The Next Apocalypse, Chris Begley
The Next Apocalypse, Chris Begley
4 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Next Apocalypse
The Art and Science of Survival

Author: Chris Begley

Narrator: Chris Begley, Keith Sellon-Wright

Unabridged: 8 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 11/16/2021


Synopsis

In this insightful book, an underwater archaeologist and survival coach shows how understanding the collapse of civilizations can help us prepare for a troubled future.

Pandemic, climate change, or war: our era is ripe with the odor of doomsday. In movies, books, and more, our imaginations run wild with visions of dreadful, abandoned cities and returning to the land in a desperate attempt at survival.

In The Next Apocalypse, archaeologist Chris Begley argues that we completely misunderstand how disaster works. Examining past collapses of civilizations, such as the Maya and Rome, he argues that these breakdowns are actually less about cataclysmic destruction than they are about long processes of change. In short: it’s what happens after the initial uproar that matters. Some people abandon their homes and neighbors; others band together to start anew. As we anticipate our own fate, Begley tells us that it was communities, not lone heroes, who survived past apocalypses—and who will survive the next.

Fusing archaeology, survivalism, and social criticism, The Next Apocalypse is an essential read for anxious times.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bandit on August 08, 2021

I’m all about apocalyptic books, fiction of nonfiction. The world is ending anyway, according to the news. It’s just doing it slowly and stupidly. The books, at least, do it in an exciting fashion. Well, maybe not all books. Certainly not this one. This is more of a sociopolitical and socioeconomic......more

Goodreads review by Matt on January 30, 2022

The Next Apocalypse starts as an abridged Collapse where Begley surveys the decline of Mayan, Roman, and Native American cultures based on his own and others research. This is a helpful update to Diamond’s book, which Begley critiques. The major points Begley makes are that declines happen over a lo......more

Goodreads review by Trish on November 16, 2021

This is an interesting look at apocalypse preparation from an author who combines an academic sensibility (he’s an archeologist and anthropologist) with real-life wilderness skills. The social commentary is extensive here, and he definitely has a point of view he’s selling. But it’s so far different......more

Goodreads review by Chantal on August 03, 2021

'The Next Apocalypse' is a solidly-argued discussion about how we misunderstand history's societal "collapses" and the apocalypses we envision in the future. Begley is an archaeologist, and he throws in plenty of engaging vignettes about his experiences that illustrate his points. I found his explan......more

Goodreads review by Diane on November 17, 2021

What will The Next Apocalypse look like? Will it follow the plots of a multitude of books, movies and television shows? An archaeologist looks at three “collapses” in modern times to determine how societies react to drastic events. Can the Mayan, Roman, and Eastern North American indigenous societie......more


Quotes

“an insightful overview of the fantasies and realities of catastrophes . . . solid popular science.”—Kirkus

“Begley expertly explains how a doomsday can occur (and includes suggestions on short term survival) but goes easy on the doom, preferring knowledge and preparation over fear and panic.”—Booklist

“A calm, practical and fascinating look at the worst 'what if' scenario.”
 —Tristan Gooley