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Mania

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Mania

By: Lionel Shriver
Narrated by: Abby Craden
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About this listen

'Seldom is a book as funny, important and timely … I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold' JOHN CLEESE

‘Viciously funny… an exhilarating satire’ THE TIMES

'Merciless… a welcome distraction' ECONOMIST, Best Books of 2024

What if calling someone stupid was illegal?

In a reality not too distant from our own, the worst thing you can call someone is 'stupid'.

Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is 'the last great civil rights fight'. Exams and grades are discarded and you don't need a qualification to be a doctor.

When best friends Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war, their relationship begins to fracture. And soon, Pearson’s determination to cling onto the 'old, bigoted way of thinking' begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family…

Hilarious, deadpan and scathing, MANIA is a frighteningly plausible glimpse into what the world could become – or is already – from the pen of a master storyteller.

©2024 Lionel Shriver (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Dystopian Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Political Psychological Satire Science Fiction Witty

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An alternative history of our times that chronicles the rise and fall of 'mental disparity' ideology. Schriver hits so many familiar nails of the head that I kept having to reassure myself that this particular 'woke' ideology is not being inflicted on us. Yet.

Expertly skewers psycho/social 'woke' mania

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I think this is a new must-read/listen. A warning that shows our currently reality for where its heading if we don't wake up. let's hope it's not too late

the new dystopia

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A searing analysis of the pros and cons of being steadfast to your beliefs versus being an ever-adaptable opportunist.

Parallels with today’s gender madness

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Tenuous concept at times but overall very enjoyable. Coming off of listening to Julia/1984 this did pale somewhat in comparison when talking about dystopian views but it provided a flavour which was worth exploring on its own to its logical conclusions.

Tenuous concept at times but overall enjoyable

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Loved the narrator’s voice and delivery of the compelling story on both levels; one of social fashions and their consequences, the other of “frenemies” who have an irrevocably inseparable if not destructive bond.

The reality of now in the fictional then.

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"Kevin" spoke to the general blindness of families and society to the warning signs of the disillusioned potential high school mass killers. "Mania" warns against either extreme swing of the ideological pendulum. Brilliantly done! Thank you, Lionel.

A work of genius.

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Lionel Shriver pulls off her satirical alt-history and skewers her targets with aplomb.

The narrator however grates to English ears at least as she struggles with some of Lionel’s more flowery phrases and mangles vowel sounds as though encountering many longer words for the very first time. Maybe this is just irony American-style?

Biting satire-close to the knuckle

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LS is a writer in command of language and inspiration.
Nearly always a pleasure to read and listen.

Another v good book

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As always with Lionel Shriver, this book is intelligent and humorous. A great story that should hold up a mirror to the lunacy in today’s society. Highly recommend this book.

Brilliant

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An effective satire needs to identify its target, then build a world around it that the reader finds persuasive. Shriver does the first very well by skewering the 'progressive' identity politics obsession with inclusion to the detriment of fairness and rationality, as well as to some extent the populist right'distrust of experts. However, the idea that this (Mental Parity) movement could take over whole societies to the point of self-destruction lacks credibility and we are left with somewhat tiresome lists of words banned for their association with cognitive advantage. Having been a great fan of Shriver's fiction, my impression is that her tendency towards contrarianism is submerging her acuity for observation. This is offset somewhat by her greatest strength - observation of personal relationships (the friendship between the main character and Emily) and her willingness to give both sides good dialogue. The narration is also excellent.

An over-stretched polemic

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