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Them: Adventures with Extremists
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
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Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Jon Ronson is fascinated by madness, extraordinary behaviour and the human mind. He has spent his life investigating crazy events, following fascinating people and unearthing unusual stories. Collected here from various sources (including the Guardian and GQ America) are the best of his adventures.
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Enjoyable
- By RCF on 09-03-2015
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The Men Who Stare at Goats
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- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
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In 1979, a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known accepted military practice - and indeed, the laws of physics - they believed that a soldier could adopt the cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them. Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror.
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Who knew goats were so maligned?
- By Amazon Customer on 16-09-2017
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The Psychopath Test
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This is a story about madness. It all starts when journalist Jon Ronson is contacted by a leading neurologist. She and several colleagues have recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail, and Jon is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for the answer, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness.
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Could easily have been condensed.
- By C.J.R Flanagan on 03-02-2014
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The Elephant in the Room
- A Journey into the Trump Campaign and the "Alt-Right"
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
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'But Hillary is a known Luciferian,' he tried. 'She's not a known Luciferian,' I said. 'Well, yes and no,' he said. In The Elephant in the Room, Jon Ronson, the New York Times best-selling author of The Psychopath Test, Them, and So You've Been Publicly Shamed, travels to Cleveland at the height of summer to witness the Republican National Convention.
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I used a credit on this?
- By Joel on 22-03-2017
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So You've Been Publicly Shamed
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From the Sunday Times top ten best-selling author of The Psychopath Test, a captivating and brilliant exploration of one of our world's most underappreciated forces: shame. "It's about the terror, isn't it?" "The terror of what?" I said. "The terror of being found out." For the past three years, Jon Ronson has travelled the world, meeting recipients of high-profile public shamings. The shamed are people like us - people who, say, made jokes on social media that came out badly or made mistakes at work.
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Not for me, but a sound tale for the internet era
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From taking the knee to transgender rights, wedge issues are everywhere in modern life - dividing opinions, polarising debate and tearing friendships and families apart. Even something as seemingly innocuous as wearing a facemask can provoke vicious disagreement. But how did we get here, and what does it mean for society going forward? In this gripping series, acclaimed writer and journalist Jon Ronson searches for the origin stories of the hostilities - the pebbles thrown in the pond, creating the ripples that led to where we are today.
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Incredibly Enlightening
- By maxime mauelshagen on 18-02-2023
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Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Ronson is fascinated by madness, extraordinary behaviour and the human mind. He has spent his life investigating crazy events, following fascinating people and unearthing unusual stories. Collected here from various sources (including the Guardian and GQ America) are the best of his adventures.
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Enjoyable
- By RCF on 09-03-2015
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The Men Who Stare at Goats
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1979, a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known accepted military practice - and indeed, the laws of physics - they believed that a soldier could adopt the cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them. Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror.
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Who knew goats were so maligned?
- By Amazon Customer on 16-09-2017
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The Psychopath Test
- A Journey Through the Madness Industry
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is a story about madness. It all starts when journalist Jon Ronson is contacted by a leading neurologist. She and several colleagues have recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail, and Jon is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for the answer, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness.
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Could easily have been condensed.
- By C.J.R Flanagan on 03-02-2014
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The Elephant in the Room
- A Journey into the Trump Campaign and the "Alt-Right"
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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'But Hillary is a known Luciferian,' he tried. 'She's not a known Luciferian,' I said. 'Well, yes and no,' he said. In The Elephant in the Room, Jon Ronson, the New York Times best-selling author of The Psychopath Test, Them, and So You've Been Publicly Shamed, travels to Cleveland at the height of summer to witness the Republican National Convention.
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I used a credit on this?
