The Unthinkable introduces the “survival arc” of actions and reactions when experiencing disaster. Within the over-arching question rises the most poignant thought of who has the highest potential of dying during a disaster: Why? Ripley investigates a range of disasters, both natural and manmade, asking us if we’re endeared with the mental traits of a survivor. Our Review of “The Unthinkable” by Amanda Ripley The Unthinkable asks us the hard question: “Will my decision in a disaster lead to survival or death?” More importantly, Ripley asks why we exhibit certain behaviors, and if we can change them to make us more resilient during a disaster. Ripley examines the various levels of human behavior through multiple case studies and eyewitness accounts, leading readers to draw conclusions about themselves. If we’ve ever asked the question, “What would I do in a disaster,” then Ripley’s book is at the forefront of answering that question for her readers. Most unexpectedly, she discovers the brain’s ability to do much, much better–with just a little help.The Premise: How are you most likely to die? In The Unthinkable, Amanda Ripley asks this question and begins a journey to explore the mindset of humanity to understand what sets apart one’s survival instinct from another’s. 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. 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. To understand the science behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts.
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. How will we react? What will it feel like? Will we be heroes or victims? Tomorrow, some of us will have to make split-second choices to save ourselves and our families. Today, nine out of ten Americans live in places at significant risk of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorism, or other disasters. the most important variable in an emergency is your own behavior.”- The New York Times Discover how human beings react to danger-and what makes the difference between life and death
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