Trapped: Remarkable Stories of Survival from the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake

by Martin Van Beynen

7 Members 1 Review ½ (3.50)

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Description

It was all so sudden. Twenty seconds and then silence. I started calling out, 'Can anyone hear me?' - nothing but silence. Over the next few hours I heard hysterical sobbing and people clapping as others were rescued. I could hear engines, drilling and what sounded like sledgehammers ...when the sounds went away I worried they weren't coming back.' Ann Bodkin, trapped for 25 hours. The Canterbury earthquake of February 2011 altered landscape, history, and most importantly, human lives. Many show more perished and the lives of thousands were upended. In Trapped, Martin van Beynen documents with sensitivity and unerring detail the personal experiences of more than thirty quake survivors - before, during and after the event - in their own words. At once poignant, dramatic and enthralling, their stories record a defining moment in Canterbury's history and testify to the courage and heroism of everyday people. show less

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Member Reviews

1 review
A competent journalistic account of survivors of the Christchurch earthquake of 2011. When we think of disasters we tend to think of the dead who were unlucky and the survivors who were lucky. This book reminds us that many of the "lucky" did not get away unscathed and many will bear the physical or mental scars for the rest of their lives. It also reminds us of the randomness of disaster and that there is no reasonable accounting for why one person lives when the person next to them on the bus or on the next table in a cafeteria dies or is permanently maimed. Each story is short, told with sympathy and allows the individuals personality to emerge. Sad but fascinating.
The kobo edition of the ebook has some odd formatting with certain show more phrases being repeated in italics without any obvious reasoning - I suspect missing photos. show less

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2 Works 11 Members

Common Knowledge

Original publication date
2012
Important places
Christchurch, New Zealand
Dedication
Dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives on 22 February 2011

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, History
DDC/MDS
993.8304History & geographyOceania & Polar RegionsNew ZealandCanterbury RegionChristchurch
BISAC

Statistics

Members
7
Popularity
2,735,400
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (3.50)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
3