{"product_id":"the-blessings-of-disaster-michel-bruneau-9781633888234","title":"The Blessings of Disaster: The Lessons That Catastrophes Teach Us and Why Our Future Depends on It","description":"\u003cp\u003eAre we doomed? As individuals, certainly, eventually, inevitably. But as a species? As a civilization? Leading catastrophe engineer Michel Bruneau thinks perhaps not. The Blessings of Disaster draws on knowledge from multiple disciplines to illustrate how our civilization's future successes and failures in dealing with societal threats--be they pandemics, climate change, overpopulation, monetary collapse, and nuclear holocaust--can be predicted by observing how we currently cope with and react to natural and technological disasters. Maybe most importantly, this entertaining and often counter-intuitive book shows how we can think in better ways about disasters, to strengthen and extend our existence as both individuals and as a species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen it comes to rare extreme events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornados, volcanic eruptions, technological accidents, terrorist attacks, pandemics, and even existential threats, it is in our nature to set ourselves up for disasters because the gamble may be worth it. But only maybe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Blessing of Disaster is the very real story of the relationship between humans and disasters - and it's not a simple one. Bringing together his decades-long career spanning the globe as an earthquake and disaster engineer, detailed catastrophe case studies from extreme events like Japan's Kobe earthquake and category 5 hurricanes in the American South, along with thoughtful and practical solutions, Bruneau provides a thorough examination of the structural challenges that face today's (and tomorrow's) world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow we cope with today's threats is indicative of what the future holds. Contrary to popular forecasts, it is not all gloom and doom - but some of it definitely is. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michel Bruneau\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1633888231\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781633888234\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Prometheus Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/08\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 474\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.93lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.34w x 1.28d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/26\/2022","brand":"Michel Bruneau","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44173266616575,"sku":"9781633888234","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_bb994fca-0977-4d46-b1e7-b849ea870718.jpg?v=1689791906","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-blessings-of-disaster-michel-bruneau-9781633888234","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}