Newspaper headlines today can be frightening. We read about children shooting children, armed motorists turning our freeways into war zones, spouses beating their partners and children. When did we turn from a civilized society into one so seemingly out-of-control? Author Jane Middelton-Moz carefully examines how technology, big business, upward mobility and modern warfare have isolated and disconnected us from one another. The byproducts of these societal changes are increased frustration, stress and vulnerability, resulting in expressions of anger that can often turn violent. Disconnection is literally killing us. In its purest sense, anger is a normal, health emotion. It is a warning signal that something is wrong. It can alert an individual of the potential for physical or psychological trauma. Anger can provide the energy to resist emotional or physical threats, allowing defense or escape. Anger aids in our awareness of emotional and physical boundaries and helps individuals set healthy limits. Anger can also mobilize us to make much-needed changes in our world when we are faced with injustices.

When not properly expressed, however, anger can come out "sideways" in the form of road rage, hurtful humor, procrastination, illness, memory loss, chronic lateness, gossip, depression, or violence. Boiling Point shows us the difference between healthy and unhealthy anger and the importance of working toward emotional, physical, mental, social and cultural balance in order to experience healthy, constructive anger rather than anger's more destructive counterparts.

In what may be the most important book you will ever read, you will learn how to be more accountable to yourself, and how to communicate with others to effectively connect with one another in relationships and in the broader community. Through increased awareness and sensitivity, we can stop the rage that threatens to destroy us.