A Commentary on Ilan Kelman’s Disaster by Choice

Abstract

While discussing the writing of academic book reviews, a colleague once told me a good review is one that informs the reader what a book is about, how well the book’s thesis is supported by evidence, and who the most appropriate audience for the book is. Following my colleague’s recommendation, I would say that Ilan Kelman’s Disaster by Choice: How Our Actions Turn Natural Hazards into Catastrophes is a very good book written for a non-academic audience that presents a number of global case studies to support the observation that disasters are by no means natural and rather are, to a great extent, the result of human actions. Moreover, the book asserts that if people’s actions are a critical dimension of the social production of disasters, then it may very well be within people’s ability to prevent them, hence the book’s main title. At the same time, I must confess I felt some unease while reading Disaster by Choice, a sensation that began the moment I read the preface’s first sentences: