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So You've Been Publicly Shamed
So You've Been Publicly Shamed | Jon Ronson
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blurb
dabbe
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#ItTakesAllKinds
#controversial

The principal at my school got fired, our English department chair lost that position, and the two teachers who assigned this book to AP English students got letters in their file ... #controversyoverload.

RebL I read this so long ago that I don‘t remember what in it would cause people to lose their job? My take was that we have to learn anew why we got rid of shaming in the public square. 8mo
dabbe @RebL Ronson included real e-mails that were quite vulgar, racist, sexist, you name it. But he did that to show the unbelievable hate-rage of some people. All the ONE parent who started the whole s(*5-show read were the emails and not the entire book--which is my #1 peeve with anyone who tries to ban a book. You must read the whole darn thing, people! This parent went straight to the media and our school was “publicly shamed“ by the incident. 8mo
RebL 😳😒😤 Not even sure what to say. Also, you probably already thought of the things I would say. 8mo
See All 10 Comments
DebinHawaii I‘ve not ever read this but it sounds like I should! Stacking.📚 8mo
Amiable This was a great book. It scared the crap out of me in that it really showcased the dangers of using social media. Which is a message high school students (and everyone else) should hear. 8mo
dabbe @RebL I am with you 💯 on what you're not saying. Thanks. 😍 8mo
dabbe @DebinHawaii It was bandaid-off-the-scab riveting. 😘 8mo
dabbe @Amiable #amensoulsista! 🤩😍😃 8mo
CarolynM 😡 Ridiculous! The media should be shamed for their irresponsible behaviour in stirring up controversy. 8mo
dabbe @CarolynM Agree 💯. I guess controversy creates sales in this capitalistic society. #argh 8mo
57 likes1 stack add10 comments
review
CRR
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Pickpick

I thought this was interesting and easy to read. It is a little dated and there is much that has happened since it was written but the idea is the same. I think Ronson does a good job of being authentic and working through things well. I like how he shares criticisms against him and the way he processes those things.

review
CorgiBooks
Mehso-so

I want to specify that the book is good - it's well written, insightful, and has all the trademarks of Jon Robson's style that help keep you captivated. However, the subject matter to hand was to me his least interesting one yet. Compared to the psychopath test or the men who stare at goats, I found this had less to grip me in. Maybe it's just that I'm not as removed from this topic as the other stories, so felt like I already knew what happened

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TheBookgeekFrau
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Panpan

I didn't care for the writing; it felt scattered and many times I found myself wondering wth the sidetrack I was reading had to do with what came before it.

@dabbe I think it's a good book to try to teach that social media comments are real words with real consequences and I can't for the life of me believe how one parent caused pretty much what this book talks about at your school 🫨

dabbe Agree on all points. The main part of the English teacher's job is to critique the WRITING, not just what's written. That's what you did in your review above. This is probably an excellent book to teach a social theme that is prevalent today, but not the best for literature. Funny. I guess I'm saying I'd PAN it Litsy-style but not for the content like the parent did. Thanks for your help. 🤩😍🤗 2y
TheBookgeekFrau @dabbe You're welcome 💕 Some of the content was interesting; especially in light of the growth of bots that have made the shaming so much worse, while making it appear to be business as usual. (edited) 2y
36 likes2 comments
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Thanks to @dabbe 's most intriguing post, I'm diving into this one

#CurrentRead ReadingMyTBR

dabbe I cannot WAIT to hear your thoughts. 💙💚💙 2y
TheBookgeekFrau @dabbe Well, so far, based on chapter one and the academics and their spambots stealing identities, I think this should be *required* reading. Especially for that one parent where you taught in Salem 😉 2y
dabbe @TheBookgeekFrau 🤣💚🤩 2y
CSeydel I enjoy his podcast quite a bit 2y
TheBookgeekFrau @CSeydel I'm enjoying his writing, I'd probably like his podcast but I never learned how the whole podcast thing works 😅 2y
37 likes5 comments
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dabbe
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#MayMontage
#DiscussionBook
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Talk about a discussion book: this one caused such an uproar in my district and high school that multiple “discussions“ occurred at board meetings until we now have a literature list that no teacher is allowed to deviate from. Discussions also resulted in my school's principal being fired, two English teachers having letters in their file, and the English chair losing her position. #grr

