Description

Anger is all around us, from divisive social media arguments and heightened political divides to road rage and personal spats; from Black Lives Matter and climate justice movements to Trump, incels and white supremacists. When it materialises, it seems to cry out for recognition and response. It affects our bodies and can transition into violence. It can be inherited through the generations; it can manifest in criminal acts. What should we do with it, and can it ever be put to good use?

Drawing on case studies of patients, developments in neuropsychology, literature, philosophy and recent political events, acclaimed author and psychoanalyst Josh Cohen identifies the different forms of anger, including the most untrammelled and elemental fury, the more cynical anger that works towards political unrest, and the questioning anger of political protest. Rather than an emotion to ignore, he argues that anger is a primary human feeling. It maps itself onto every aspect of our intimate lives while politically and culturally shaping our world.

In a time of intense dissatisfactions and spiralling divisions, and with anger a dominating force, All the Rage offers a new and original understanding of anger, so we may better handle the rage within us.

Publisher Review

I thought I knew a thing or two about anger, until I read this fascinating new book. From the Hulk to Diogenes, Trollope to Trump, patients to politicians, Josh Cohen opens up new vistas and ways of thinking analytically. Unputdownable — Lisa Appignanesi Josh Cohen brilliantly investigates what is at stake when we are enraged — Deborah Levy A comprehensive exploration of the uses and abuses of anger, and an indispensable primer for our times — Richard Beard Josh Cohen writes, vividly and challengingly, about the intensity of rage and simultaneously presents an insightful general account of anger as different from, but close to, aggression. A brilliant achievement — Mike Brearley Josh Cohen has done an illuminating job of showing how important the emotion of anger is in our lives and the social and political consequences of rage that permeate today’s times — Renata Salecl, Professor at Birkbeck College, University of London Political events of recent years suggest that anger is all around us. But rarely has it been examined and listened to with so much care and imagination as Josh Cohen does here. Rather than hoping to eradicate anger, All the Rage invites us to learn from it, to excavate what we want from it, and to find better uses for it. Thoughtful, witty and compassionate — Will Davies More than a book, more like a roller coaster of emotion that will take you through rushes of your own most powerful feelings and then deliver you born anew. The most intense and most rewarding read I have ever had — Peter Pomerantsev Josh Cohen’s finger-on-the-pulse insights are second to none – sharp, nuanced, many-layered, whether he’s examining the rage of the underdog or the cynicism of populist leaders. In his hands you feel you’ve never better understood the working of the human mind in all its wondrous and ugly dimensions. I gulped this book down — Marina Benjamin, author of Insomnia Cohen probes the nature of anger with an endearing honesty and precision. A gripping, wonderful book, a welcome handrail through turbulence, germane and curious in its investigation, revelatory and playful all at once — Nikita Lalwani