humiliation

"Eleven-year-old Mai has been contemplating revenge on her former best friend Zach ever since he humiliated her two years ago, but while spending time together for the summer, Mai has noticed a change in Zach, forcing her to decide if she can forgive him, even if she can never forget"--OCLC.

We all know the pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune. The Germans named this furtive delight in another's failure schadenfreude (from schaden damage, and freude, joy), and it has perplexed philosophers and psychologists for centuries. Why can it be so satisfying to witness another's distress? And what, if anything, should we do about it? Schadenfreude illuminates this hidden emotion, inviting readers to reflect on its pleasures, and how we use other people's miseries to feel better about ourselves. Written in an exploratory, evocative form, it weaves examples from literature, philosophy, film, and music together with personal observation and historical and cultural analysis. And in today's world of polarized politics, twitter trolls and "sidebars of shame," it couldn't be timelier. Engaging, insightful, and entertaining, Schadenfreude makes the case for thinking afresh about the role this much-maligned emotion plays in our lives -- perhaps even embracing it.

"The first eight years of Penelope 'Pipi' McGee's education have been a curriculum in humiliation. From her kindergarten self-portrait as a piece of busty bacon to fourth grade when she peed her pants on a field trip (thanks, vile Kara Samson) to seventh grade where . . . well, she doesn't talk about seventh grade. Ever. Eighth grader Pipi--fearing that her humiliations will follow her into the halls of Northbrook High School next year--decides to use her last year in middle school to clear the slate and to save other innocents from the same picked-on, laughed-at fate. Pipi McGee is seeking redemption, but she'll take revenge, too"--Dust jacket flap.

Provides information about being shamed on the Internet and discusses how to get help.