From the Publisher
"A meaty cry for human decency, wrapped in a deliciously hilarious hot dog bun. I plan to read it again and then force-feed it to my neighbor, my mother, and my college roommate. If you care about people and enjoy a good laugh, I politely encourage you to read this book. Immediately."
—Adam Grant, bestselling author of Originals
"A brilliant book" —Jon Ronson, bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and Men Who Stare at Goats
"A very funny and wise book about the blatant rudeness that surrounds us. Danny Wallace in top form." —Matt Haig, author of Reasons to Stay Alive
"An astute, easily digestible guide to not being a jerk." —Kirkus
“Danny Wallace, author, actor, and comedian, wrote the rudeness manifesto itself.”—VICE.com
"His [Danny Wallace’s] research on the psychology of rudeness can give us key insights as to what's going on right now and what we can do to become more empathetic."—Psychology Today
Kirkus Reviews
2017-11-13
A comic deep dive into the modern culture of rudeness.Humorist Wallace (Who Is Tom Ditto, 2014, etc.) has a quirky sense of humor that is most on-point when he's on a mission, whether it's accidentally starting a cult (Join Me, 2003) or saying yes when he should have said no (Yes Man, 2005). Here, inspired by a spectacular conflict with the proprietor of a hot dog joint, the author takes an amusing but highly relevant look at rudeness, its root causes, and how we can fight back. "We think less, react more, and run and jump to conclusions just so we have one, where once we might have ambled to see what happened along the way," he writes. "We are self-entitled, knee-jerking, know-it-all thunderdicks." Wallace embarks on a broad investigation of societal and cultural forces relating to rudeness, including power, gender, health, and road rage, backing up his discussions with thoughtful conversations with scientists, psychologists, politicians, and others. A particularly funny story early in the book chronicles a university rector who mooned protesting students only to go on to become the inventive, transformative mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. In another powerful moment, Wallace confronts the online troll who sent him an insulting tweet—in person, face to face. He was also forced to confront the fact that one of the most powerful men in the world is an outright bully: "A rude President is like a rudeness bomb: one explosion and the fallout lasts for years." The book ends with an urgent call. "This book, I have to admit, began for a silly reason," writes Wallace. "It could have been a silly book. But more than ever I've come to see that civility is not only important, it's not just the right thing to do. I've come to see that it is vital."An astute, easily digestible guide to not being a jerk.
