Unfortunately, this one was not for me. It was thoroughly unenjoyable due to the insertions of political commentary mixed with just one angry tale after another. I look to books to avoid these problems, not wallow in them. Could not finish.

An epistolary satire regarding the feeding frenzy that both journalism and social media have become, OOF ("online outrage fiesta") is the story of the decline and fall of the world's current Public Enemy Number One: the upper-class, middle-aged white man. In this case, author Strobe Witherspoon specifically. Strobe is an author who has dared to write a faux-biography of a former first lady who happens to be a foreign former model and married to a much older rich, brassy guy. This rouses the masses on both sides of the political spectrum, and the reader is catapulted into the rage, conspiracy theories, and swift downward spiral that even the most innocuous of things can lead to these days. OOF includes articles, interviews, e-mails, vlogs, blogs, and all other manner of expression as a means of sucking the reader directly into the fray. There will be eye rolling, laughter, boredom, irritation, and overall sense of foreboding. Though probably not for everyone--you have to have a healthy measure of sarcastic disregard for the human experience--OOF will be deeply pleasing for many who have also grown weary of the world's axis shifting according to public opinion.

This is a collection of messages, blogs, articles, chat rooms, emails and more all replicating a social media outrage following the release of an excerpt of Strobe Witherspoon’s novel ‘Flotus, a memoir’. It’s in many ways a clever satire of the stupidity of the conspiracy theories that seem to flourish in online communities. I was hoping it would be funnier, it was actually pretty depressing because I could see so much of it coming true as stupid outrage over nothing is such a brilliant distraction from reality.

The book is an anthology of articles, blog posts, tweets, vlog transcriptions, email etc. written as a reaction of leaked chapters of a novel Strobe Witherspoon just sold, the novel is not yet published.
The novel title is ‘FLOTUS: A Memoir’, and is the story of the former FLOTUS (first lady of the United States) about her family, how she decided to go to the US, her life as the FLOTUS.
After a chapter is leaked, the Online Outrage Fiesta happens: newspaper articles, tweets, blog posts, email etc try to give their opinion to what is really behind this chapter and this story.
Still the novel is not published.
I found this collection of opinions quite interesting, they do not read the novel as a novel with, fictional characters, but they see other aspects: the Strobe previous job, family issues, conspiracy theory until the, dramatic, that was dramatic, peak: another theory of Strobe’s family that made everyone really go crazy.
I agree with other reviews saying it is really contemporary and not that fictional, we can really see it: people convinced of “theories” and actually living in a “parallel” world of craziness.
I almost binge read this book but I suggest you read it, please read it, but not binge read it, I had a really bothersome dream last night.
I found really funny memes description, yes there are also memes description, some article or vlog transcriptions too, while articles where they claimed “I made research”, “I have proof” or super long were a bit sad, everyone being a super expert.
I was really happy to read about two things that made me think about my beloved Korean dramas: the first one is Strobe’s blog (it does not exists) name ‘Hell is other people’ is the title of an amazing drama, and then Mitch, Strobe’s son, quotes Nietzsche ‘And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee’, I watched the super amazing drama ‘Through the darkness’ and they quote the same sentence in a more “complete” way, ‘He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee’.
Please, read this book!
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

What a cleverly crafted story, which I absolutely loved all the way through. Of course, it takes a couple of chapters to get the hang of the format, as with every new thing, but once you get used to it, what it serves to the story is priceless. The book gives an interesting take on real-life problems, the epidemic of misinformation in modern media and the caricatures of very real and intimidating topics.

There is no right or wrong way to address certain issues, but this highly political book cleverly tries to connect with its readers by a medium we all use nowadays the internet. I absolutely recommend this book, and you're in for a wonderful ride if you pick it up

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

For more bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

OOF: An Online Outrage Fiesta for the Ages by Strobe Witherspoon is a satire of the online outrage machine so prevalent in today’s world. This is Strobe Witherspoon’s second novel.

Strobe Witherspoon is about to publish a new novel called FLOTUS: A Memoir. While fictional and nameless, FLOTUS is clearly inspired by Melania Trump.

The book is not even published, when a frenzy of conspiracy theories arise in cyberspace. Some say this is a thinly disguised biography based on Witherspoon State Department work. After a chapter is leaked, journalists dig into Witherspoon’s past in attempts to discredit him.

From there, the world as we know it turns upside down.

Unfortunately for all us of, and like all good satire, OOF: An Online Outrage Fiesta for the Ages by Strobe Witherspoon is not far from the truth. Not necessarily in subject matter, but in analysis of the fake outrage machine that has been building for decades.

Old literary mechanisms such as sample chapters, articles, and letters (emails) are being used, as well as new ones. Tweet storms, blog posts, and vblog transcripts are also transcribed (which I guess could be equivalent to opinion pieces). Sadly, these highly emotional opinion pieces are replacing legitimate news sources, if there are any left.

While the premise of the book is outlandish, it is not out of the realm of possibility in this crazy, partisan world. Our only saving grace is people’s short memories, as well as the need to move from one fake outrage to another very quickly.

This clever books attempts, and succeeds, to mimic the online reality by having the reader constantly question what is true. I don’t think we actually ever get a straight answer, as everyone in it are unreliable narrators. Strobe Witherspoon himself is found to falsify information, and others promote conspiracy theories and conjure up “truths” which they claim are between the lines. Putting together unrelated events, people, and “news” they want to believe, which roam around in the echo chambers they visit.

