psychology / history

"For the past three years, Jon Ronson has been immersing himself in the world of modern-day public shaming--meeting famous shamees, shamers, and bystanders who have been impacted... [a] book about public shaming, and about shaming as a form of social control"--Provided by publisher.

Timothy Denevi's memoir of growing up as a hyperactive child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) intertwined with his even-handed and thorough reporting on the history of the diagnosis and its treatment. Simultaneously, the author traces our understanding of the origins of ADHD, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries when hyperactivity was atributed to defective moral conscience, demons, or head trauma, through the twentieth century when food additives, bad parenting, and even government conspiracies were blamed, to the most recent genetic research.

The author explains how his research into a potential hoax being played on scientists prompted him to explore an asylum for the criminally insane, where he met a wide variety of individuals and learned that the lines between ordinary and mentally ill are not always clear.