- By Joel on 22-03-2017
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So You've Been Publicly Shamed
- By: Jon Ronson
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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From the Sunday Times top ten best-selling author of The Psychopath Test, a captivating and brilliant exploration of one of our world's most underappreciated forces: shame. "It's about the terror, isn't it?" "The terror of what?" I said. "The terror of being found out." For the past three years, Jon Ronson has travelled the world, meeting recipients of high-profile public shamings. The shamed are people like us - people who, say, made jokes on social media that came out badly or made mistakes at work.
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Not for me, but a sound tale for the internet era
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From taking the knee to transgender rights, wedge issues are everywhere in modern life - dividing opinions, polarising debate and tearing friendships and families apart. Even something as seemingly innocuous as wearing a facemask can provoke vicious disagreement. But how did we get here, and what does it mean for society going forward? In this gripping series, acclaimed writer and journalist Jon Ronson searches for the origin stories of the hostilities - the pebbles thrown in the pond, creating the ripples that led to where we are today.
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Incredibly Enlightening
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In December 2017 the famous porn star August Ames committed suicide in a park in the Conejo Valley. It happened a day after she’d been the victim of a pile-on, via Twitter, by fellow porn professionals - punishment for her tweeting something deemed homophobic. A month later, August’s husband, Kevin, connected with Jon Ronson to tell the story of how Twitter bullying killed his wife. What neither Kevin nor Ronson realized was that Ronson would soon hear rumors and secrets hinting at a very different story - something mysterious and unexpected and terrible.
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excellent
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Frank
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In the late 1980s Jon Ronson was the keyboard player in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band. Frank wore a big fake head. Nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity. This became the subject of feverish speculation during his zenith years. Together, they rode relatively high. Then it all went wrong. Twenty-five years later and Jon has co-written a movie, Frank, inspired by his time in this great and bizarre band. Frank is set for release in 2014, starring Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Domhnall Gleeson and directed by Lenny Abrahamson.
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Great story adding another layer to a great film.
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Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he's stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
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Not sure there’s a story here
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david sedaris' best of
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For 10 years, Louis Theroux has been making programmes about off-beat characters on the fringes of US society. Now he revisits America and the people who have most fascinated him to try to discover what motivates them, why they believe the things they believe, and to find out what has happened to them since he last saw them.
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Enjoyed
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Perfect Sound Whatever
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James Acaster wakes up heartbroken and alone in New York, his relationship over, a day of disastrous meetings leading him to wonder if comedy is really what he wants to be doing anymore. A constant comfort in James' life has been music, but he's not listened to anything new for a very long time. Idly browsing 'best of the year' lists, it dawns on him that 2016 may have been a grim year for a lot of reasons, but that it seemed to be an iconic year for music. And so begins a life-changing musical odyssey, as James finds himself desperately seeking solace in the music of 2016....
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Good music compilation, not enough biography
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Puff Piece
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The folks that bring you Marlboro - Philip Morris - are wheezing, slowly dying. Cigarettes are out of favour with everyone, from world governments and investors to, increasingly, smokers. So, what's their plan? Prepare to be dazzled. Or, at the very least, befuddled. Philip Morris has announced they will shut down as a cigarette company, and relaunch as a health enterprise, dedicated to convincing the one billion smokers of the world to quit.
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Safran (Lucky) Strikes Again
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Conspirituality
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In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disturbing social media trend emerged: a large number of yoga instructors and alt-health influencers were posting stories about a secretive global cabal bent on controlling the world’s population with a genocidal vaccine. Instagram feeds that had been serving up green smoothie recipes and Mary Oliver poems became firehoses of Fox News links, memes from 4chan, and prophecies of global transformation.
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This book has helped me feel less mad
- By Anonymous User on 18-08-2023
Publisher's Summary
Them began as a book about different kinds of extremists, but after Jon had got to know some of them - Islamic fundamentalists, neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen - he found that they had one oddly similar belief: that a tiny, shadowy elite rule the world from a secret room. In Them, Jon sets out, with the help of the extremists, to locate that room. The journey is as creepy as it is comic, and along the way Jon is chased by men in dark glasses, unmasked as a Jew in the middle of a Jihad training camp, and witnesses international CEOs and politicians participate in a bizarre pagan ritual in the forests of northern California.