SamAnne Wait, what? Good grief. 2y
dabbe @SamAnne Oh, yeah. Here's just one news clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA3XYFRxCbM 2y
Amiable Oh, yes —this book scared the poop out of me! The thought that your entire life and reputation could be destroyed by the time you got off an airplane —yikes! 2y
See All 15 Comments
SamAnne Oh, so infuriating. We are going to end up with kids completely unprepared for life. 2y
Amiable @SamAnne @dabbe The irony is that this book is about cancel culture—which that parent who didn‘t read the book would know if she had actually read the book. 🙄 And these are AP English students! If your kid can‘t handle college-level material —which may come with more adult conversations, don‘t sign them up for college-level classes. 2y
SamAnne @amiable @dabbe exactly. Oh, the irony. 2y
TheBookgeekFrau I have this on my TBR shelf. I think you just moved it up next in line 😂 2y
Bookwormjillk What? I read this book a few years ago and can‘t remember what the heck would cause such a controversy. 2y
ChelseaM6010 Oh my goodness 🫣🤦‍♀️ so frustrating 2y
dabbe @SamAnne @Amiable @TheBookgeekFrau @Bookwormjillk @ChelseaM6010 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Talk about a book that gets people discussing! 🤣 This is a nationwide issue, and we Littens have to keep fighting the good fight! The ultimate irony is that by taking that book off of our list we ensured that many high school students who would have NEVER read it, now have. #lovethisgroup 💙💚💙
2y
dabbe @Bookwormjillk The author dared to quote verbatim some of the absolutely horrific social media messages sent by some uncivilized people; hence swear words, unflattering references to genitalia, racial slurs, ... unfortunately what we all see/read/hear/feel every day. 2y
Bookwormjillk @dabbe lol as a parent of a high schooler I guarantee these kids probably hear much worse on the bus 2y
Amiable @dabbe The thing that strikes me is how necessary the discussions are that arise from reading this book. People like to talk about their First Amendment rights. But what does that mean in practice? The freedom to say whatever you want doesn‘t mean you are free from the consequences of expressing your words. Students —and adults—need to learn how that works. And this —a book about using social media— is the kind of book that kids can understand. (edited) 2y
Eggs Wow 😯 2y
49 likes3 stack adds15 comments
review
dabbe
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Pickpick

This book has been center to a MAJOR controversy at the school I just recently retired from; in fact, the principal has been let go because of it. It is glaringly apparent to me who read/did not read the entire novel now after having read it myself. And that includes EVERY SINGLE PARENT WHO HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BOOK. It is a book trying to save our souls from not only being shamed but from shaming someone else and enjoying it.

11 likes1 stack add
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underground_bks
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Mehso-so

I found a signed copy in a used bookstore and was so drawn in by the subject matter, I read it even after considering the mixed reviews. The criticisms are accurate on the whole—Ronson (c. 2015 anyway) isn‘t all that enlightened when it comes to gender, race, or sexuality and sometimes veers off. But I still found grappling with these stories of public shaming, with Ronson‘s interpretations, and my own feelings/experiences worthwhile. 🤷‍♀️

underground_bks I‘m sure there are a lot of content warnings for this book but I want to share one that I didn‘t expect—fatphobia from Ronson in reference to his own body as a bullied teen in conversation with his young son. I found this scene disturbing and hope Ronson and his son have reached different conclusions today. 2y
26 likes1 comment
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Kerrbearlib
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You can barely see the book in the upper-left hand corner. Love kitty when she naps!

#catsoflitsy

review
rwmg
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Pickpick

Jon Ronson looks at people who've been the object of social media hate-fests and how they've recovered from the experience -- or not. Rather rambling but his tendency to hare off on tangents is a little more controlled than in the others of his books I've read.

