Playing the Victim

In Playing the Victim, journalist Kylie Cheung explores how the psychological tactic of DARVO—Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender—is used across various contexts, from intimate abuse to global conflicts, to manipulate perceptions of power and victimhood. The book analyzes how these tactics are employed by individuals and institutions to justify domination, shaping much of the moral and political crises of our time. With a clear, in-depth approach, Cheung reveals the ways in which systems of control—covering domestic violence, colonial violence, and systemic oppression—distort reality and influence societal perceptions of victimhood and resistance.