Them is a fascinating and entertaining exploration of extremism, in which Jon learns some alarming things about the looking-glass world of ‘them’ and ‘us’. Are the extremists on to something? Or has Jon become one of Them?
Critic Reviews
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Lawrence
- 20-01-2016
The truth is out there! Really out there... No, really, really out there!
Ronson treads a compelling and I think honest path examining the nature of conspiracy.
Conspiracy clearly does exist, frequently in the form of nothing more sinister than a quiet word over dinner and a bit of theatre.
People are not inherently evil (maybe they are in the case of Kissinger but he sees himself as a good guy I suspect) they are intrinsically self interested. They have personal and social agendas all the bigotries, snobbishness and racism that they were bought up with.
They fear irrationally and create rational things for others to fear (Neo nazis and anti refugee advocates come to mind as people with irrational fears who create things for rational people to fear).
The point which Ronson gently brings you to in this work is that the truth is generally mundane. That there are powerful people gaming the system is clear.
It is an engaging and entertaining work but at its heart is a very serious aspect of the human psyche, that fear creates monsters and monsters create fear...
I for one would enjoy a work by him on the Israel / Palestine atrocities and peace process... I think that we would find the same psychology mirrored there that he has described in "Them".
I'd also love to meet him for a beer and a quiet chat about love and death and life at the pub! So Ron look me up if you ever make it to Melbourne...
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2 people found this helpful
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- Bec Booton
- 10-11-2015
Interesting people
Any additional comments?
This is my 2nd favourite book of Jon’s. The extremists that let him into their lives are off in another world sometimes and it’s amazing to hear how he wiggles his way into their lives over the course of sometimes year. Highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Robin
- 08-08-2015
Thoroughly entertaining!
Loved it, heard Jon on Joe Rogan's podcast, glad it's his voice reading it too.
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1 person found this helpful
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- drew
- 17-04-2015
Great story!
A great story and excellent narration. I would highly recommend this book to anyone whether frightened of lizards or not.
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1 person found this helpful
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- SarahH
- 06-01-2023
Not as good as his other work
I personally found this book to be less interesting and engaging than Jon Ronson’s other work. At times I found the narrative a bit confusing, and I also didn’t find myself getting engrossed in the story - both of which I’m unused to with his work. It’s still well worth a listen though
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- Anonymous User
- 08-11-2022
Not his best work
I've listened to a few Jon Ronnson books and I like his style and topics.
Unfortunately this one fell short for me. Too disjoint and muddled to fully capture my attention. Struggled through to the end but only just...
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- Natalie D.
- 08-06-2022
He does it again- genius!
I chose this book when deliberately searching for another of the author’s work- I was inexplicably & joyously glued to ‘The psychopath test’. This one is another of the author’s seemingly whimsical but actually well defined adventure in search of the less well covered parts of human nature. Why do we do what we do? What exactly do we do? Are we all really that different? And yes, we all love a bit of fun. Go for it- one of the most enjoyable shorter reads of your life awaits.
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- Thomas Booth
- 30-01-2022
Ronson is Great as Always
Another great bit if narrative journalism from JR. Having it read by him makes it even more fun. THEM is a recommended read for any conspiracy nuts!
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- Michael
- 09-11-2020
Loved it!
Really enjoyed this, and especially how Jon Ronson narrated it! It’s a very interesting and quite relevant to today’s world!
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- Anonymous User
- 26-10-2020
Fascinating
Absolutely loved this. His voice and total sense of normalcy in these bizarre relationships just crack me up!
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- aaron
- 26-09-2012
Dated but VERY Good... and FUNNY!
