I did not expect to finish reading this book 72 hours into a citywide power outage, but here we are.

This book is old enough to drive, and in some ways it shows. There is lots of discussion of how to survive a terrorist attack, solidly carbon-dating the era Ripley authored the book. But even when it shows its age, there are a number of interesting bits I picked up:

• Holy smokes, airline crashes were way more common in the 70s and 80s. Even the current Boeing 737 Max scandal paddles in comparison.
• There are a few references to mass shootings, but nothing predicts the humdrum nature of the current fear. It only shows up in the section on how many people freeze under pressure; much different than the current “run, hide, fight”

I don’t think the author effectively chose a lane for what kind of book she was writing. Half of it seemed an “investigation” of the kinds of responses disasters elicit. And the other half masquerade as a how-to guide on how to “increase your survival odds”, as it says on the book cover. It’s not a bad read, just a little disjointed. I’d be interested in a contemporary take on the subject.