Evil cover

Evil

by Julia Shaw

Dr. Julia Shaw, a criminal psychologist uses the latest scientific research to offer a more enlightened and nuanced explanation for why people behave so badly and how we can prevent evil acts by understanding more profoundly how such acts come about - and what truly makes us evil. From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. Shaw argues that evil is relative, rooted in our unique cultures. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or being a banker, others find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all? Here she breaks down concepts like the neuroscience of evil, the psychology of bloodlust, and workplace misbehavior to explain how we can prevent evil acts by understanding more profoundly how such acts come about. -- adapted from jacket

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?