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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 155.935 EAN: 9780307352897 ISBN: 0307352897 Label: Crown Manufacturer: Crown Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 288 Publication Date: June 10, 2008 Publisher: Crown Release Date: June 10, 2008 Studio: Crown Editorial Review: Product Description: It lurks in the corner of our imagination, almost beyond our ability to see it: the possibility that a tear in the fabric of life could open up without warning, upending a house, a skyscraper, or a civilization. Today, 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 split-second choices to save ourselves and our families. How will we react? What will it feel like? Will we be heroes or victims? Will our upbringing, our gender, our personality–anything we’ve ever learned, thought, or dreamed of–ultimately matter? Amanda Ripley, an award-winning journalist for Time magazine who has covered some of the most devastating disasters of our age, set out to discover what lies beyond fear and speculation. In this magnificent work of investigative journalism, Ripley retraces the human response to some of 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 a plane crash in England in 1985 that mystified investigators for years, to the journeys of the 15,000 people who found their way out of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Then, to understand the science behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts, formal and informal, from a Holocaust survivor who studies heroism to a master gunfighter who learned to overcome the effects of extreme fear. Finally, Ripley steps into the dark corners of her own imagination, having her brain examined by military researchers and experiencing 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. The Unthinkable escorts us into the bleakest regions of our nightmares, flicks on a flashlight, and takes a steady look around. Then it leads us home, smarter and stronger than we were before. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Best book of the year. Fascinating read. Impossible to put down.As a practicing doctor and author (Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely: Making Intelligent Choices in America's Healthcare System), I don't have a lot of free time to read for pleasure, so when I read a book, it's got to be great. This is one of those books. Much like Tipping Point, Blink, and Freakonomics, The Unthinkable provides fascinating anecdotes, references to research, and causes us to think differently about the world we live in. In brief, each victim of a disaster undergoes three ... Read More Rating: - Great book in great conditionThe product and the condition of the book were exactly what I was looking for. I was disappointed in the time it took to receive the book. I am unsure of what the hold up was in delivery. Rating: - The UnthinkableThis book is really unthinkable amazing!!! It makes you learning so many things on the subject "human behaviour during catastrophes", which you wouldn't expect. It's nearly all stories-interesting examples from whom to collect and understand theory. I strongly recommend it to anybody interested on the subject. Rating: - WowSuch an in-depth study of the human psyche. Great read. I highly recommend this book. Rating: - What If????Everyone does it. Bored at work, staring out a window. Or late at night, unable to sleep. The "what if" game.What if the unthinkable thing ever happened, what would you do? Could you handle it? Would you survive? THE UNTHINKABLE by Amanda Ripley is based on just this intriguing premise and she takes us into the world of several different heroes and heroines who, yes, they did just that. They survived. But more than that, Ms. Ripley slips into analytical mode to help us understand the ... Read More |
