Ashley 'Dotty' Charles is a broadcaster and writer from South London. After joining the BBC in 2014 she became the first solo female to host the BBC Radio 1Xtra Breakfast Show in 2016, where she has since interviewed everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Will Smith. She has presented TV programmes including BBC One's music show, 'Sounds Like Friday Night', and BBC Three's 'Story of Grime' documentary series. She is also the host of the official Netflix podcast series 'What to Watch on Netflix'. She lives with her wife and son in London.
A great read . . . Charles is very funny, but the irreverent and chatty tone leads you to important ponderings . . . Outraged is a study of flash activism and why it doesn't last, and its message is rendered all the more relevant for it being published in the midst of a flash of activism that simply must * The Times * A swipe at the empty rhetoric of activism that only exists with a hashtag online * Observer * As Charles puts it, plenty of people are playing the sport of outrage but who is keeping score? . . . Makes many worthwhile points . . . If her plea for people to turn down the heat, except when it matters most, is heeded, then Charles will have given valuable service in helping to improve public discourse * Evening Standard * Books about wokeness are typically written by a very specific type of conservative figure. Dotty rips up the rulebook in order to write a thought-provoking but never provocative book about the Outrage Era: how did we get here? Where have we gone wrong? And how can we find our way back? Deep dives into clicktivism, tribalism and 'the Choir Effect' of public shame jostle alongside interviews with controversial figures like Rachel Dolezal and arch provocateur Katie Hopkins, in order to create a witty, thoughtful and ever-so-thoughtful guide to getting our outrage back on track -- Pandora Sykes Outraged is a timely reminder to keep perspective. To question who we actually help when we rush to yell online. Dotty writes with humour and measure, always keen to explore rather than condemn. Everyone with a social media account should read this book -- Bella Mackie This superb polemic is a penetrating exploration of the sorry state of outrage in our culture. Through interviews with Rachel Dolezal, Katie Hopkins and others, Charles shows that by so quickly leaping on the outrage bandwagon, we are actually debasing the quality of our civil discourse . . . I underlined something on almost every page * Bookseller *