First off, I'd listen to Ronson read the Dictionary. His dry wit, timing, and inflections are incredible. You feel as though he's reading to you, personally. This is a pre-9/11 book, but much of what it deals with is still relevant today. Ronson has this incredible knack for taking subjects that aren't very funny AT ALL (i.e. a Muslim extremist threatening to put a 'Fatwah' on him), and finding the humor in it.
This is light reading at its finest. You may learn a bit about some of the extremists in the world, but nothing you probably couldn't have figured out on your own. The true joy of this book is the way that Ronson brings you into the story, keeps you constantly laughing, and delivers you on the other side, unscathed.
We need more social satirists like Ronson. He's truly one of a kind!
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60 people found this helpful
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- Nothing really matters
- 24-05-2015
Bilderberg or Build-a-Bear?
This book is a collection of several very interesting snapshots of people society has labeled extremists. They seem to be the sort of people James (The Amazing) Randi called 'believers' since they will follow ideas that appeal to them unquestioningly and regardless of how strange or extreme they sound to others.
Some of these folks are stranger than others, but most suspect the world is controlled by the secretive (and seemingly asinine) Bilderberg Group. They believe the Bilderberg Group is run by 'the Jews' or 12-foot tall reptilian aliens and is determined to set up a nefarious one-world government.
The book brought home to me the other side of the 'Ruby Ridge' incident through Rachel Weaver's version of the events. The book also illustrated the, perhaps unsurprising, fact that the players on all the various sides are guilty of serious departures from the truth and character assassination.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a fairly balanced-seeming glimpse into the strange and sometimes surprising world of extreme beliefs.
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26 people found this helpful
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- Diane
- 04-06-2013
Conspiracies R Us
Although it has been more than a decade since this book was written, it remains as mind-boggling as when it was first published. Here, Ronson delves into Islamic fundamentalists, David Icke with his theories about reptilians in control of the planet, the Bilderberg Group and the shenanigans at Bohemian Grove.
We are often left wondering who the real extremists are: Is it David Icke who maintains that world leaders are really reptilians in disguise or members of the JDL who insist that "reptilian" is code for "Jewish" ("No, he really means 'reptilian'" Ickes' followers claim)? Is it the Weaver family holed up on Ruby Ridge or the quasi-military force that took them down (a very sad episode)? Part of what makes Ronson's writing (and excellent narration) so compelling is the way he juxtaposes the ordinariness of every-day lives of these people with the often bizarre extremist views they hold.
A both informative and very enjoyable listen.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Mishka Haznor
- 30-09-2012
Serious Topics Shown in multiple lights
Would you listen to Them: Adventures with Extremists again? Why?
Yes. Jon Ronson is a really entertaining writer and narrator. Some of the scenes were really well described and I felt as though I was in the scene. He unfolded the information in an interesting way and shed an interesting candid light on all of the characters he followed and interviewed.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Ruby Ridge Details was the most interesting and shocking. Omar Bakri and his hypocrytical life was the least interesting, but I guess part of that is because Ronson was shut off from being able to interview him.
Have you listened to any of Jon Ronson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I didn't like it quite as much as the psychopath test, but it was definitely highly entertaining and a book I will always remember.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed a couple of times. Also, some of the scenes described were really unbelievable, so I guess maybe "shocked" would be a good description of my reaction.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Jon
- 19-11-2012
Riveting
What did you love best about Them: Adventures with Extremists?
This is a book that could not have been written post 9/11. The access Ronson had to these extremists is amazing. In today's world he would likely have been picked up by Homeland Security or the TSA at some point. Well worth the read.
Have you listened to any of Jon Ronson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Reading his own work Jon Ronson brings his quirky personality to life through his performance. I feel strongly that non-fiction authors should read their own work wherever possible and Ronson delivers in spades.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Dr. Michael Toney
- 02-10-2012
Them and Terrorism
What did you love best about Them: Adventures with Extremists?
