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About this book
When the forces that give our planet life exceed our ability to withstand them, they become disasters. Together they have shaped our cities and architecture, elevated leaders and toppled governments, influenced the way we think, feel, fight, unite and pray. The history of natural disasters is a history of ourselves.
The Big Ones investigates some of the most impactful natural disasters, and how their reverberations are still felt today. From a volcanic eruption in Pompeii challenging and reinforcing prevailing views of religion, through the California floods of 1862 and the limitations of memory, to what Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami can tell us about governance and globalisation. With temperatures rising around the world, natural disasters are striking with ever greater frequency.
More than just history or science, The Big Ones is a call to action. Natural hazards are inevitable; human catastrophes are not. With this energising and richly-researched book, Jones offers a look at our past, readying us to face down the Big Ones in our future.
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Biography
Dr Lucy Jones is a world-renowned seismologist. A research associate at Caltech, she holds a PhD in geophysics from MIT. For decades, she has provided scientific information to the public, and has appeared on every major network's Nightly News Broadcast as well as every major morning television show, Conan and Larry King Now, among others. She lives in Southern California.
By: Lucy Jones(Author)
245 pages, b/w photos, b/w illustrations, b/w maps
"In The Big Ones, Jones presents the history of natural disasters as the history of ourselves; looking back as a way to look forward."
– Los Angeles Times
"This incredible book by leading seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones shows just how influential natural disasters are on life as we know it."
– Chicago Review of Books (The Best Nature Writing of 2018 So Far)
"[A] bracing examination [...] This work could prove beneficial to all who live in an area prone to natural disasters, which is just about everyone."
– Publishers Weekly
"For all her impressive expertise, Jones delivers a very accessible book – without sacrificing the scientific content, the text is sprinkled with relatable analogies to help readers better understand some of the more technical geological processes [...] Touching on environmental science, history, sustainability, plate tectonics, engineering, and design, this book is sure to have broad appeal."
– Library Journal
"Lively and provocative."
– Los Angeles Review of Books
"Jones is a gifted storyteller, making complex geologic concepts accessible and having fun along the way [...] And she provides hope that, when disaster strikes, communities will persevere."
– Shelf Awareness
"Jones' fascinating book takes a long view at natural events in order to help us understand our environment and to prepare for and survive natural disasters."
– BookPage
"Seismologist Lucy Jones deploys arresting details to brilliant effect throughout The Big Ones."
– Maclean's
"The Big Ones is a timely and essential remembrance of how natural disasters have changed the world in dramatic ways. Lucy Jones is a first-rate storyteller and fine researcher."
– Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Rightful Heritage and The Great Deluge
"Nobody does a better job of explaining the science of disasters and the psychology of humans than Lucy Jones. This book is priceless – both as a history and a prophecy."
– Amanda Ripley, New York Times bestselling author of The Smartest Kids in the World and The Unthinkable
