Lionel Shriver, the outspoken American novelist, is touring France to promote her latest book, "Hystérie Collective" (Collective Hysteria). In this novel, Shriver satirizes contemporary progressive society by imagining a United States where all individuals are presumed to have equal intelligence, and any suggestion of intellectual superiority is strictly forbidden. During a presentation in Rennes, Shriver defended her stance against positive discrimination, arguing that women in fields like academia and publishing already hold significant representation and no longer require gender-based preferences, which she deems insulting. The 68-year-old author, known for challenging societal taboos in her previous works, including "We Need to Talk About Kevin," uses "Hystérie Collective" to critique what she perceives as the excesses of "social hysterias" like wokism and cancel culture, advocating for freedom of expression.