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KathyWheeler
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Pickpick

I still liked this book the 2nd time around, but I noticed more flaws. The most egregious is the lack of any discussion about how much harsher women are treated in these cases. He mentions it, but there‘s no analysis. However, there‘s a section on a prisoner program developed by the NJ governor who went through a public shaming; none of the prisoners had though, so that discussion was irrelevant. The history of public shaming was interesting.

KathyWheeler According to this book, Delaware did not get rid of public shaming laws until 1952! Also, public shaming didn‘t disappear because people moved to cities; it fell out of favor because it was just so brutal. 4y
Megabooks I‘m sorry I missed this earlier. It is a fascinating, very readable book. Ronson certainly picks interesting subjects - I enjoyed Them and The Psychopath Test too. I think it goes back to what I said in my review of White Ivy. I hate obliviousness, whether in a fictional character or a nonfiction author. But then again, maybe I‘m the oblivious one because it took me two readings of the book to pick up on it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
KathyWheeler @Megabooks I didn‘t notice it until you mentioned it — that‘s how oblivious I am! 😄. And you were right. I liked The Psychopath Test and Them too. I haven‘t read The Men Who Stare at Goats though. 4y
30 likes3 comments
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KathyWheeler
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My new #audiowalk book. I‘ve read the book and liked it but thought I‘d give it a listen. Jon Ronson narrates the audio, and there‘s something I just don‘t like about his voice, but I can‘t place it.

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KathyWheeler
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I read this back when it first came out and gave it a positive review. @Megabooks just pointed out how tone deaf Ronson is towards women — how he doesn‘t see how public shaming is so much worse for women than it is for men. I‘m ashamed to say that I completely missed that the first time around so I‘m taking a little break from bratty Drue (Sunset Beach) to give this a listen. Nice evening walk. #audiowalk

Megabooks This was actually my second read, and I found it much clearer the second time. I‘m interested to see your thoughts! 4y
KathyWheeler @Megabooks I‘m interested to see what I think upon a reread too! 4y
26 likes2 comments
review
Megabooks
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Mehso-so

Jon is tone deaf to women. He couldn‘t seem to see the people who had best survived shaming were men who paid for sex (embarrassing but they‘re getting laid) & men who had lied (who fared slightly worse). He didn‘t notice that women who are shamed are threatened with death & rape, things way out of proportion to a badly made joke or reporting one. He sort of figures this out in the new afterword. The book was interesting but frustrating. ⬇️

