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To Forgive Design
by Henry Petroski • 2012
The safest bridges and planes are designed by studying the ones that fell down.
3.53
217
To Forgive Design Summary
To Forgive Design 92%
The safest bridges and planes are designed by studying the ones that fell down.
by Henry Petroski 2012
3.53
217 ratings
Inviting Disaster
by James R. Chiles • 2001
Catastrophe is never one mistake. It's small failures linking up while everyone looks elsewhere.
4.03
565
Inviting Disaster Summary
Inviting Disaster 92%
Catastrophe is never one mistake. It's small failures linking up while everyone looks elsewhere.
by James R. Chiles 2001
4.03
565 ratings
Success through Failure
by Henry Petroski • 2006
Every triumph contains the seed of its collapse; the art of design is spotting it early.
3.60
201
Success through Failure Summary
Success through Failure 91%
Every triumph contains the seed of its collapse; the art of design is spotting it early.
by Henry Petroski 2006
3.60
201 ratings
To Engineer Is Human
by Henry Petroski • 1985
Every disaster is a lesson plan. Bridges stay up because engineers study the ones that fell.
3.69
3k+
To Engineer Is Human Summary
To Engineer Is Human 91%
Every disaster is a lesson plan. Bridges stay up because engineers study the ones that fell.
by Henry Petroski 1985
3.69
3k+ ratings
Normal Accidents
by Charles Perrow • 1984
The safer we try to make a system, the more unknowable its failure modes become.
4.05
704
Normal Accidents Summary
Normal Accidents 91%
The safer we try to make a system, the more unknowable its failure modes become.
by Charles Perrow 1984
4.05
704 ratings
What Do You Care What Other People Think?
by Richard P. Feynman • 1988
A glass of ice water and an O-ring: how Feynman exposed NASA's fatal blind spot.
4.19
31k+
What Do You Care What Other People Think? Summary
What Do You Care What Other People Think? 90%
A glass of ice water and an O-ring: how Feynman exposed NASA's fatal blind spot.
by Richard P. Feynman 1988
4.19
31k+ ratings
The Johnstown Flood
by David McCullough • 1968
2,200 dead, a city erased in ten minutes. The dam's owners were never held accountable.
4.13
26k+
The Johnstown Flood Summary
The Johnstown Flood 90%
2,200 dead, a city erased in ten minutes. The dam's owners were never held accountable.
by David McCullough 1968
4.13
26k+ ratings
Engineers of Dreams
by Henry Petroski • 1995
America's bridges were built by dreamers, rivals, and the hard lessons of catastrophic failure.
3.78
166
Engineers of Dreams Summary
Engineers of Dreams 90%
America's bridges were built by dreamers, rivals, and the hard lessons of catastrophic failure.
by Henry Petroski 1995
3.78
166 ratings
Drift into Failure
by Sidney Dekker • 2011
Hunting the broken part misses real failure: slow, rational erosion inside everyday decisions.
4.01
343
Drift into Failure Summary
Drift into Failure 90%
Hunting the broken part misses real failure: slow, rational erosion inside everyday decisions.
by Sidney Dekker 2011
4.01
343 ratings
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing
by Petroski • 1996
Paper clips, fax machines, bridges: what their shortcomings reveal about the logic of engineering.
3.75
351
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing Summary
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing 90%
Paper clips, fax machines, bridges: what their shortcomings reveal about the logic of engineering.
by Petroski 1996
3.75
351 ratings
The Challenger Launch Decision
by Diane Vaughan • 1997
The chain of small failures that precedes every disaster, and where to break it.
4.08
459
The Challenger Launch Decision Summary
The Challenger Launch Decision 90%
The chain of small failures that precedes every disaster, and where to break it.
by Diane Vaughan 1997
4.08
459 ratings
Dark Tide
by Stephen Puleo • 2003
A 25-foot wave of molasses killed 21 people because one company ignored every warning sign.
4.03
5k+
Dark Tide Summary
Dark Tide 90%
A 25-foot wave of molasses killed 21 people because one company ignored every warning sign.
by Stephen Puleo 2003
4.03
5k+ ratings
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings
by Allan J. McDonald • 2009
One engineer's refusal to stay silent exposed how schedule pressure killed Challenger's crew.
