Cancel culture Social justice or mob rule?

How far is too far? Cancel culture, the act of "punishing individuals, usually by way of social media, for words or actions deemed unacceptable," is explored in this slim but robust entry. The book's four chapters--"What Is Cancel Culture?" "The #MeToo Movement," "Cancel Culture and Political Speech," and "Reexamining the Past"--do a commendable job of summarizing different examples within each category and providing a basic understanding of the history behind specific headlines, such as the sexual harassment cases against Harvey Weinstein, former President Donald Trump's Twitter ban, and the renaming of American military bases to remove the names of Confederate generals. The work also explores the origins of the term cancel culture itself as well as popular understanding of what it means in practice, Americans' perceptions of how serious a problem it is, and how it fits into a longer history of social boycott. The use of endnotes provides readers with uninterrupted text blocks and the ability to seek out additional information.This work does not provide easy answers, challenging readers to consider each point and come to their own conclusions. It discusses the fact that anyone, regardless of race, gender, or political leaning, can be cancelled. This book makes an excellent starting point for research papers on the topic. A useful guide to a controversial subject. (infographic, further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.