How to Survive History by Cody Cassidy is a delightful romp through some of the most perilous moments in human history. Cassidy takes readers on a journey back in time, providing witty and informative guidance on how to outsmart dinosaurs, escape volcanic eruptions, survive shipwrecks, and more.

Each chapter explores a different historical catastrophe, offering insights into the science behind the events and practical advice on how to increase your chances of survival. Whether you're a a teacher looking for new takes on old topics, a history or science enthusiast, or someone simply looking for an entertaining read, How to Survive History is worth checking out.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Cody Cassidy says that his book is “a survivalist dream at extreme.” In it, we go back to revisit the days of the 15 most catastrophic events in history. But with his help, armed with the knowledge of what would happen on that day and thanks to modern science advances, we can escape disasters unharmed, maybe just scared. It is a fun time travel for readers of all ages, humor being one of its big assets. A great gift for the kids and something that parents can enjoy reading together with their children. This book can inspire interest in both science and history.

I am a history buff as well as a big fan of scary, disastrous events in general so this book was right up my alley. The book is well-researched and written. The tone is for a general audience and would probably be appropriate from late middle school and up. The author has a subtle sense of humor that I enjoyed. While I was familiar with most of the topics in this book, taking a fresh look at them from a personal survival standpoint was unique. I truly enjoyed every chapter in this book and hope to read more from this author in the future.

What a clever and amusing way to learn history! This is a non-fiction book that comes across as a fiction tale of adventure. Readers are invited to time-travel back to dangerous times when lives were at stake. How would one survive?

The author has asked experts what it would have taken to get through such disasters as earthquakes, tornadoes, starvation, and even facing off with dinosaurs (and more!).

Read about highlights in history as if you were there. What tools would you have needed? Which routes to safety would have been available? It was not always a matter of what was intuitive. That could land someone into real trouble.

The way this story happens, involving the reader, is a great way to help one remember those important dates. It’s entertaining and educational, a wonderful read. I was given a complimentary copy of the book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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If you enjoy learning what is (likely) useless information, this is for you. I mean that in a nice way. It's incredibly fun and well written. A joy to read. I spent a whole morning trying to explain to my husband the logistics of *why* you should go to a packed city for the best chance to avoid plague (ratios people, it's the ratios). It's a genuinely fun way to explore elements of history, although after reading it I feel really confident that I would be best to avoid all of these circumstances once I get me hands on that time machine.

Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Group for access to this arc.



I had so much fun reading Cassidy's second book, "Who Ate the First Oyster?" that when I saw this one I immediately requested an arc to read. (Thanks Raven for hooking me up!) The book focuses on a series of specific past catastrophes and assumes a few things such as you have access to a time machine to be transported to them and that, among a few other things, by following Cassidy's sometimes very specific directions, you won't be hit by falling debris as no one can predict where this will land. But with his research into the events, into the cityscapes/landscapes/ships, etc where the events occurred, and by keeping your cool, you just actually might be able to keep far enough from a T-Rex's car-crunching sized jaws to make it out alive.


So can you outpace one of the worst predators in our planet's history? Yes. Maybe. Given the estimated speed of an adult and if you're in reasonable shape and you utilize the evasion tactics that allow (slower) impalas and zebras to dodge (faster) cheetahs and lions. However if you catch the eye of a juvenile T-Rex, your odds just plummeted. Do you want to see how you'd fare during an ice age mammoth hunt? Make friends (as one spear will only make the animal mad), learn to use a spear thrower, and face it head on. How about a lovely day in Pompeii on August 24th, 79CE? Don't stick around after the initial eruption and either make for a boat in the bay or head north but do that quickly as you've got to make the 15 miles to Naples by early afternoon.


Surviving the ten year gloom that plunges most of northern Europe into famine due to three horrific volcanic explosions beginning in 536 is more challenging but doable. If you're in the exact right place and have some food and supplies, you might even live through Chicxulub and that's saying something. Make it out of your steerage room and onto a lifeboat as the Titanic goes down? Here are the directions and a map plus instructions about how to abandon ship (if you don't initially get onto a lifeboat). How about the San Francisco 1906 earthquake or the (frankly terrifying sounding) Tri-State tornado of 1925? Only if you move fast and know where to go - and where <i>not</i> to go. Oh, and don't look like a looter in SF.


