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Do you ever mentally place yourself in fictional perilous situations from history and wonder if you would have survived? Or wondered HOW you would attempt to survive? If not, you should. It’s a fun and potentially useful exercise in hypothetical catastrophe avoidance. I mean, what if you were being chased by a T-Rex? Or were somehow inserted into a voyage with the notorious super-pirate, Blackbeard? What if you hiccupped and sneezed at the same time while performing open heart surgery on yourself? (Not covered in the book.) Luckily, I found a handbook to help gameplan survival against some of history’s most infamous calamities. Here is my How to Survive History book review.
How to Survive History Summary
How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History’s Deadliest Catastrophes by Cody Cassidy is a delightfully speculative guidebook for time travelers. It was released in 2023. The hypothetical handbook combines humor with historical details on how one might survive some of history’s most infamous catastrophes. Cassidy covers a series of real historical events, like the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the sinking of the Titanic, and even the asteroid strike that doomed the dinosaurs. Each chapter explores survival tips based on modern science and historical knowledge, making it both informative and entertaining.
The author brings insights from archaeology, paleontology, and disaster science to provide plausible ways to escape seemingly inevitable doom. For example, if you found yourself in Pompeii just as Vesuvius erupted, Cassidy suggests practical ways to evade ash and lava—scientifically detailing escape routes, geological timing, and even breathing techniques to avoid choking on volcanic ash.
The tone is witty and lighthearted, but the information is meticulously researched. Cassidy not only provides survival tips but also gives readers fascinating historical context. The book is part history lesson, part survival manual, and part darkly humorous exploration of humanity’s capacity for both disaster and ingenuity.
Who is Cody Cassidy?
Cody Cassidy is a writer with a knack for making history and science both accessible and entertaining. He’s known for tackling bizarre, speculative, and often darkly humorous questions about the past, focusing on what it would really be like to experience extraordinary historical moments. Cassidy’s background is in journalism, and his previous work includes And Then You’re Dead, which explores outlandish hypothetical scenarios (like getting swallowed by a whale or walking on the surface of the sun.) His writing is known for blending well-researched science with wit.
Cassidy’s work appeals to readers who are curious about the “what ifs” of history and science. He often collaborates with experts in fields like physics, archaeology, and disaster science to ground his work in fact while exploring entertaining scenarios. His books are written in a style that is humorous and rich with historical detail. He provides thorough and enlightening answers to the questions you never thought to ask.
Follow Cody on Instagram: Cody Cassidy (@cody.cassidy) • Instagram photos and videos
Now onto the rating! How to Survive History book review:
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 4/5
How to Survive History is a clean, wholesome read, appropriate for all…well…most audiences. OK, so there is a wee bit of cannibalism (Donner Party). The themes were heavy in doom, peril and avoiding death. But the content was delivered in a mild, non-gory way.
Hilarity Score: 2.5/5
The premises of How to Survive History are humorous in and of themselves. The content wasn’t delivered in a particularly hilarious manner. But the theoretical scenarios Cassidy guides you through are pretty darn funny. Serious, scientific, very specific instructions on how to dodge a T-Rex is funny.
I listened to this via audiobook. It looks like the print book adds some levity not available to the audio consumers. Graphics, pictures, charts add to the humor. This is pretty funny to me:
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 3.5/5
I consider it a win if I can be entertained AND learn something about history or science…or really anything in the process. I imagine author Cody Cassidy had a ball researching these plausible, yet highly…. HIGHLY unlikely scenarios. Who doesn’t enjoy learning about dinosaurs?
Things I liked:
- Learning while laughing
- Finding out I might be able to outrun (or at least out-maneuver) a T-Rex
Things I didn’t like:
- This isn’t something I didn’t LIKE about the book per se. But after seeing some of the pictures and infographics online, I wish I would have consumed via physical copy instead of audio. Maybe I’ll pick up a paperback and re-read.
Conclusion: Final Thoughts on How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History’s Deadliest Catastrophes
How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History’s Deadliest Catastrophes was a fun Pop-Science, Pop-History, “How-To” guide that was entertaining and informative. I’m confident I would NOT have succeeded in any of the theoretical, perilous scenarios proposed by Cody Cassidy. But at least this book gave me some tips to help me be better prepared for the next asteroid!
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