Megabooks Note on Twitter. One of my close college friends is a VP at Twitter, and I mentioned to him that I was going to take some time off leading up to the election and apologized for missing anything personal. He immediately asked if I was being harassed. I said I wasn‘t but just needed a break. It shouldn‘t take having a well placed friend at Twitter for them to care about harassment of women. Just sayin‘. 4y
TrishB Sighs.... 4y
Kalalalatja I had to bail very early when reading this, so I didn‘t even know he doesn‘t acknowledge the difficulties of being a woman online. Your review only makes me glad I bailed 🙄 4y
See All 19 Comments
Texreader Ewww 4y
rachelk Omg! I am a woman on social media, an avid reader and progressive. I gave this book a good review without recognizing the sexism. Your review makes me question my own learned, unconscious bias against women. Thank you for your insight. ❤️ 4y
KathyWheeler @rachelk Me too! I‘m going to go back and listen to it instead of reading it. I cannot believe I didn‘t even notice. 😞 4y
Reviewsbylola I bailed on this early on. I was bored. 4y
DogEaredBooks I really didn‘t like this book and bailed and I couldn‘t put my finger on why but this is 100% it! I‘m glad I bailed 4y
Megabooks @TrishB and men wonder why women sigh so much... 4y
Megabooks @Kalalalatja yeah, I kinda wish I didn‘t own this one.. 4y
Megabooks @Texreader mmm hmmm.. 4y
Megabooks @rachelk I gave this book a good review the first time too, but it was just so glaring the second time when I was reviewing the people he met with in my mind. They just seemed to slot so well into sex shaming, lies, and holy crap women receiving disproportional abuse online. 4y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola good on you Steph! 4y
Megabooks @DogEaredBooks yeah, I‘m just sorry I spent money on it. I didn‘t remember reading it, but I decided to read it again because now I owned it, and it was just so glaring the second time! 4y
Texreader @Megabooks I had some cases years ago helping women who had been hacked, photos posted of them, and subjected to the most foul, crude abuse online not to mention death threats. I was/am appalled by how women are so utterly mistreated and maligned online. Reading more of your comments makes me 😡 all over again thinking of those cases! I‘m glad to know to avoid this book at all costs. 4y
Megabooks @Texreader yes! I really don‘t think many (white) men understand the how many degrees worse the treatment of women is online if we make a single misstep. As far as celebrities/politicians, Jennifer Lawrence had it way worse than Anthony Weiner when it came to naked photos and hers were stolen! Just maddening!!!!! 4y
Texreader @Megabooks Who is this author to claim to have such knowledge on behalf of women? It seems like a man trying to explain away the cramps, or what childbirth is like. 4y
Kerrbearlib I‘ve read about 75% and completely agree that he is tone deaf to women. 3y
Megabooks @Kerrybrary That was so disappointing about this because the idea of the book is interesting. His lack of consideration for the different problems women face was a total turn off. 3y
95 likes2 stack adds19 comments
review
sarahljensen
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Pickpick

I'm into books on psychology, and I've liked Jon Ronson since I read The Psychopath Test. I'd say this book fulfilled my expectations and took some turns I didn't expect. Though I suppose I do expect that from Ronson.

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veritysalter
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Plagiarism, an ill judged Twitter joke, kinky sex and pornography are among the public shamings discussed in this book and the reactions of the shamees and shamed. What is shameful in today‘s society and why men and women are treated differently in MSM and SM. Very interesting topic. (CW: suicide and rape threats)

54 likes2 stack adds
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veritysalter
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RebL
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As an early adopter of social media, I got a job as a social media manager more than a decade ago. I worked in that capacity when this book came out, & it has been on my TBR since. How did we decide public shaming should be outlawed as cruel & unusual punishment then embrace it wholly online? In light of our current climate, I do feel like some people should be called out/called in. That tension, though!

12 likes1 stack add
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Victoria6
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Book #21: Glad the library is back open for curbside pickup! This one was a Booktube recommendation.

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thevagabondlawyer
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Pickpick

Oh, what a thought-provoking book! Timely and utterly relevant about public or online shaming and an examination of how we have become the objects and perpetrators of online prejudice and discrimination. My thoughts 👇 🤔

https://thevagabondlawyer.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/so-youve-been-publicly-shamed...

9 likes1 stack add
review
mimsickle
Mehso-so

We've all been in that situation where our mouth acts before the brain engages. This book takes it a bit further and leaves you cringing at times at what people have said. That being said some of the chapters did drag on a little

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NicoleCeBallos
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Mehso-so

This was just an okay read. Some parts were interesting, but I didn't understand why some of the chapters were in there.

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Megabooks
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Pickpick

This is my first Ronson, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I will be reading more from him. While he moves through his own thoughts and questions organically, at times, the path wasn‘t as clear as I would have liked it to have been. He moves from Jonah Lehrer to mass shaming on Twitter to shaming as punishment to helping prisoners feel less shamed with a hundred stops between! 4⭐️