Cassidy adds little history lessons, scientific explanations, and some fun to each chapter. One of the first things Gutenberg printed was an appeal to Christian Europe to head to the aid of Constantinople in 1453. The city fell but Cassidy gives you two options to escape. What was the death knell to the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean? Sugar cultivation and the need to protect the ships bearing enslaved Africans to work there from pirates. If you were an Egyptian during the building of the Great Pyramids, you'd get fed for free but have to "donate" four months of your life to the project. But hey, the work crews gave themselves nicknames and engaged in trash talking. Who is the first person known to circumnavigate the Earth? An enslaved Filipino native.



I had a blast reading this and - one day - I <B>will</b> get back to reading the first book. The chapters are short enough to snack on when you don't have a large amount of time or you can (as I did) settle down and gorge yourself on the entire book in one day. The choice is yours but I do recommend it. B+

This was a really fun, interesting book! I learned a lot of specific details of the events in the book that I hadn't heard or thought of before. I feel better knowing that I night survive if a t-rex should appear someday! I enjoyed this one so much that I've already pre-ordered a copy for my husband, who loves books like this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book on some of the worst events and possibilities that a person could experience throughout history and how to survive them.

Imagine one had the funds to take advantage of the latest breakthrough in technology, time travel. One could explore the great cities, see the great events, share in experiences that were once thought lost. The sights, the sounds the varied disgusting smells. Also imagine that one is low on these funds and opt for a cheaper time travel service, that doesn't really have a calendar or access to Wikipedia, and sends one person back in time to Pompeii hours before Vesuvius erupts, or San Francisco before the earthquake. One might even find oneself playing tag with a dinosaur, or working on the pyramids in Egypt. Cody Cassidy has seen the future of time travel and has written a guide to help future chrononauts have fun, be safe and live to travel more times and different eras. How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes, is both a history of some of the past's most catastrophic events, and a handy survival guide to make it through with a smile.

The book is set up chronologically, starting with how to keep out of range of the dreaded T-Rex, and how to get around other dinosaurs using science and a little luck. The book moves forward to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, to living in the Ice Age, and helping to build the pyramids. Specific events are detailed, getting off the Titanic, San Francisco Earthquake. Also included are sailing with pirates, living in the time of the Black Death, and a lot more. Each essay gives an overview of the situation, followed by scientific or other advice that details what to do, how to get out, and when to run. Everything a good time traveller needs.

A very informative, and funny book, with a lot of great advice, ideas and information. This is the third book by Cassidy I have read and I really enjoy what Cassidy does with the material, and how it is presented. This should be a joke, but Cassidy treats this as real, similar to the Worst Case Scenario books, only more interesting, and with a lot more facts. The research is solid, the history is very informative, and really is a lot of fun. What is most interesting to me is that Cassidy is telling about real events, with real people, say the Donner party, who really did experience what is being written about. Cassidy is not exploitive, but looks at what happened and tries to find another way, a more positive way the situation could have gone. An interesting way to look at history.

This is almost an I Survived.. book for adults, but I think this would be good for kids who like that series. I plan to share some with my nephew and I know that he will enjoy it, as I would have at his age. Recommended for history readers who like new ways of looking at events. Would make a good Father's Day for that survivalist Dad whose reading habits one is trying to change. And of course time travellers. I look forward to what Cody Cassidy writes next.

I adore everything Cody Cassidy puts out. This book is no exception. I accidentally stumbled across "And Then You're Dead" a few years ago and have been obsessed with everything he has put out (even if it is only 3 books). I highly recommend this book as its fun and you might learn something from it because it is HIGHLY informative, even if some of the situations seem highly unlikely. You never know though....

This book was so fun, but also very informative. I would definitely recommend this to my library's patrons who enjoy history books or humor books. The book was a quick read and the entire thing was enjoyable.

This book was so much fun! It feels very much like Randall Munroe's "What If" books... while the situations aren't very outlandish (as they actually did happen), the idea of going back in time and finding ways to avoid being caught in the catastrophes is such a wild, interesting premise.

From escaping the destruction of Pompeii to sneaking your way onto a Titanic lifeboat, Cassidy explores all the ways that you could survive longer than our ancestors.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy of the book.

This is such a fun book! The author's writing style is informal and relatable. The situations are interesting and the information well-researched. Such a wonderful read and it does the best thing a non-fiction book can... it makes you want to research and learn more about the presented topics. A must-read for history fans!

This made my nerdy heart SO happy. It’s for the history buffs and the doomsday preppers. Fascinating and fun (if you’re into some dark humor, which I absolutely am).