In my own childhood someone was always trying to get a rise, and someone was always stalking off in tears and slamming doors behind her; or marching out of the cowshed and down the hill as if determined that the rest of us would never see her again. Huffs , they were called, or scots . But the indignant very often walk into a void. They need resistance. And sooner or later they have to come in for tea. What then? What does it profit a man to throw his only bowl of custard at the wall?

With characteristic wit, Don Watson explores indignation through generations of his family and their Old Testament rages. He asks why wounded pride or a sense of injustice unleashes the furies and whether there is ever virtue in it. Dazzling in its humour and eloquence, Watson turns to George W Bush the figure who most excites his own indignation.

MUP's Little Books on Big Themes series pairs leading Australian thinkers and cultural figures with some of the big themes in life.