#bfc #bfcr2 #goteam book 14/28

TorieStorieS He‘s great in audio format too!! 5y
Megabooks @vivastory Thank you for the rec! 5y
See All 14 Comments
Megabooks @TorieStorieS Ooo! Great!! 5y
wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 You‘re making great progress on your book goal! 5y
KathyWheeler This is a great book! I generally like Robson. 5y
Amiable I read this a few years ago and still think about it. And I recommend to others. That‘s the sign of a good —or at least thought-provoking— book IMO. 5y
Megabooks @wanderinglynn Thanks!! 😊😊 5y
Megabooks @KathyWheeler It is! I can‘t wait to read more from him. 5y
Megabooks @Amiable That‘s great! I can see myself mulling it over awhile from now. Definitely thought-provoking! 5y
JaneyWaneyB I loved The Psychopath Test might have to have a read of this one too. Thanks for the recommendation 😁 5y
Megabooks @JaneyWaneyB You‘re welcome!! 5y
Emilymdxn Amazing progress on your book goal! 5y
Megabooks @Emilymdxn Thanks!! 😁👍🏻 5y
100 likes3 stack adds14 comments
blurb
Megabooks
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Well, hmmm. One of the journalists mentioned SYBPS is someone I went to college with. I haven‘t had any contact since, but March of his senior year he asked me, “Is there a way for an employer to know you haven‘t minored in economics when you say you have?” Me, “They can ask for your transcript.” 🤦🏻‍♀️

He worked as an analyst on Wall Street for a year and wrote a book about it before becoming a journalist full time.

I‘m enjoying both books!

Bookwormjillk I really enjoyed So You‘ve Been Publicly Shamed 5y
MicheleinPhilly Why did you go to college with so many scam artists? (Really just 2 at my last count.) 😉 5y
Megabooks @Bookwormjillk I‘m really enjoying it, too! It‘s interesting that shame was seen as a punishment worse than death. I guess that says something for 5y
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks @MicheleinPhilly This guy was born in Greenwich, CT, and grew up in Chappaqua, NY, so he was going to some expensive college. Compound that with, unknown to me at the time of application, Duke seems to attract slippery characters who aren‘t good at covering their tracks. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ 5y
JackOBotts You‘ve got a non-slippery Dukie over here! 🙋🏻‍♀️ 😉 5y
Megabooks @JackOBotts Yay!! 👍🏻👍🏻🥳 Me too, I hope!! 5y
80 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
andrew61
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Pickpick

My social media focus book was absolutely engrossing but incredibly terrifying. Jon Ronson has a wonderful way of getting to the heart of issues with humour and without judgement, he reflects on how we can use the anonymity of the crowd on social media to destroy people as was done in the stocks centuries ago. A brilliant read, couldn't put it down.
#booked2019 @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen

Cinfhen I was initially planning on reading this book for the same prompt. Glad to hear it‘s a pick!!! 5y
Itchyfeetreader Loved this - so many interesting things to ponder 5y
Aimeesue I agree. I read this one several years ago and think about it often. 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Oooh. Sounds good and also intense. 5y
47 likes4 comments
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Aaronlisa
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Mehso-so

I read this between May 11 & 13th and gave it 3.5 stars on Good Reads. While an interesting topic and book, I felt it was just scratching the surface.

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Aaronlisa
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Currently reading this book. It‘s rather interesting, but I may take a break from it. I really want to start Liar of Dreams by Libba Bray.

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Betterthanasharpstickintheeye

“few weeks passed. And then I received an interesting e-mail from Max Moseley”

Punctuation and grammar is as it is in the book. It bugs me a bit. This is the second time a paragraph has started with a lowercase letter. Maybe it‘s because I‘m reading an ebook.

Betterthanasharpstickintheeye Oops, it does appear to be because of the book‘s format because there‘s a random capitalized A on the next page. 6y
3 likes1 comment
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Betterthanasharpstickintheeye

“It‘s about the terror, isn‘t it?”
“The terror of what?”
“The terror of being found out”

Too true.

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Betterthanasharpstickintheeye

Wow, this is interesting and a bit uncomfortable to read about. There have been times I‘ve felt sorry for people who have been shamed and others times I felt that they should have been shamed more.

