So You've Been Publicly Shamed (Ronson) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
The choice of subject for So You've Been Publicly Shamed turns out to be gutsy and smart. Without losing any of the clever agility that makes his books so winning, [Ronson] has taken on truly consequential material and risen to the challenge. His overall point is something we already understand: Public shaming in the age of social media has the kind of power that no form of shaming ever had before.
Janet Maslin - New York Times


An irresistibly gossipy cocktail with a chaser of guilt.
Newsday


A diligent investigator and a wry, funny writer, Ronson manages to be at once academic and entertaining.
Boston Globe


A work of original, inspired journalism.
Financial Times


A sharp-eyed and often hilarious book…Jon Ronson has written a fresh, big-hearted take on an important and timely topic. He has nothing to be ashamed of.
NPR.org
 

This book really needed to be written.
Salon.com
 

It’s sharply observed, amusingly told, and, while its conclusions may stop just short of profound, the true pleasure of the book lies in arriving at those conclusions.”
Onion, AV Club


[A] simultaneously lightweight and necessary book.
Esquire


Ronson is an entertaining and provocative writer, with a broad reach …[So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed] is a well-reported, entertainingly written account of an important subject.
Oregonian


I was mesmerized. And I was also disturbed.
Forbes


[H]igh-profile shaming in the social-media age in this witty work.... Ronson is self-reflective and honest about his own complicity in the cultural piling-on.... Clever and thought-provoking, this book has the potential to open an important dialogue about faux moral posturing online and its potentially disastrous consequences.
Publishers Weekly


In 2012, Ronson's online identity was stolen by three academics.... [H]e chastised them publicly, but...began considering how much public shaming as social control is still with us, even if those scarlet letters have been pitched in the wastebasket.
Library Journal


With confidence, verve, and empathy, Ronson skillfully informs and engages the reader without excusing those caught up in the shame game. As he stresses, we are the ones wielding this incredible power over others' lives, often with no regard for the lasting consequences of our actions.
Booklist


[A] hard look at the dark side of shaming on social media.... Ronson believes that via social media, we are creating a contemporary version of...awarding scarlet letters with gleeful viciousness to people who often are more guilty of silliness and indiscretion than they are of any...felony.
Kirkus Reviews