Good Anger

A Radical Rethink of our Most Misunderstood Emotion

Sam Parker (Author) , Sam Parker (Narrator)

Good Anger

A Radical Rethink of our Most Misunderstood Emotion

Sam Parker (Author) , Sam Parker (Narrator)

Hardback ~~$37.00~~ $33.30 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $25.90 Ebook (PDF) $25.90 Audiobook $20.00

Out of stock

$33.30 RRP $37.00 Website price saving $3.70 (10%)

Notify me

For information on how we process your data, read our Privacy Policy

Description

One of the best books to look out for in 2025 – The Independent

Embrace your hidden source of clarity, purpose and strength.

In recent years we have become much more accepting of difficult human emotions, but one remains taboo: anger. Afraid of the disharmony it can create, we disapprove of it in others and do our best to squash it down within ourselves.

But this approach takes a terrible toll on our physical and mental health. Unresolved anger is a major and often overlooked factor in anxiety and depression. By avoiding our anger, we deny ourselves the gifts it can offer of clarity and purpose, dignity and self-respect, energy and strength.

In Good Anger, journalist Sam Parker argues we need a radical rethink of what anger is and what it Is for. Drawing on insights from ancient philosophy, business leaders, artists, athletes and cutting-edge psychology and emotional science, he investigates how we can harness anger to improve every facet of our lives, from professional success to creative projects to our relationships with loved ones and – ultimately – ourselves.

Why, after all this time, do we still conflate anger with violence and aggression? How does repressed anger show up in our bodies? Why do we still think of anger in a gendered way? Is the internet making matters worse? And, in a world increasingly dominated by stress and conflict, how can understanding our anger better paradoxically make us more peaceful and tolerant of others?

This provocative and seemingly counterintuitive book is for people-pleasers, conflict-avoiders and self-improvers everywhere. It's a timely reminder that understanding the more challenging parts of ourselves can help us live fuller, happier lives.

Foreword
1. The other anger problem
2. Bad anger: a history
3. Anger and the body
4. Who is allowed to be angry
5. The anger advantage at work
6. Anger online
7. Anger in love
8. Good anger
9. The angry life
Afterword

References
Acknowledgements
Index

Product details

Published	Aug 19 2025
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	256
ISBN	9781399417853
Imprint	Green Tree
Dimensions	234 x 153 mm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Sam Parker

Sam Parker is a senior editor at British GQ. He ha…

Narrator

Sam Parker

Sam Parker is a senior editor at British GQ. He ha…

There's a lot in life to be angry about, and we shouldn't be repressing that. The distinction between bad anger and good anger is a crucial one. A marvellous book which enhances our understanding of ourselves and others.

Irvine Welsh
Sam Parker's examination of anger is thrillingly incendiary… I haven't been able to think about anger in the same way since.

Alice Vincent, author of Rootbound and Why Women Grow
Compulsory reading … Grounded in wisdom from across time and culture, Parker offers us a variety of enlightening perspectives on this complicated subject. In today's maddening world dismissing anger simply isn't an option, we have to learn to live better with it.

Dr. Aaron Balick, psychotherapist and author of The Psychodynamics of Social Networking and The Little Book of Calm
Powerful and engaging ... Parker's fluent book, which draws on dozens of stimulating examples – from Aristotle to Tony Soprano – has wisdom to offer about tackling unhappiness ... Whatever your own background or temperament, there is much to digest and utilise in this moving story of recovery and renewal ... Good Anger is a potent defence of a vilified emotion – and a compelling invitation to sit with it a little longer.

Martin Chilton, The Independent
A delightful dive into our most maligned emotion. If you feel angry – and the whole world seems to be right now – this book will help you understand, and perhaps feel better about it.

Oliver Franklin-Wallis, author of Wasteland
This book is wise in the way a good therapist or a clever friend is wise – it leads us gently towards our greatest fears and reveals that the thing we're taught to suppress might be the key to making our lives infinitely better. Far from a book for angry people, it's a book for all of us who smugly shrug and say 'oh I never get angry'. It is quietly, gently revolutionary and it will make you feel both naked and relieved that you're not the only one struggling. Crucially, it will give you the confidence to turn anger to your advantage. It is one of those books you'll want to buy for the people closest to you to let them in on the secret. Because this book isn't just about anger, it is, above all, about hope.

Kate McCann, broadcaster, Times Radio