A New Species of Trouble – Human Experience of Modern Disasters (Paper): The Human Experience of Modern Disasters

Unlike earthquakes and other natural catastrophes this new species of trouble afflicts persons and groups in particularly disruptive ways. With clear-eyed compassion in vivid narrative and in participants own words Kai Erikson describes how certain communities have faced such disasters. He shows conclusively that new attention must be paid to their experiences if people are to maintain elementary confidence not only in themselves but in society government and even life itself.