Few people confess easily to taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. Maybe this is why there is no word for the feeling in English. And so schadenfreude, that beguiling German word, is borrowed to label the experience. This book, written by one of the world's foremost scholars of envy and shame, explores the emotion we dare not admit. Although schadenfreude is hardly a feeling to nourish in oneself or to encourage as a cultural habit, Smith argues that there is no getting rid of it, when the misfortunes of others can lead to our benefit. Indeed, schadenfreude can be sweet revenge when it is personal, but as Smith argues in a fascinating exploration of anti-semitism in the 20th century that concludes the book, this passive thrill can lead to devastating consequences.
