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Mania
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
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Mania
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Summary
'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
What if calling someone stupid was illegal?In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, 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 all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don't need a qualification to be a doctor.
Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory – who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought – makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous.
As their friendship fractures, Pearson's determination to cling onto the 'old, bigoted way of thinking' begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family.
Lionel Shriver turns her piercing gaze on the policing of opinion and intellect, and imagines a world in which intellectual meritocracy is heresy. Hilarious, deadpan, scathing and at times frighteningly plausible, MANIA will delight the many fans of her fiction and journalism alike.
Critic reviews
‘Never shy of getting stuck in, Shriver now sets her satirical sights on groupthink and the policing of thought' Financial Times, Book of 2024
'Shriver is at the top of her game with this scary-smart and scathing satire' Booklist
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What listeners say about Mania
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. Spencer Weatherley
- 14-04-24
Prescient & scary
I knew what to expect of course but the deft handling of the subject, the portrayal of human sacrifices to the latest woke nonsense and a 'stupid' state...well who could have put it better.
We are not well governed and are subject to the notions of fools.
Let this book be a warning to us all!
It is well read and enjoyable although it spook me foretelling as it does what is so close.
PS Join The Free Speech Union!!!!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- MariaMagdalena
- 15-04-24
the new dystopia
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
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- RBH
- 19-04-24
Quite Brilliant
A devastating takedown of ideologues and a valuable assertion of enlightenment values. Superbly performed by an accomplished actor.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Maria, London
- 21-04-24
Fantastic novel
An interesting glimpse into human nature and how we can so easily become unstuck as societies. Feels like we are about 5 minutes away from this story being a reality…it already is for many who have lost jobs, families and friends over the last number of years.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 26-04-24
Although fiction, the book so accurately describes the situation we now face.
I wish everyone would read this book. It shows vividly what can happen when a malevolent ideology assumes power. A great read!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Aurum
- 19-04-24
Orwell’s 1984 - for the internet age
This is the 1984 of our times.
Orwell painted the ultimate dystopian scenario - but this runs it close. What happens when you throw out reason and prioritise “lived experience” - or pick one disadvantaged group and decide it doesn’t matter who else you disadvantage if you can give them a leg up.
The pernicious impact of social media, the willingness of politicians to see how the wind is blowing instead of leading and the venality of humankind desperate for validation are targeted with precision.
Shriver’s genius though is not to just target the loony left - her target is anyone who gets the chance to lord it over the rest. A warning that we seem unable to find rational solutions - instead swinging from one extreme to another.
Superb book. With a timely message about how polarised we have become and the law of unintended consequences.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Vicki
- 22-04-24
Amusing enough
Lionel Shriver’s books are always provocative and amusing and this was too. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit predictable too. And probably a bit too long for the points it makes.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 23-04-24
Meandering pointless drivel
Sounded like a great concept but it’s got some sort of underlying agenda which she can’t get to. I fear it’s meandering to the right so I gave up and do not recommend anyone else try
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