A good perspective and point of view on the sustainability and charitable uses (and misuses) for disasters are used for good examples. The catch words and manipulation shows a powerful misuse by corrupted companies and governments around the world. While I do feel for what is shown on the media, I does make me hesitate and consider where all the money goes that is collected. Good read to make you think a bit below the surface. Would recommend.

Excellent Within Scope, Ignores Alternative Explanations. This one was a bit weird. About halfway into the narrative, I was thinking this was going to be a three star at best, because it was *so* hyper "woke" / "progressive". But then I read the description - I had picked up the ARC on the strength of the title alone - and saw that most all of the problems I had with the book were *exactly what the description said the book would have*. Well, crap. Ok, *within that scope*, this book is a true 5* narrative. Maybe a touch light on the bibliography at just 17% or so of the overall length of the book (more normal range is 20-30% in my experience), but not too terrible there. But ultimately I had to ding a star because it *does* lean too much into the author's own biases and refuses to consider - and at times even outright dismisses - alternative explanations such as risky geography and geology, among others, in many of the disasters it covers. Still, the book has a lot of solid points about the modern "green" / "sustainable" / "resilient" building movements, if solidly from the "woke" / "progressive" side. Enough that even if you are one that normally can't stomach such tripe (I myself am largely among this camp), this text really does have enough good material that you need to wade through it to see the arguments from even that perspective. Recommended.

The misuse of aid and donor funds in the aftermath of Haiti’s major earthquake awakened many to the complexities of disasters and recovery. Lizarralde, a world reknowned expert on disaster recovery points out the backward and often illogical approaches to disaster that often motivate both governments and private organizations. First, he notes that while violent natural events such as hurricanes and earthquakes are large,y beyond human control, the extent to which these natural events become disasters is usually determined by human preparedness and response. He criticizes approaches that are market driven, such as technological gadgets that fail to address root causes and housing developments that do not respect the priorities and cultures of residents. Lizarralde finds plenty to condemn in the approaches taken by most international experts but he also finds reasons to hope when local and national priorities are aligned with individual needs. A good corrective to the “sustainable and resilient” design rhetoric that dominates current discussions but seldom results in long term positive results,