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Amiable
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Pickpick

A book about "public shamings" that are being conducted via social media, and the role we all play in it. Scary--you will want to delete your Facebook and Twitter accounts after reading what happened to the people profiled in the book. 3.5 stars

64 likes4 stack adds
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Markdelmar
Pickpick

Hits close

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tholmz
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Pickpick

What a fascinating book, and something I wish everyone would read before participating online. I don‘t 100% agree with all of Ronson‘s opinions — his white, male privilege for sure shines through at times — but this book was still a very interesting and significant read.

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rachelk
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Pickpick

My first completed book for the #readathon and I loved it. I was a sociology major in college and collective behavior fascinates me anyway - but this was more than well researched and informative, it was just so entertaining. I don‘t think I‘ll ever view social media the same way again. I highly recommend. @DeweysReadathon

57 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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GripLitGrl
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#ReadingResolutions #Shame @Jess7
Haven't read this one but the title seemed fitting for today

Samplergal I actually bought this on a recommendation from a friend. I hope it is good. 7y
GripLitGrl @Samplergal hope you enjoy it. I'll be interested to know how you like it☺ 7y
70 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Emilymdxn
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Mehso-so

I found this book really interesting and it gave me a lot to think about. I didn‘t agree with everything he said though I guess I‘ll need to think about it all some more. I like this guys writing style but didn‘t enjoy as much as the Psychopath Test. I‘d love to hear from other people who liked/didn‘t like it what they thought?

Aimeesue I read it a good long while ago, and it's stuck with me. I was thinking about it yesterdAy, actually, as I was listening to an Invisibilia podcast about the way societies use shaming and fallout culture. Lot of interesting ideas there. 7y
28 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Emilymdxn
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Excited to be reading this! I love sociology and I loved The Psychopath Test so this should be really good. Really interesting to hear it in the authors own voice

PurpleyPumpkin Ooh this one is on my tbr. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to reading your review! 7y
Emilymdxn @PurpleyPumpkin it‘s really good so far! 7y
PurpleyPumpkin Good to know! I should push this up my tbr... 7y
See All 7 Comments
vivastory I really enjoyed this one. I also loved 7y
rwmg The Psychopath Test is on my virtual TBR shelf, so I'll be interested to hear what you think of this 7y
Emilymdxn @vivastory stacked! That one looks so good too 7y
Emilymdxn @rwmg I really enjoyed the Psychopath Test too! 7y
26 likes7 comments
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stephanie.winsor
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Excited!

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kristinshafel
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Pickpick

What does such a brutal public shaming do to a person? How does one recover from such profound humiliation? Ronson‘s book covers stories of shaming to varying degrees of disgrace to illustrate the point that pitchfork-wielding angry mobs are still alive and well—they (we) tar and feather the “offender” behind the anonymous safety of the internet now instead of in the streets. Why do we do this? Simply put: because we can, but also much more.

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kendrastephaniekaryn
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Pickpick

NOTE: The tagged book is not this book. This was an Audible exclusive which is not catalogued on Litsy.

I enjoyed this one! I had some issues with some of the chapters, but Jon Ronson answers the question he sets out to answer: what is the cost of "free" porn? He explores sexuality in the Internet age, which was especially interesting to me as a young Milennial. The chapter about the sex offender registry was fascinating.

blithebuoyant Wishlisting this right now! 7y
kendrastephaniekaryn @blithebuoyant It's free on Audible! Or it was when I downloaded it recently, at least! 7y
34 likes2 comments
review
Minervasbutler
Pickpick

Readable and thought-provoking account of the phenomenon of shaming in the social media era, with uncomfortable conclusions about the nastiness we are all capable of showing when we feel we are on the right side of the mob.

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Minervasbutler

"But a wronged person is a wronged person, even when they're an unfashionable wronged person."

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TheWellAccompaniedBook
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Pickpick

Be careful what you tweet, and be prepared for the public onslaught if you‘re not. A great read/listen.

Laura317 Not only tweet, but post on any social media. 👍🏼 7y
37 likes2 stack adds1 comment