Shame, Shame!

In French, "What a shame" translates as "Quel dommage", which always sounded to me like it ought to mean "What damage?".  It may be more than half a lifetime since I last did A Level French, but this little nugget popped into my head recently while I was reading Jon Ronson's latest book, 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed'.

'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' is the journalist's exploration of 21st century shaming.  Gone are the stocks and pillory, the rotten missiles and the town square, but the idea that we, the public, have the right to expose and condemn perceived wrongdoing in the public sphere is alive and well.  Ronson's voyage of discovery begins when a group of academics set up a fake Twitter account in his name and, despite trying to reason with them, it's his followers' public shaming that finally makes them delete it.  Justice may have been done, but the method raises uncomfortable questions for Ronson.  It's just the start of a journey that leads to him meeting the victims, judges and executioners in the brave new world of modern shaming.  There are non-fiction writers whose work is just a bit too creative, ordinary joes and janes whose jokes leave a lot to be desired, reformers who think tackling shame would end crime as we understand it and the pioneers of the new science of Online Reputation Management.  The safety of the internet is in doubt and you will never think about it in the same way again.

This was a very interesting book that got stuck into a perspective that felt so new it was almost hard to get my head around.  Early on, Ronson shows why it's so difficult to acknowledge; shaming is something that everyone has been involved in, especially online, at one time or another, most people, even those who make the most vicious comments, usually think they have the moral high ground and are doing something good and we rarely see the full consequences of public shaming.

I've been a fan of Ronson's work for many years and would recommend 'Them: Adventures with Extremists' and 'The Psychopath Test'.  He normally has a slightly meandering style and there is charm in the way he lets curiosity show him where to go next.  But this book left me a bit dissatisfied.  It felt like the concept was a bit unwieldy and the book's structure didn't let him explore topics as much as I, as a reader, would've liked.  For example, a harrowing case study about the consequences of a rape trial cross examination are described, but there is no follow up with forensic linguists about the language of the courtroom and campaigns to make this type of shaming a thing of the past.  Also the section on why people shame seems to hit a dead end before even touching on whether the distancing effect of computer mediated communication is contributing to the rise in online shaming.  I know that the focus of the book was supposed to be victims and how they'd survived shaming, but perhaps more about why people shame would've made readers think about their own behaviour before jumping on the bandwagon.  I was also left a bit confused about shaming in new vs old media.  It might've been interesting to explore whether the case studies showed it's easier to get over a shaming by a weekly newspaper rather than by the massed ranks of Twitter. 

Overall, I did enjoy 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' and would recommend it to other readers, but it felt a bit unfinished and I sincerely hope that Mr Ronson returns to the topic at a later date.  I would love to read an updated and augmented version of this book in the future.

Now, what next...

Sorry, Ma'am

I, like many people, have often looked at the Royal Family during state functions or PR opportunities, as they shake hands with complete strangers and do their best to be interested in what they have to say, and thought to myself "What are they really thinking?".  Finally, in 'Gin O'Clock' by the Queen of Twitter, we might find out.

'Gin O'Clock' by The Queen
(of Twitter) (Hodder, 2012)

Following in the ink blots of her illustrious ancestress Queen Victoria, HM Elizabeth II has decided to publish her memoirs.  But, being a modern queen in modern times, rather than writing them in a leather bound journal, she's made full use of the latest technology, tweeting her thoughts to her adoring subjects.  (At last we know what she keeps in her handbag - a smartphone complete with Twitter ap!).  'Gin O'Clock' is a collection of her messages from December 2011 until June 2012, a time of weddings, visits and - if this is to be believed - an awful lot of wild parties and fried breakfasts.

I bought this book last year because my reading was getting far too serious and I wanted something to cheer me up.  Like more than a million other people, I'd followed @Queen_UK and found the quips funny enough to want to read 'Gin O'Clock'.  After all, I've read several books based on blogs, some of which I've really enjoyed.

Unfortunately, I don't think the humour really translates.  In losing it's immediacy and context in the big news of the day, I think the satire has lost it's edge.  I found myself scrabbling around in my memory trying to recall what was going on at the time, which didn't help really.

Also, after a while some of the jokes also wore a bit thin.  Nick Clegg's colouring in, Prince Edward's campness and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall's interesting fancy dress choices also lost their sparkle after about 100 pages.  That's why it's taken me so long to read it (probably about eight months).  I found the best way to enjoy it was to put it down long enough to have forgotten the running jokes.

I also found the structure rather annoying.  Each part starts with a tweet, which is then covered in more detail.  Trouble is that a few lines in the tweet is often repeated as part of the prose, so something that was funny when first read becomes irritating very quickly.

'Gin O'Clock' does have its very funny moments and unlike some satire it's not really mean or cruel, more cheeky and upbeat.  Unfortunately there weren't quite enough for me.

So I guess we'll just have to keep wondering what is going on in the heads of our Royal Family.  Or at least hope that Her Majesty is as gracious and loving as she says she is and I don't end up writing my next post from the Tower...  It's been nice knowing you!

Say What??!

You may not have heard, but the UK has been having some pretty nasty weather lately.  Normally around this time of year we'd be getting the two weeks of sunshine traditionally called 'the summer', but instead we've had nearly a month of strong winds, torrential rain and temperatures so low you need to lie on the floor to see them.  My dreams of sitting in the cautious spring time sun and getting some reading done have been replaced with afternoons on the sofa with a blanket, warm drink and hot water bottle!

