I was disappointed in this book because I had read "Envy" by Helmut Schoeck and was expecting Ms. Smith to take me much deeper into the topic. Indeed, Schoeck sees Schadenfreude as a subset of Envy while Ms. Smith makes Envy a subset of Schadenfreude.

I'm not sure this book was for me.

The subject matter was interesting to me because I had never heard of the term "Schadenfreude" before, but I realized quickly that it's something I've felt many times, to my shame. Or not. The author does an excellent job of reassuring the reader that it's something that a lot of people feel.

I liked the examples of schadenfreude included in in each chapter; some of them were really funny and had me feeling the sentiment as well. A bit too repetitive for my taste and there were some names mentioned that I assumed I was supposed to know but didn't. *shrug*

An interesting book, explaining why humans so enjoy video loops of cat fails and Jackass. Although the book is well-written and researched, most of it comes off as stuff I already knew on a subconscious level but can now actually label.

Seeping with a welcome, wry sense of humor, Smith has given us a book that puts on glorious display the inner-workings of that feeling you get when someone (or maybe yourself, depending on the situation) gets their comeuppance. Reveling in that sweet, tasty goodness when someone's given a karma-induced what-for can sometimes be nothing short of the nectar of the gods; but seriously, what's going on in your head when you're experiencing this? Is it beneficial, or just contributing to your cynical attitude and overall dour outlook on life? Smith goes over this and more, inquiring to see if infants experience this, researching to find out how steeped politics and sports are in it, and providing pages and pages of thoughts to ruminate on.

Everyone's both a victim of and a party to schadenfreude, so it's inestimably interesting to get a better handle on *why* you feel a certain way about it. Call it a self-improvement book, at the very least. Add to that the fact that it's and especially easy read, structured supremely well, and is dense with useful info if you're not already sold.

A top-5 of 2018 book for me. I will be recommending it frequently.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advance read.

So we’ll done! I’ve always wanted to know more about this term and concept, and this book was just fantastic - both a historical and current explanation!

I first heard the word Schadenfreude in the musical Avenue Q. I didn’t even know there was a word for that evil little feeling one has when hearing of someone’s misfortune. This book was an interesting look into this feeling we all have, whether we admit to it or not. I enjoyed the examples and even laughed out loud at some of them. I appreciated the “Helpsl at the end of the book, especially for the realization that everyone fails and it is all harmless fun. Interesting and thought provoking book.