A radically empathetic look at public shaming, and shaming as a form of social control. It has become such a big part of our lives it has begun to feel weird and empty when there isn'b2st anyone to be furious about. Whole careers are being ruined by one mistake. A transgression is revealed. Our collective outrage at it has the force of a hurricane. Then we all quickly forget about it and move on to the next one, and it doesn'b2st cross our minds to wonder if the shamed person is okay or in ruins.

Jon Ronson's books include the New York Times bestsellers The Psychopath Test and Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries and the international bestsellers Them: Adventures with Extremists and The Men Who Stare at Goats. He cowrote the screenplay for the movie Frank, which starred Michael Fassbender and Maggie Gyllenhaal. A regular contributor to This American Life, Ronson lives in London and New York City.