Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why

Amanda Ripley

ISBN 10: 0099525720 ISBN 13: 9780099525721

Publisher: Arrow Books, 2009

Synopsis

It was 8.46 a.m. on 9/11 when Elia Zedeno, who had worked in the World Trade Center for twenty-one years, heard a booming explosion and felt the building lurch violently to the south. She grabbed her desk, taking her feet off the floor, and screamed, 'What's happening?' How would you react to a disaster? Would you be paralysed with fear? Would you panic and lose control? Or might you suddenly discover hidden strengths in yourself? In "The Unthinkable", award-winning journalist Amanda Ripley investigates some of the most harrowing catastrophes in history in order to piece together exactly how we react in a crisis.Through compelling interviews with survivors and experts she uncovers our instinctive reactions, shows how primitive parts of our brains take over when we're put under pressure, and demonstrates that we can, in fact, train ourselves to do better. We all have a 'disaster personality' that reveals itself at moments of crisis. In "The Unthinkable" you can become acquainted with yours. Who knows? One day, understanding how it works may save your life.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Have you ever wondered how you would react to a disaster? Do you think you would be paralysed with fear, like the diplomat who froze, drink still in hand, as terrorists invaded the Dominican Republic’s embassy in Colombia in 1980? Or might you find yourself pretending it hadn’t happened, like the 9/11 survivor whose first instinct on feeling the shockwaves of the plane crashing into her building was to stay put? Or then again might you suddenly find hidden strengths in yourself, like Joe Stiley, who not only escaped from a dreadful plane wreck, but also managed to survive thirty minutes in the freezing Potomac river waiting for rescue vehicles to arrive?

In The Unthinkable award-winning journalist Amanda Ripley talks to risk analysts, psychologists and survivors of some of the most harrowing catastrophes in history in order to piece together how people react in a crisis and why they behave the way they do. She demonstrates that responses ranging from paralysed shock through to frenzied action can be clearly categorised and explained, as can the stages through which most people go when suddenly faced with a disaster – initial denial, cautious deliberation, final decision.She compellingly shows how the rational and irrational parts of our brains interact when put under pressure, and she also reveals the physical effects of sudden stress. And finally she demonstrates that while our reactions are often instinctive and inbuilt, we can also be taught how to master or control them.

We all have a ‘disaster personality’ that reveals itself at moments of crisis. In The Unthinkable you can become acquainted with yours .Who knows? One day, understanding how it works may save your life.

From the Back Cover

When the first plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, many office workers stayed at their desks. Some made phone calls, some stopped to gather their possessions together, about 1,000 took the time to shut down their computers . Even those who survived waited, on average, an astonishing six minutes before trying to save themselves. Why did they move so slowly when their lives were at risk?

In 1977 a Pan Am 747 awaiting takeoff at Tenerife airport was sliced open without warning by a KLM jet that came out of nowhere. After impact, most passengers remained in their seats, dazed and disbelieving. But sixty-five year old Paul Heck leapt into action and immediately led his wife to safety. How was he able to act so decisively when everyone else in the wrecked fuselage was overcome by shock or confusion?

When Seung-Hui Cho stormed into a French class at Virginia Tech and started shooting students indiscriminately, many people were caught in the gunfire while trying to escape. Clay Violand, however, instinctively crumpled to the floor and lay there completely motionless. In that split second, how was he able to make the decision that may have saved his life?

When faced with extreme circumstances, people behave in surprisingways. How would you react if you had to survive THE UNTHINKABLE?

‘A must read. We need books like this to help us understand the world in which we live.’ Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author The Black Swan and Fooled By Randomness

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0099525720
• ISBN 13: 9780099525721
• Binding: Unknown Binding
• Number of pages: 304