When Bad Things Happen to Other People

"As John Portmann notes in this wittily titled book, WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO OTHER PEOPLE, Schadenfreude occurs "to virtually all noninfantile, noncomatose human beings--not just to Germans." Its occurrence also raises many questions about the nature of suffering, the character of pleasure and the meanings of their continuing association--an extraordinarily rich subject. But Mr. Portmann seems to have suffered greatly in addressing these issues and forces the reader to as well. Despite some fine nuggets peppered through the text, the book is labored, contorted, meandering, pedantic. And I get no pleasure from saying that."Portmann, John is the author of 'When Bad Things Happen to Other People' with ISBN 9780415923354 and ISBN 0415923352.