4.02
803
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings Summary
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings 90%
One engineer's refusal to stay silent exposed how schedule pressure killed Challenger's crew.
by Allan J. McDonald 2009
4.02
803 ratings
Civil Engineering
by David Muir Wood • 2012
Why bridges stand and dams hold: a compact tour of civil engineering, from soil to steel.
3.61
137
Civil Engineering Summary
Civil Engineering 89%
Why bridges stand and dams hold: a compact tour of civil engineering, from soil to steel.
by David Muir Wood 2012
3.61
137 ratings
Lights Out
by Ted Koppel • 2015
A grid cyberattack could kill most Americans in a year; no agency has a plan.
3.71
6k+
Lights Out Summary
Lights Out 89%
A grid cyberattack could kill most Americans in a year; no agency has a plan.
by Ted Koppel 2015
3.71
6k+ ratings
Panama Fever
by Matthew Parker • 2007
A forty-mile obsession that cost 25,000 lives: how a four-century dream became the Panama Canal.
3.80
920
Panama Fever Summary
Panama Fever 89%
A forty-mile obsession that cost 25,000 lives: how a four-century dream became the Panama Canal.
by Matthew Parker 2007
3.80
920 ratings
Structures
by J.E. Gordon • 1978
The hidden physics that keeps the world standing, and the surprising ways everything still breaks.
4.14
4k+
Structures Summary
Structures 89%
The hidden physics that keeps the world standing, and the surprising ways everything still breaks.
by J.E. Gordon 1978
4.14
4k+ ratings
Flying Blind
by Peter Robison • 2021
Boeing swapped safety for stock price, and two crashes later, 346 were dead.
4.17
4k+
Flying Blind Summary
Flying Blind 89%
Boeing swapped safety for stock price, and two crashes later, 346 were dead.
by Peter Robison 2021
4.17
4k+ ratings
The Essential Engineer
by Henry Petroski • 2010
Science explains; engineering creates. When we confuse the two, our biggest problems get harder.
3.37
270
The Essential Engineer Summary
The Essential Engineer 89%
Science explains; engineering creates. When we confuse the two, our biggest problems get harder.
by Henry Petroski 2010
3.37
270 ratings
Command and Control
by Eric Schlosser • 2013
One dropped socket in an Arkansas missile silo exposes seventy years of nuclear near-disasters.
4.27
15k+
Command and Control Summary
Command and Control 89%
One dropped socket in an Arkansas missile silo exposes seventy years of nuclear near-disasters.
by Eric Schlosser 2013
4.27
15k+ ratings
The Gales of November
by John U. Bacon • 2025
The Great Lakes breed deadlier waves. The Edmund Fitzgerald was built for cargo, not survival.
4.50
15k+
The Gales of November Summary
The Gales of November 89%
The Great Lakes breed deadlier waves. The Edmund Fitzgerald was built for cargo, not survival.
by John U. Bacon 2025
4.50
15k+ ratings
The Road Taken
by Henry Petroski • 2016
The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.
3.44
529
The Road Taken Summary
The Road Taken 89%
The $121 billion congestion tax: what the history of pavement says about fixing America's roads.
by Henry Petroski 2016
3.44
529 ratings
The Perfectionists
by Simon Winchester • 2018
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
4.15
7k+
The Perfectionists Summary
The Perfectionists 88%
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
by Simon Winchester 2018
4.15
7k+ ratings
Concrete Planet
by Robert Courland • 2011
Concrete is older than the wheel, built Rome, and now silently corrodes the modern world.
3.89
218
Concrete Planet Summary
Concrete Planet 88%
Concrete is older than the wheel, built Rome, and now silently corrodes the modern world.
by Robert Courland 2011
3.89
218 ratings
The Devil Never Sleeps
by Juliette Kayyem • 2022
Disasters aren't rare flukes; they're the new normal. The playbook for surviving the next one.
3.84
485
The Devil Never Sleeps Summary
The Devil Never Sleeps 88%
Disasters aren't rare flukes; they're the new normal. The playbook for surviving the next one.
by Juliette Kayyem 2022
3.84
485 ratings
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters
by Jared Knott • 2020
History turns on unopened letters, wrong turns, and badly designed ballots, not grand strategy.
