Assholes: A Theory

'A wonderful book. If you come across it, you must read it.' - John Cleese

What does it mean for someone to be an a__hole? The answer is not obvious, despite the fact that we are often personally stuck dealing with people for whom there is no better name. Try as we might to avoid them, a__holes are found everywhere at work, at home, on the road, and in the public sphere. Encountering one causes great difficulty and personal strain, especially because we often cannot understand why exactly someone should be acting like that.

A__hole management begins with a__hole understanding. In the spirit of the bestselling On Bullshit, James gives us the concepts to think or say why a__holes disturb us so, and explains why such people seem part of the human social condition, especially in an age of raging narcissism and unbridled capitalism. These concepts are also practically useful, as understanding the a__hole we are stuck with helps us think constructively about how to handle problems they present. We get a better sense of when the a__hole is best resisted, and when he is best ignored a better sense of what is, and what is not, worth fighting for.