Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Outraged is an unflinching analysis of performative outrage on social media. Inspired by the social media storm following H&M's regrettable marketing of the black boy in the monkey jumper, Ashley Charles has written an accessible manifesto on how to utilise outrage effectively and why the path of 'social media warriors' is frequently misguided. It sounds like a quite heavy topic - and, yes, it is very thought provoking - but Outraged is also very readable and genuinely funny at times. I really enjoyed reading this, even when I didn't always agree completely.

The only thing I struggled with was the seeming disconnect between her message and how she had approached writing this book - she makes a lot of good and fair points about how outrage on social media, even where well intentioned, actually amplifies the voices of those with disagreeable views. She suggests that instead of giving such persons a platform (pointing out they are often just looking for attention and so we are playing into their hands), instead, what is best is often to ignore them or to 'follow the money'. But then she spends a good chunk of this novel chasing interviews with such divisive persons such as Katie Hopkins and Rachel Dolezal... Don't get me wrong - I found it incredibly interesting but it did feel like more page time should have been devoted to exploring this (at least at face value) contradiction in her argument.

Nevertheless, this is a great call to action for all to employ their 'outrage' usefully, instead of following the latest outrage trend.

This is an easy read but don’t let that fool you. There is a lot going on here and it really does get you thinking. The thesis is about why we get so angry on social media and why people get involved and aggravated about things that they really shouldn’t. Ms Charles is a witty and entertaining writer but she isn’t afraid to tackle some large questions head on and by interviewing people like Katie Hopkins, she allows us the space to consider why people get so angry.

Personally I try to avoid the nastiness on Twitter etc but sometimes we need to pause and wonder if by ignoring it, we aren’t actually part of the problem. There may be some endemic issues in social media that create and almost reward the angry rather than the calm.

Reading this book gave me lots to think about and I’m not sure now how I would tackle the hate if I came across it. I think that makes the book a success.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The world is so noisy with so many people shouting and so many people NOT listening to others. Everyone has an opinion but so people are prepared to listen to other opposing ones.
IN this book, there are highlights of this challenge and ideas on how to manage this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really apprehensive when going into this book as it's incredibly easy to take the wrong end of the stick when this book begins by talking about outrage especially on social media. As someone who spends waaaaaay too much time on the internet and sees a lot of these things that blow up on the internet and so called internet celebrities who've grown to fame by being controversial such as Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan.

This book touches the surface of these issues and talks about how we should be using our time to stop being outraged online, and do something to find a solution to the problem, to spend our time being 'outraged' more proactively which do think is an incredibly important thing for us as a community to do online, to make an actual difference. I'm giving this book an overall rating of 3 stars because, yes, I agree with this point and we do use a lot more of our energy tweeting than doing and that I did enjoy reading this book. I just didn't love the repetitiveness in parts of this book as at times it felt like the same thing was being told to me, but just in a different situation. This book is a really short read, and I think those few pages are used really well and I'm definitely glad I got to read this and feel it could be a motivational read for the internet generation.

An accessible book that really resonated with me, as someone who regularly despairs of the actions of many on social media.
Lots of examples of how to make better choices around when & how to be angry to bring about positive change.
I thought it was good that the author admits that she doesn't always get it right.

There are so many questions we should ask of ourselves today and this book was a thought-provoking look at cancel culture, asking us to question why and not just jump on the latest bandwagon. Very interesting, thanks NetGalley!

Dotty is so on the money with this tome. I have no doubt that many will read it, as I did, agreeing wholeheartedly with what she articulates so well. Yes, the Internet and social media have a lot to answer for, but outage is not the way to create lasting change...

Well done Dotty, a talent on the radio and on paper!

This book will make you feel called out for every time you got riled up over something small. And I'm OK with that, you should be too. That's not to say you can't be mad at your friend's stupid or insensitive facebook post, but before we exhaust ourselves on the little things, we should channel our anger to the things worth being mad about. And suggests ways to be productively outraged.

I was all set up to be annoyed by this, as I don't think 'cancel culture' is a real thing (why not just call it 'consequences for your actions'?), but Ashley Charles isn't saying that we shouldn't hold people responsible. It's more that we should hold them responsible in a focused way that could actually change things: "Imagine if we took the efforts we were investing so freely in the takedown of people and focused them into the destabilisation of power structures."

One useful takeaway is to hit people where it hurts: in their income. As in, report racist, sexist, and transphobic content to advertisers: "ultimately we want to make hate unprofitable".

It's not about NOT being outraged, it's about being outraged with purpose: "Get as angry as you possibly can. But do it with an ambition that extends beyond social media kudos."

(As an aside, the cover put me off as on a thumbnail I thought it was a scale (as in to weight yourself), and when it was enlarged it looked like the 'engaged' sign on a toilet. Neither of these seems to fit what the book is actually about.)

This is a must read book for everyone is the cancel culture era. We need to leave our twitter echo chambers, enter the real world and listen to Dotty. It is only a small read but I couldn't put it down! This is the much needed antidote to 2020

Such an unusual book but so important. I don't like the cover, and I hope people aren't put off by it, because what is inside is well worth reading.

We've all been there, reading something on social media which is causing outrage. It could be something that a celebrity has said or done, it may be something important but often it's so trivial that at one time, before the Twitter generation, it wouldn't have made any headlines.
Ashley Charles has written an amusing but ultimately serious book about how being outraged by things that we really shouldn't be outraged by detracts is from serious matters which deserve our wrath
Racism, sexism, discrimination of all kinds needs to be highlighted and called out when it happens. We don't need to waste our time worrying about whether a TV chef has culturally appropriated a term for their latest dish.
Well worth a read, thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this timely book.

