THE DYNAMICS OF DISASTER

Natural disasters – earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, tornadoes, hurricanes—bedevil our planet. Celebrated geologist Susan Kieffer shows in a deeply readable and relatable work how all natural disasters are connected, and how the devastation they inflict is often caused by secondary features that have only recently begun to be identified and understood.

The term “disaster” comes from the Greek words for “bad star.” This reference to astrology reflects the historically fatalistic attitude humanity has taken towards what insurance companies often call “Acts of God.” Susan Kieffer has two goals for this ground-breaking volume – to show how the dynamics of disasters are connected by a small number of natural laws, and to show how the greatest damage and loss of life is often caused by unrecognized aspects of these events. From the devastation of Haiti’s earthquake, to Japan’s tsunami, to hurricanes along the American coast, Kieffer reviews and analyzes individual cases and eight general types of disasters, so that we may not only understand what has happened, but that we may also prepare for what will happen. Susan Kieffer is a professor of Physics and Geology at the University of Illinois. She is among the world’s experts in the science of movement and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a recipient of a MacArthur foundation “genius” grant, and possibly the most decorated female scientist of her generation. Dynamics of Disaster will have both tremendous appeal for frontlist sales, and wonderful potential as a backlist classic in the tradition of Why Buildings Stand Up and Why Buildings Fall Down.