Persuasive attacks have captured public interest for centuries.　 Public attacks uniquely span the range from high level politics to celebrity antics.　 Each context highlights totally different harmful behaviors, yet key strategies are employed in consistent, yet surprisingly unique ways.　

This book investigates the nature of persuasive attack by examining the strategies used in various cases to denigrate an individual or organization for their behavior and/or character.　 Beginning with a review of previous scholarly work on persuasive attack, this book then explicates Benoit's Theory of Persuasive Attack, and utilizes the theory to illuminate case studies from a variety of contexts including memes, political cartoons, selfies, documentaries, PAC advertisements, presidential debates, international relations, sports, and business.　 The book concludes with professional applications for people in industries where attack is a regular occurrence, whether levying them or responding to them.