Finding Resilience: Change and Uncertainty in Nature and Society

by Professor Brian Walker

Floods, fires, famines, epidemics and disasters of all kinds are on the increase, and as their frequency rises so does the call for greater resilience. But what does that mean?

The word is used differently in psychology, ecology, economics and engineering and runs the risk of becoming meaningless jargon. This would be most unfortunate because, if we are to successfully navigate very real and dangerous global trends, it is resilience that needs to be understood and fostered.

Finding Resilience is international in scope and unravels how ecosystems, societies and people cope with disturbance and adversity. Written for a general readership and based on the experiences of researchers, these fascinating stories from around the world reveal what resilience is, how it works in different kinds of systems, how it is expressed, and how it can be gained and lost.

168 pages, Paperback

Published March 13, 2019

Reviews

[K H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. He interwove his own experiences with resilience concepts, which felt contrived at first, but he warmed up to the task a bit. In Part 4 he goes off on the economic system, which was a lot of fun. I seriously have no idea why this book costs so much—I got it from the university library—but it’s a shame; it’s rather antithetical to many of his conclusions.

Both this book and 1493 included a quick debate on whether ease of access to desired resources or insistence on unique identity would be the stronger driver as globalization continues to homogenize the world.

[David Pocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a timely and brilliant book. It offers an accessible introduction to resilience theory and practice. Through stories of his years working around the world on resilience, Walker provides readers with ways to think about and navigate the problems we face.

[Tyrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Thorough overview of resilience in all spheres; economic, environmental, and social. Easy to read and not too hard science heavy.