The unthinkable / Ripley, Amanda

Draws on the work of brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and disaster experts to explore the human response to disaster, revealing how a person's attitude, beliefs, gender, upbringing, and personality influences whether or not they will survive a disaster.

Traces mankind's reactions to various disasters throughout history, from the explosion of the "Mont Blanc" munitions ship in 1917 to the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, in order to reveal how individuals overcome fear and find the will to survive. Includes full-color and black-and-white photographs of various historical and modern disasters.