.
5
