by Ian Urbina
First published 2005
Ian Urbina explores the breaking points of ordinary people pushed too far by modern irritations. The book documents real cases of creative revenge against everyday annoyances. One person loads business reply envelopes with metal sheets to make junk mailers pay hefty postage fees. A woman tired of her coworker stealing her lunch cookies substitutes dog biscuits shaped like biscotti. Urbina catalogs the ingenious methods people devise to strike back at telemarketers, loud cell phone users, spammers, and other daily intrusions. The stories range from automated phone systems that drive callers to fury to Starbucks naming conventions that baffle customers. Magazine subscription cards that tumble from pages spark elaborate schemes of retaliation. Each account reveals how seemingly minor frustrations can trigger major responses when tolerance finally snaps. The book captures human creativity unleashed against the small but persistent aggravations that plague contemporary life. Urbina shows how people transform helpless irritation into satisfying action through clever tactics and determined resistance.
Genres: humor, contemporary, social-issues, non-fiction
Vibes: humorous, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: slice-of-life, social-commentary
Period: 21st-Century
Audio CD · Macmillan Audio