'Weird Things Customers
Say in Bookshops'
by Jen Campbell
(Constable & Robinson, 2012)

It was on just such an afternoon last week that I read 'Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops' by Jen Campbell (Follow her on Twitter: @aeroplanegirl).  Unusually for me, this is a current bestseller - I read the title in a book chart and decided to take a closer look the next time I was in a bookshop.  That shop turned out to be Tenby Bookshop and the look led to a purchase.

(Tenby Bookshop is a bit of a quasi-misnomer really - it is a shop in Tenby, but only about a quarter of the shop floor contains books.  It's mainly quality gifts, which struck me as a bit odd.  I'm used to seaside bookshops really being newsagents with a few holiday reads in, so Tenby clearly attracts a higher class of clientèle!  Oh, and me!)

'Weird Things...' breaks the rules and does exactly what it says on the cover.  It's a collection of funny and frightful things said in bookshops in the UK and around the world.  The first two sections represent things said in the Edinburgh Bookshop, Edinburgh, and Ripping Yarns, North London, while the last chapter covers everywhere else.

This book really brightened up my afternoon.  I literally laughed out loud while reading it, much to the annoyance of Prince Charming who was trying to watch telly at the time.  Most of the quotes are funny, but there are also many which make you gasp at the audacity of some people.  I'm sure that most booksellers are lovely people, but surely its preferable to leave your children with a trained childminder than an otherwise-occupied shopkeeper?  And the number of heartless bastards who asked shops to make recommendations before openly stating they would be going online to buy was unbelievable.  I was stunned that some people can be so self-centred that they think this sort of thing is OK.

I have a lot of friends who work/have worked in retail and this collection is a surprisingly accurate reflection of the sorts of stories they've told me, which was reassuring as some of the things said were almost too mad to be true.

This collection was very well selected.  It could easily have ended up taking the mickey out of stupid customers, but fortunately this doesn't go too far.  It's also of a very good length.  It's long enough to offer variety, but not so long that it starts to get severely repetitive or dull.

Due to its popularity (and probably an abundance of source material!), I'm suspect 'Weird Things...' will have a sequel.  I may not buy it myself, but it would be a great stocking filler (Hint for Prince Charming!).  I think the fact that this book wasn't published with the usual deluge of Christmas stocking fillers in November/December has actually made it stand out - it could easily have been lost amongst them and deserves better.

So, if you want something to cheer you up in these dark days of rubbish weather, double-dip recession and goodness knows what else, I'd buy yourself a copy of this.  But from an independent bookshop please!  I'm led to believe that there are a few left...

It's not my fault, It's Dr Johnson's!

I spotted the following while checking some information for my last blog post:


"Dr. Johnson advised me to-day, to have as many books about me as I could; that I might read upon any subject upon which I had a desire for instruction at the time. "What you have read then (said he,) you will remember; but if you have not a book immediately ready, and the subject moulds in your mind, it is a chance if you again have a desire to study it." He added, "If a man never has an eager desire for instruction, he should prescribe a task for himself. But it is better if a man reads from immediate inclination." 


(from Boswell's 'Life of Johnson', available at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1564/1564-h/1564-h.htm)

That's my excuse for having so many books and I'm sticking to it!!

You'll cut yourself on that Wit of yours...

To begin, an apology.  I know I've been particularly rubbish this month and I'm very sorry for it.  I've hardly read anything at all and what I have read was basically a tongue-in-cheek dictionary, so not even something I can get my teeth into properly and write interestingly about for you.  There are very good practical reasons for me being so crap, but the aim of this blog is to talk about the books I have read rather than moan about why there are a lot more books that I haven't.  So, back to the task in hand...


I've just finished 'Dr Johnson's Dictionary of Modern Life' written (or compiled, I'm not sure which) by Tom Morton, based upon a number of Twitter posts.  


(Dr Samuel Johnson, just in case you can't place him, was a famous 18th century English lexicographer, who is credited with writing the first modern-style dictionary of the English language, published in 1755.  Before him, dictionaries tended to just be lists of useful words or translations into other languages.  Johnson created the first dictionary as we would understand and recognise it today.)   


To state the obvious, Morton's dictionary is book of definitions of modern things, e.g. gadgets, celebrities, TV programmes, bands etc, written in the style of Dr Johnson, complete with emphatic Capitals and words abbreviat'd. 


Stylistically, it feels pretty much bang on the money and there were times when I had to remind myself that the good doctor was no longer in and feverishly commenting on the personalities and ne'er-do-wells of contemporary Britain.  However, once the novelty of this had worn off, I started to pay closer attention to the definitions themselves and this is where things started to get a bit uncomfortable for me as a reader.

I think that even the best and wittiest comedians nowadays can slip into the trap of picking on easy targets, especially if they have to deliver regularly on weekly panel shows.  I'm always disappointed if the best a comedian can come up with is something about a politician's weight or forgetfulness and Alzheimer's.  I know we all have off days, but I always hope that they can do better and it worries me when studio audiences don't seem to care/notice that something that's a bit below par has been said, almost like they're so awestruck that they'll laugh because they're expected to.  There were times reading this book where I felt that the definitions weren't being witty, they were just being cruel.  And I think that's the point - it's one thing to write in the style of Johnson, it's another to find something well-observed and witty to say.

On the whole, this book would be a great Christmas present for the language aficionado in your life.  It'll provide much amusement as the turkey and brussels go down, although it will probably be one of those presents that gets put on a shelf Boxing Day and forgotten about.  But that doesn't mean it won't bring joy to the world in that 24 hours and I for one would have been very glad to receive it as a gift.