BOOK | You've probably heard about it happening: Someone makes an ill-considered post on Facebook or a poorly delivered joke on Twitter. It sparks outrage from a handful of people. That outrage goes viral, and the person who made the offending tweet or post is suddenly despised across the Internet, losing any semblance of the life they had before. British journalist Jon Ronson delves into this phenomenon with SO YOU'VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED. He profiles the subjects of high-profile shamings while examining the historical roots of public ostracism, and how it's become a means of social control in the digital age.
PODCAST | As host of Fresh Air, a program carried on most public radio stations, Terry Gross has gotten a wide range of guests to open up with her earnest, empathetic interviewing style. Earlier this month the tables were turned when Marc Maron, a comic and host of the WTF PODCAST interviewed Gross. Maron, known for being abrupt and open about his personal life, uses a very different interview style with the more reserved Gross. During the interview, Gross opens up about her childhood, her start in radio and other details of her life few knew about.
TV | Watching the first season of TRUE DETECTIVE is one of my happiest TV viewing memories: Two Southern detectives with clashing personalities investigating a creepy murder against a paranormal backdrop. It was great. Next month, HBO debuts the second season of the series, with a new story line and cast. Set in Southern California, three law enforcement officers are brought together to investigate an unusual murder that ensnares a career criminal in a web of intrigue. This season won't have the paranormal overtones that marked the first, but if writer Nic Pizzolatto can keep weave a web like he did last time, it should be worth watching. ♦
