When the Dust Settles cover art

When the Dust Settles

The gripping behind-the-scenes memoir from the UK's top disaster planner - A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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When the Dust Settles

By: Lucy Easthope
Narrated by: Lucy Easthope
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About this listen

 The thrilling, edge-of-your-seat true story of a life lived on the frontline of the world's worst disasters.

When a plane crashes, a bomb explodes, a city floods or a pandemic begins, Lucy Easthope's phone starts to ring . . .

Lucy is a world-leading authority on recovering from disaster. She holds governments to account, supports survivors and helps communities to rebuild. She has been at the centre of the most seismic events of the last few decades, advising on everything from the 2004 tsunami and the 7/7 bombings to the Grenfell fire and the war in Ukraine. Lucy's job is to pick up the pieces and get us ready for what comes next.

When the Dust Settles takes us behind the police tape to government briefing rooms and scenes of chaos, looking back at the many losses and loves of a remarkable life and career. It tells us how we can all build back after disaster.

AS FEATURED ON THE HIGH PERFORMANCE PODCAST AND FULL DISCLOSURE WITH JAMES O'BRIEN
'A marvellous book' - Rev Richard Coles
'Amazing book by an amazing woman' - James O'Brien
'Riveting' - Telegraph
'Enthralling' - Observer
'Gripping' - Sunday Times
'An antidote to despair' - Daily Mirror©2022 Lucy Easthope Disaster Relief Politicians Politics & Activism Social Sciences Women Natural Disaster Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

Never less than reassuringly humane... She shows and tells and, vitally, cares.
An unlikely superhero... this gripping memoir is full of compassion. A remarkable insight into the decisions involved in disaster planning.
Easthope, whether she knows it or not, is that rare thing, a genuine philosopher thinking through what she is actually doing in the mitigation of human suffering.
The disasters recalled here often read like short stories, each of them filled with high drama, surreal twists and mysteries to be solved.
'A remarkable account...This should be a dark and depressing read; that it isn't, that it is ultimately hopeful and uplifting, is down to the utter human decency that the author represents'
An essential, uplifting read, brimming with humanity, humility and humour.
An entirely unique vision of the human experience
Candid, unsettling and darkly funny
Poignant, funny, analytical and profoundly humane
Dauntless and forthright
Deeply humane, occasionally unsettling, and strangely uplifting
A book of horror and hope, written with rare humanity.
When the Dust Settles taught me is that all experiences are of value... Easthope shows us how perfection and imperfection are woven together. Everything is flawed. Yet there is also hope despite the flaws.
Her sensitive and profoundly moral book explores how human beings can preserve their resilience and live with loss.
Rewrites your perceptions of the disasters and wars of our lifetime with vivid details and vignettes... laced with humanity and decency. A literary memento which honours the messy truth of life.'
An inspiring memoir. Easthope advises, supports and helps to rebuild lives.
A riveting no-nonsense memoir that pulls back the curtains on your worst fears and shows you that someone, somewhere, will always truly care.
Outstanding... a graphic but deeply humane account of what drew her to take on such work, and how she steels herself to tackle the worst of human scenarios.
All stars
Most relevant
The content of this book is fascinating, but the author wasn't the strongest choice for the narration unfortunately. Basic things like diction, pace and breath control are more noticeable than with a professional reader, and took me away from the content more than I liked, taking a little more time to get used to. The recording seems a little varied in places too - the voice becoming louder, or softer or sometimes the tone change of the voice noticeably different between chapters. This is something a audiobook director should be more on top off, as it can be distracting. It's a shame this is the case for the audiobook version of this release, because Lucy Easthope's book is a particularly interesting and well written book on an subject most of us know little about, and I would definitely recommend you read it.

Great Book, Less Strong Narration/Recording

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Absolutely blown away by this book. It is a “must read” for everyone and so I am buying this for my friends and family!!

Incredible!!

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I found this to be very informative, brutally honest and written, and read with such care and compassion. You can tell that Lucy is passionate, knowledgeable and deeply cares about the work she does and literally leaves no stone unturned. She doesn’t just want to help to get answers for the bereaved, she is always looking at how emergency planning can be improved. A really great book.

Very informative

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I finished this within 7 days, what an incredible journey, strangely inspiring despite the very tragic circumstances that are revealed across its pages.

Incredible from start to finish

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Well worth persevering with this thoughtful and highly relevant tale. Thank you to Lucy and all disaster planners, volunteers and tea makers.

So poignant

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