Name: Resilience
ISBN: 9781451683806

Andrew Zolli

Ann Marie Healy

An introduction to the emerging field of resilience research explains how to approach disruptions in ecosystems, businesses, and governments to better reinforce interdependent world systems.

Why Things Bounce Back

Resilience

Greg Talbot

If the Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell's runaway hit, said anything about the general public's reading habits, it's that social science can sell. Maybe it's just marketing buzz, but "Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back" has been compared to Gladwell's momentus novel, and I think it strikes a similar chord; albeit a very different topic. The opening is really great. I like how Zolli describes systems adapting; how resilence can create fragility in other areas. Or the cycle of adapting. Or how feedback loops can regulate or augment the changes. Another part I really liked is the examples chosen. Quite a few are going to be sceanrios in the public eye - for instance the BP oil spill, the 2008 crash, the Mumbai hotel terrorist catastrophe or the Ceasefire campaign to stop shootings in inner city Chicago. The personal stories about resilence are impressive too, and he talks about the Richard Davidson studies on meditation or the Haiti crisis SMS emergency line, and it champions the idea that resilence is maybe overlooked because of how ordinary it is, or just how much we can take it for granted. All and all, an enjoyable, fun read. The only drawback is that this topic is so broad, and I would have enjoyed more detailed case studies, instead of this broad swept of ideas. But this book knows what it is, and like a firecracker, it's got a lot of flares and given the right conditions could easily light a fire for you.

Resilience Why Things Bounce Back

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