4.01
2k+
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters Summary
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters 88%
History turns on unopened letters, wrong turns, and badly designed ballots, not grand strategy.
by Jared Knott 2020
4.01
2k+ ratings
Engineering in Plain Sight
by Grady Hillhouse • 2022
An illustrated field guide to the engineering secrets embedded in every street, pole, and bridge.
4.20
856
Engineering in Plain Sight Summary
Engineering in Plain Sight 88%
An illustrated field guide to the engineering secrets embedded in every street, pole, and bridge.
by Grady Hillhouse 2022
4.20
856 ratings
A Demon of Our Own Design
by Richard Bookstaber • 2007
Why safer economies create more volatile markets: a hidden design flaw that turns progress to peril.
3.92
1k+
A Demon of Our Own Design Summary
A Demon of Our Own Design 88%
Why safer economies create more volatile markets: a hidden design flaw that turns progress to peril.
by Richard Bookstaber 2007
3.92
1k+ ratings
A Night to Remember
by Walter Lord • 1955
Ice at 11:40. Lifeboats for only half on board. Two hours later, the orchestra was still playing.
4.10
30k+
A Night to Remember Summary
A Night to Remember 88%
Ice at 11:40. Lifeboats for only half on board. Two hours later, the orchestra was still playing.
by Walter Lord 1955
4.10
30k+ ratings
Maintenance of Everything
by Stewart Brand • 2026
Civilization runs on maintenance nobody sees, values, or funds. Until it stops.
4.00
516
Maintenance of Everything Summary
Maintenance of Everything 88%
Civilization runs on maintenance nobody sees, values, or funds. Until it stops.
by Stewart Brand 2026
4.00
516 ratings
Release It!
by Michael T. Nygard • 2007
QA says your software is ready. Production disagrees. The patterns that close the gap.
4.25
3k+
Release It! Summary
Release It! 88%
QA says your software is ready. Production disagrees. The patterns that close the gap.
by Michael T. Nygard 2007
4.25
3k+ ratings
Humble Pi
by Matt Parker • 2019
Math errors have sunk ships and crashed economies. A mathematician-comedian explains why.
4.10
23k+
Humble Pi Summary
Humble Pi 88%
Math errors have sunk ships and crashed economies. A mathematician-comedian explains why.
by Matt Parker 2019
4.10
23k+ ratings
Engineering Mechanics
by Russell C. Hibbeler • 1992
From particles to rigid bodies: a methodical path through statics, dynamics, and vibrations.
4.06
205
Engineering Mechanics Summary
Engineering Mechanics 88%
From particles to rigid bodies: a methodical path through statics, dynamics, and vibrations.
by Russell C. Hibbeler 1992
4.06
205 ratings
The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error'
by Sidney Dekker • 2002
A mistake reveals nothing about a worker and everything about the system that shaped their choices.
4.22
625
The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' Summary
The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' 88%
A mistake reveals nothing about a worker and everything about the system that shaped their choices.
by Sidney Dekker 2002
4.22
625 ratings
Structural Analysis
by Russell C. Hibbeler • 1982
Trusses, beams, and frames: how to find every force and deflection inside them before they're built.
4.10
424
Structural Analysis Summary
Structural Analysis 88%
Trusses, beams, and frames: how to find every force and deflection inside them before they're built.
by Russell C. Hibbeler 1982
4.10
424 ratings
Chaos Kings
by Scott Patterson • 2023
They lose money every day on purpose, because one market crash will repay everything.
3.75
1k+
Chaos Kings Summary
Chaos Kings 87%
They lose money every day on purpose, because one market crash will repay everything.
by Scott Patterson 2023
3.75
1k+ ratings
The Book on the Bookshelf
by Henry Petroski • 1999
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
3.75
1k+
The Book on the Bookshelf Summary
The Book on the Bookshelf 87%
Why books once faced the wall and wore chains: the bookshelf as a history of engineering.
by Henry Petroski 1999
3.75
1k+ ratings
How to Survive History
by Cody Cassidy • 2023
T. rex: 13 mph, you win. Pompeii: run north. The science of outliving history's deadliest days.
4.05
3k+
How to Survive History Summary
How to Survive History 87%
T. rex: 13 mph, you win. Pompeii: run north. The science of outliving history's deadliest days.
by Cody Cassidy 2023
4.05
3k+ ratings
Ubiquity
by Mark Buchanan • 2000
One grain of sand explains why markets crash, species vanish, and empires fall.
