The broadcaster and author Carol Off discusses her new book At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage (Random House Canada, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage by Carol Off (Random House Canada, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: At a Loss for Words

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Carol Off joins me again. She’s just published, At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage, and it’s already a bestseller. In the book, she looks at six words that have lost their meaning in recent years: freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice, and taxes. These are words that have been distorted and weaponised, to the point where their meaning today is often discounted or meant to be derogatory. These are words that were associated with civil rights and social justice, and she works through the book a way to reclaim them. Along the way she looks at how so many people are falling for conspiracy theories, getting hoodwinked by autocrats, and buying into the rage. And Carol noticed this as she was wrapping up her decade and a half as co-host of CBC Radio’s As It Happens. She noticed in the conversations she was having with guests, how polarised the conversations were getting. It’s an engaging book, one that’s informative like when she talks about the Hungarian influence on politics outside of its country, like Canada, as well as how Facebook has been weaponised, using The Philippines as an example, as she shares conversations with Maria Ressa. Carol Off is an award-winning journalist, who before her over fifteen years at As It Happens, covered Canadian and international affairs. Her first bestselling book The Lion, The Fox and The Eagle, was a bestseller and critically acclaimed. She’s written three more award-winning books of narrative nonfiction, including her most recent, which she was on the program with in 2017, All We Leave Behind: A Reporter’s Journey Into the Lives of Others. This new book is published by Random House Canada. We spoke three weeks ago, with Carol joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Carol Off; Ms. Off, good morning.

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