Inviting Disaster - by James R Chiles (Paperback)

About the Book

Explaining in vivid layman's terms how machines fail and deadly accidents result, this book draws on a wide range of disasters--some famous, some obscure --and combines riveting storytelling with eye-opening findings to show what happens when the reach for new technology exceeds a realistic grasp. Features a new Introduction.

From the Back Cover

Combining captivating storytelling with eye-opening findings, Inviting Disaster delves inside some of history's worst catastrophes in order to show how increasingly "smart" systems leave us wide open to human tragedy.

Weaving a dramatic narrative that explains how breakdowns in these systems result in such disasters as the chain reaction crash of the Air France Concorde to the meltdown at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, Chiles vividly demonstrates how the battle between man and machine may be escalating beyond manageable limits -- and why we all have a stake in its outcome.

Included in this edition is a special introduction providing a behind-the-scenes look at the World Trade Center catastrophe. Combining firsthand accounts of employees' escapes with an in-depth look at the structural reasons behind the towers' collapse, Chiles addresses the question, Were the towers "two tall heroes" or structures with a fatal flaw?

Review Quotes

"A cornucopia of disasters, sharply honed, terrifying, yet gracefully and engagingly presented. Even the familiar ones are freshly revealed." - Charles Perrow, author of Normal Accidents

"Full of scary news, but unsensational and thoroughly documented. Just don't read it in flight." - Kirkus Reviews

"Vivid and dramatic stories." - Harvard Business Review