3.90
716
Ubiquity Summary
Ubiquity 87%
One grain of sand explains why markets crash, species vanish, and empires fall.
by Mark Buchanan 2000
3.90
716 ratings
The Right Kind of Crazy
by Adam Steltzner • 2015
A sky crane, a rover, and a team that trusted doubt more than confidence.
3.81
763
The Right Kind of Crazy Summary
The Right Kind of Crazy 87%
A sky crane, a rover, and a team that trusted doubt more than confidence.
by Adam Steltzner 2015
3.81
763 ratings
Anti-Tech Revolution
by Theodore John Kaczynski • 2016
The technological world system is a self-driving machine no one steers and nothing stops.
3.95
630
Anti-Tech Revolution Summary
Anti-Tech Revolution 87%
The technological world system is a self-driving machine no one steers and nothing stops.
by Theodore John Kaczynski 2016
3.95
630 ratings
Site Reliability Engineering
by Betsy Beyer • 2016
Google's operations playbook: why perfect uptime is the wrong target, and what to build instead.
4.21
3k+
Site Reliability Engineering Summary
Site Reliability Engineering 87%
Google's operations playbook: why perfect uptime is the wrong target, and what to build instead.
by Betsy Beyer 2016
4.21
3k+ ratings
Blackout
by Marc Elsberg • 2012
A former hacker traces Europe's blackout to a cyberattack hidden inside its own smart meters.
4.01
18k+
Blackout Summary
Blackout 87%
A former hacker traces Europe's blackout to a cyberattack hidden inside its own smart meters.
by Marc Elsberg 2012
4.01
18k+ ratings
Ringworld
by Larry Niven • 1970
Four explorers crash-land on a ring encircling a star. Its surface equals three million Earths.
3.93
130k+
Ringworld Summary
Ringworld 87%
Four explorers crash-land on a ring encircling a star. Its surface equals three million Earths.
by Larry Niven 1970
3.93
130k+ ratings
Falter
by Bill McKibben • 2019
Engineers want to redesign humans as the climate exit. The two crises share a cause.
4.00
2k+
Falter Summary
Falter 87%
Engineers want to redesign humans as the climate exit. The two crises share a cause.
by Bill McKibben 2019
4.00
2k+ ratings
Reentry
by Eric Berger • 2024
Explosions, sleeping on the factory floor, and NASA skeptics: the real price of reusable rockets.
4.47
2k+
Reentry Summary
Reentry 87%
Explosions, sleeping on the factory floor, and NASA skeptics: the real price of reusable rockets.
by Eric Berger 2024
4.47
2k+ ratings
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
by Eliezer Yudkowsky • 2025
Superhuman AI kills without malice. Its goals turn our atoms into raw material, not our future.
3.92
7k+
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies Summary
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies 87%
Superhuman AI kills without malice. Its goals turn our atoms into raw material, not our future.
by Eliezer Yudkowsky 2025
3.92
7k+ ratings
Our Final Invention
by James Barrat • 2013
An intelligence greater than human will not hate us; it simply won't need us.
3.72
4k+
Our Final Invention Summary
Our Final Invention 87%
An intelligence greater than human will not hate us; it simply won't need us.
by James Barrat 2013
3.72
4k+ ratings
California Burning
by Katherine Blunt • 2022
The California utility that chose shareholder returns over safety, and the fires that followed.
4.26
2k+
California Burning Summary
California Burning 87%
The California utility that chose shareholder returns over safety, and the fires that followed.
by Katherine Blunt 2022
4.26
2k+ ratings
Invention and Innovation
by Vaclav Smil • 2023
Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.
3.84
1k+
Invention and Innovation Summary
Invention and Innovation 87%
Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.
by Vaclav Smil 2023
3.84
1k+ ratings
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