The Unthinkable

Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why

By: Amanda Ripley

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Times

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?

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.

©2008 Amanda Ripley (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Engrossing and lucid . . . facing the truth about the human capacity for risk and disaster turns out to be a lot less scary than staying in the dark.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“The thinking person’s manual for getting out alive.”—NPR’s “Book Tour”

“The Unthinkable isn’t merely a book about disaster; it’s a book about survival—maybe yours.”—Gavin de Becker, New York Times bestselling author of The Gift of Fear

Just reading this book could save your life

Ever think about how you would re-act in a disaster? You should, this book will help, just in case.

Galvanizing listen

Good information and gripping stories encouraging us to face unpleasant possibilities rather than turning away.

Vital, effective handbook for survival

Excellent and poignant resource on survival-to prepare for it and to survive when it strikes. Highly recommended.

Disaster personalities

This is something i meed to learn more about because this book has made me interested

You’re gonna wanna read this book considering you probably drive, fly,go on cruises alot etc

Disaster preparedness

Great book about disaster preparedness over history. Loved the real life stories and the thoughts about them.

Loved this book on many levels.

What made the experience of listening to The Unthinkable the most enjoyable?

They looked at data, personal experience and MRI's to determine how and why people respond the way they do to trauma and that has value.

What other book might you compare The Unthinkable to and why?

Maybe Tipping Point or Freakenomics to make a far fetched corollary.

What about Kirsten Potter???s performance did you like?

She sounded vested in sharing the story and was easy to listen to for long stretches.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Your world has just been torn apart by the scariest thing imaginable how will you respond?

The Mind In Crises

Would you listen to The Unthinkable again? Why?

I would listen to this again. Everybody reacts differently in emergencies.This could save your life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Are you ready when the sh** hits the fan.

Very interesting book about human reactions

What did you love best about The Unthinkable?

I loved how the author showed you through several ministories about real people and what I did correctly... at least in that particular incident and what was going on in their brain. The author effectively debunks some myths and has enough detail from anaytomy to psychology to satifsy a reader. FYI the stories are personal and interesting and not overall "touchy feely" which is great for me. She gets you to sympathy with the people in the story without going on and on as many books do.

What does Kirsten Potter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is very clear to understand and uses enough verbal skill to make it actually seem like a dialog and interpersonal chat.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Honestly too many parts were so good, but I would say how a person survived both Twin Tower attacks; it was utterly fascinating.

Any additional comments?

I do not think this book would be good for simply reading so you know what to do. Not saying most people buy it for this, but it is interesting and greatly helps you understand society and individuals when disaster strikes.

Captivating and eye opening

The author wrote a great primer on disaster preparedness. The narrator was absolutely amazing. Definitely worth adding to your library.

Evidence based and actionable

As someone who has gone through EMT training, now an RN, I've encountered a lot of incomplete or misleading information about what to do in emergencies. This book does exactly what it says it will do. Informs about how real people react in emergencies, why we think that happens, and how to alter both your approach and your level of knowledge in order to be as well-prepared as possible for an emergency. The emphasis is on regular people taking small steps that add up to a much more functional populace. This is NOT a doomsday book that goes into intricate, expensive prep for unlikely events. This book focuses on reasonable preparation (within the boundaries of our control) for things that are reasonably likely to happen. It's told in such a way that it reads like a novel, with engaging stories. The author shares important (and sometimes scary) details, but does not indulge in gratuitous, irrelevant descriptions. There are many of her own research experience stories, too, that explain how she synthesized this information, and what the state of our knowledge is. The only thing I'd add is an unequivocal command to take a CPR/AED/first aid class!