All the Rage: Why Anger Drives the World

by Josh Cohen

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.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2024

About the author

Josh Cohen is a professor of modern literary theory at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a psychoanalyst in private practice. He is the author of many books, including The Private Life: Why We Remain in the Dark

Reviews

[Oguz Deniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book by Josh Cohen, his interpretations on the distinction between anger and aggression were very fruitful for me. “All the rage”, like his other books , has full of literature examples and personal stories.

[Marcus Blacksmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter bought me this as a gift. She knows me well, the title was enough. Rage is something we all understand and feel. From those small, aggravating moments in our lives, when frustration builds unbounded looking for a release valve. Eventually to fizzle out undischarged, absorbing into our psyche. To the momentus, cataclysmic rage that manifests itself into the barbarism of the despot and dictator. In this book, Josh Cohen breaks rage down into four types; righteous, failed, cynical and useable. Each combining both a case study and literary, political or other relatable scenarios explaining his thought process. I admit some of the technical language was above me, I'm not a scholar, but that didn't stop a layman like me enjoying it. Not only enjoying it, but gaining insights into my own behaviours and possible reasons for them.
The book also had a positive impact on my current project. My second collection of short stories of psychological and supernatural horror. That was a bonus I hadn't expected.
Josh is not afraid to hide his political leanings either and I imagine this might grate on any opposed to them. He is unashamedly left leaning and wades into both Trump and Zionists. In my opinion, most deservedly, as these are used in explaining his conclusions. I imagine many of the more negative comments he recieves might be from the right.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book unhesitatingly.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great book by Josh Cohen. I enjoyed the chapters the most when he introduced patient vignettes, told a story, and then returned to the vignette to highlight what he was talking about. It’s brilliantly done, marking him as both a tremendous modern literature scholar, but also an astute analyst.