The author’s fictional book, FLOTUS, is being ripped apart before it’s even released. No one knows what it’s about, it’s not well written, and it might have just disappeared from public consciousness if they were just leave it alone.

OOF, however, satires the low hanging fruits of Internet politics and “experts” very well. The circus which ensues, while fictional, is believable and I could easily see how it could come to pass.

It was very concerning how this satire is so close to reality. That being said, our culture, especially the Internet crowd, certainly deserves to be exposed, and what’s better than comedy as a warning?

A wry sideswipe of a satire of modern polarised culture. Highly plausible and deeply messy it's fascinating to have this light shone how we live. A must read

Ah. I mean, OOF. This satire might actually be as clever as it purports to be. At the very least, it cuts through the modern state of affairs in the US like hot knife through butter. Mind you, the sociopolitics of the last few/several years are the proverbial low hanging fruit, ripe for being satirized, but nevertheless kudos to the author for doing it so well.
With a multimedia compendium structure of WWZ, though interviews, tweets, blogs, etc. OOF tells a story of one author’s descent into infamy which provides a catalyst for the country’s descent into abyss of its own making.
To think, it all begins with a book. Not an especially well written book, even, but a politically charged one. And before it even sees the light of day, it’s not merely ripped to shreds, but those shreds get embroidered into the very fabric of the social media obsessed, paranoid, conspiracy mad culture, serving every ugly bias, every crazy notion, every lamentable discourse.
The ensuing circus is determined to destroy the book, the author and those around him, ugly ignorant people doing ugly ignorant things to each other in the name of their own ugly ignorant version of truth and justice. The distinctly American way.
OOF is almost too good for its own good. It’s a satire that’s too close to reality. Wildly messed up and yet disturbingly plausible. It makes for a somewhat uneasy read. Fun, but uneasy. It’s an ode to the age of misinformation, spectacularly unbreachable ideological division and pervasive toxicity of social media.
The metafiction approach only maximizes the effect. The culture we live in absolutely deserves to have the strobelight exposure. Just slap a seizure warning on it and dare people to read it. A very interesting very timely read. Rec

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for comment.
Strobe Witherspoon the main character and author examines his own writing as it under goes examination. It is strange that a story wraps around a released chapter of a new book FLOTUS, before it’s published. The issue is this banter is about this well known writer and not the chapter of the book.. The problem is this turns into misinformation on a grand scale.
The story is told thru tabloids,, bloggers, email threads, tweets and or pod casts. The life of Strobe is dissected in outrageous segments to destroy his reputation. It brings forth the effort that is made thru the digital era to influence readers thru the media in order to control the mental frame of reference. It is a clever satire for the times we live in.
It is not the type of book that I would likely read.. I give it credit for a change of presentation. However, for me it took a while to figure what it was about. I like more historical fiction. More straight forward in its delivery.
But, I get there are plenty who are into this type of delivery as it is unique.

I took me about 20% to get into this book. Then I was hooked. I really wanted to know ho the drama craziness of it ended. Well I found out and ... nope. The ending was not good at all. At least the middle part was captivating.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Marginal Books for providing me a copy of Strobe Witherspoon’s (real name?) second novel, OOF: An Outline Outrage Fiesta for the Ages, in exchange for an honest review.

#Outlineoutragefiesta is a fresh and witty take on the prior administration, the future of American politics, the ethics of journalism, and the continuous spread of disinformation in the digital era. The plot is told through a collection of various media, including podcast transcripts, tweets, blog articles, email threads, and chapters from the author/protagonist’s satirical novel within a novel, “FLOTUS: A Memoir.”

This book (more so a novella) is quite literally a whirlwind. For readers who are sick of the news, the rise of stupidity, and politics, I urge you to read it regardless. While it may not be the best story ever written, it does provide levity to a serious situation and is quite creative. It is also told from multiple perspectives, so you gain insight into how groups, such as the “Contras,” think, which is reflective of their real-life counterparts.

The one disturbing detail about the novel is that similar to the protagonist, the author does not have a digital footprint. This leads me to believe that the work was written by more than one author or by a group of writers/editors working at the publishing company. Either way, the sections that contain the fictional memoir are by far the most hysterical. Overall, an entertaining read of our rapidly deteriorating society.

To begin in a somewhat meta manner, Strobe Witherspoon (fictional) has written a parody of a memoir of a former First Lady to a controversial, polarising President. The hyperbolic, hyper-driven media, encompassing traditional journals, broadsheets, tabloids, bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and the like, latch onto the IDEA of the book, spinning story after story, more manic than the previous, escalating hype and outrage to frightening levels.

Over an idea. Not even the book itself.

This is a cleverly crafted tale, told in transcripts, news clippings, reports and tweets. It is a stark reflection on modern media practices of hype, misinformation and manufactured outrage for clicks. We've seen these players in recent times, watched in horror as they escalate for fever-pitch. This book is both a clever satire and a time capsule for the ages. Witty, thought provoking and utterly gripping, this is a must-read.

**Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Well that was a journey that will be forever repeated. Witherspoon is spot-on with the snowball of BS that rains on a simple parade. The argy-bargy of media wanting to be the winner of taking someone down. The BS that manipulates the masses and flicks the hysteria switch. Herd mentality is frightening and very real. This is an emotional rollercoaster with some deep seated truths.