An easy to read but very thoughtful, and funny, investigation of the downside of ‘woke’. I leapt at the chance to read this book on netgalley - at last somebody was writing about the disquiet we had been expressing privately about the oh-so-easy leaping to being offended that we see all around nowadays. Essential reading for everybody.

Definitely a book for these times with social media encroaching in most people’s lives, in the western world at least.
The easy access to other people’s thoughts and views has led to instant reactions, more people engaging in online interaction , both positively and negatively.
Even if you don’t do this personally, someone will tell you.
The writer covers a lot of areas and writes in an engaging, humorous style looking at many different points of view through case studies.
Surprisingly enjoyable and well researched book.

*** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***

I found this book really thought provoking and probably not in the way I thought I was going to. I honestly thought I may be about to read a book about the ‘snowflake’ generation and all of that rubbish whereas this was a real call to arms. By that I mean that the author is trying to suggest that 10 minutes of outrage from a piece of news (fake or other) does very little to change the way of things. However, as humans we’re drawn in to this outrage in order to feel virtuous and as through we may make a difference but difference doesn’t come from a share, a like or a tweet, it comes from action.

Ashley ‘Dotty’ Charles writes succinctly about a complex issue and the book is enlightening from start to finish. Plus the interviews in the book (particularly with Rachel Dolezal) were insightful without the cruelness that journalism often jumps to. Would absolutely recommend.

A thoughtful and insightful book about the culture of outrage (particularly online) and the way that collective fury over relatively insignificant events can make genuine outrage less impactful. The author explores a range of people and situations that have provoked mass outrage, and unpicks the ways in which we use hashtags and online petitions to present ourselves in a certain light without actually taking any further action. This isn’t a book about giving up or letting things slide - it’s about focussing on the issues that are truly important.

This is a thought provoking book.

It didn't tell me a whole lot that I hadn't already considered, or pondered myself, with regards to all the anger and outrage that is out there on social media. However, it did shine a spotlight on it in a very quick and accessible format.

The writer's style is conversational and easy to read, but the topic is not dumbed down. She has clearly done her research and her tone is witty and astute.

That said, some of the middle section felt a little aimless and unstructured. The ending had some good recommendations which redeemed this somewhat.

I think this will be essential reading for anyone who has found themselves swept up into online outrage. It is not something that generally bothers me (until recently with so much anger about various issues and I have felt a little overwhelmed) so I may not have taken as much from this as others might.

I'll definitely be getting a copy for my school library as I think it will be appreciated by my pupils.

I love Ashley Charles's perspective on how we live our lives online these days and the way we expend our energy there: outrage without any thought to the benefits that energy expenditure will provide. Also, considering the interlinking of outrage & activism and thinking of outrage as a currency to be spent or something that should turn into action. She has such a fresh, practical, well thought out approach to this most frustrating part of modern life - it made me feel much better about how the future could be!

So to get it out of the way, I listen to 1Xtra almost daily and generally would have caught some or all of Dotty’s Breakfast show*. There you have it – I wouldn’t call myself a super fan but I probably know more about Ashley ‘Dotty’ Charles than I do most authors I read.

I enjoyed Outraged. I wasn’t sure what I was getting and probably only read it because Dotty mentioned it on her radio show but it was a solid read. It was a succinct overview of how outrage is expressed and escalated on and by social media. Dotty illustrated her points with notable cases that you were likely to have heard of. I’ll leave you to enjoy being reminded of those.

I don’t know why I was mildly surprised but this was a well researched book for it’s category – General Fiction, informative and also entertaining. It wasn’t off the cuff – she is good at riffing, nor did she as is colloquially known ‘half ass it’. Thought, direction and research had gone into this book which made it lightweight enough that it covered broad points but not as detailed to make you think that you were studying the topic for a qualification.

"People are so intent on projecting a self-serving image of morality that they now piggyback any prominent cause that might help position themselves as ethical and compassionate"

People, that is you, me and others, take their interests, anger, frustration, sadness and even joy, express it in real life/on social media and it is the reaction to that, which is sometimes out of proportion to the original expression. The original intent/slurs/’ism’s/bad behaviour, etc is almost lost in the noise of the pile on of responses.

"Collecting moral Brownie points by pointing out even the slightest of improprieties.."

We – that is human beings – have forgotten what to be upset about as – it is as if we see a snippet of an argument or story and are immediately swayed into support or opposition. Our starting point is 100% and increasingly ramps up, until we are a foaming, vibrating megaphone of opinion. Is our opinion based in fact or the number of times we’ve heard that story?

"True outrage v misplaced outrage"

What I took from this was that everyone has a right to their opinions and likewise everyone has the right to disagree with said opinion, but disagree from your informed point of view and not the prevailing one aka the one with most likes or retweets. It isn’t about picking your battles so much as being proportionate in your outrage and doing something with your vocal displeasure. Words should translate into actions.

"We don’t need to care less; we just need to care better."
Outraged, exceeded my expectations and entertained with too many quotes for one review.

And I will leave the last word to Dotty as she sums it up perfectly.

"…we need to transfer our resistance from the Internet to the real world and reignite the purposeful outrage that drove society forward in the offline era."

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an eArc in exchange for a candid review.