As with all Jon Ronson books, this one was truly pleasurable in audio format—he should offer his services as a professional reader in addition to his writing career. I commend him on his bravery in interacting with “them” and maintaining an unbiased and sometimes amusing (how can you wage Jihad if you can touch a fish), perspective. For me this book was important because it provides a different perspective on my research on terrorist organizational behavior and leadership (ISBN-13: 978-0615687391). While it’s difficult to view the world from the perspective of the extremist, it’s imperative to understanding why they do and behave the way they do. I recommend this book to those interested in the behaviors of individuals and groups, particularly as an alternate reference when researching terrorism.
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10 people found this helpful
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- karen
- 25-08-2013
Way fun but shocking
Would you consider the audio edition of Them: Adventures with Extremists to be better than the print version?
Yes. Absolutely love Jon Ronson reading his works. You just cannot beat hearing his inflections on these incredible interviews. Shocking. Fun. Witty. Fresh!
What other book might you compare Them: Adventures with Extremists to and why?
Men Who Stare at Goats. Why? It's just unbelievable that these are based in reality. Hang on and prepare to be shocked but also to laugh at just how ridiculous these tales can be
Which character – as performed by Jon Ronson – was your favorite?
Jon Ronson. For sure
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Disbelief mixed with great chuckles
Any additional comments?
Read it. Witty and just great
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- Diane
- 21-07-2013
Not my favorite Jon Ronson book
I'm a huge fan of Jon Ronson but I didn't find this book as interesting as some of his others. His writing, as always, is clever and the book was well-researched but I didn't find the subject matter that compelling. Extremists - conspiracy theorists, wing-nuts, paranoid crazy people - are fascinating in small doses, but after a while they get boring.
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- Ryan
- 19-09-2014
A little light but interesting
I enjoyed Jon Ronson’s 2011 foray into the world of psychopaths and special interest groups out to protect or demonize them, and this seemed like a good book of his to read next. Though published in 2001, just before 9/11 and the Bush and Obama presidencies drove conspiracy theory and anti-government groups to new levels of hysteria, it’s an enlightening window into how fringe groups form around certain rallying ideas and code words.
As advertised, Ronson discovers that Islamic extremists in Britain, anti-government paranoids in the US, racist groups, anti-Catholic groups, and a man who claims that the world is ruled by secret alien lizard people all have something in common: fear that a shadowy cabal of bankers, businessmen, media elites, and politicians is scheming to impose some sort of Orwellian New World Order. In their own minds, these extremists are fighting a resistance against those who would turn them into, to use a well-worn internetism, weak and helpless “sheeple”.
As in the Psychopath Test, Ronson carefully humors his subjects and lets them express themselves in their own words, which sometimes veer towards the Monty Python-esque. Hard not to find the bumbling Islamic activist, Omar Bakri Muhammad, somewhat ridiculous, as he makes over-the-top pronouncements, then furiously backpedals towards a more genial facade whenever challenged. Same with KKK leader, Thomas Robb, who is trying to rebrand his organization with a more friendly image after being inspired by some leadership books from the self-help section. Ronson’s own self-deprecating wit is also amusing, if a little distracting at times.
Other people Ronson spends time with, though, seem like they might have a point, such as the survivors of the infamous Ruby Ridge Incident, in which the feds seemingly came down on a misunderstood survivalist family in Idaho with excessive force. His investigations into the claims of anti-Zionist groups raises a question: are Jewish film moguls really just acting out their own insecurities about being Jews in Hollywood... and giving some people the wrong idea? And when Ronson joins Alex Jones (of Infowars fame) and several others in investigating the Bilderberg Group, a publicity-shunning private conference of political, business, and academic elites, it’s somewhat unclear where paranoia ends and dull reality begins. Is a bacchanalian gathering in the woods of Northern California about rich old men celebrating dark, perverse rites of power, or just harmless, fraternity-like fun? Is it scarier to think that these people might indeed have a lot of influence over the world’s affairs... or that they don’t?
Ultimately, this might be a little too light-hearted of a book on extremism -- Ronson, not surprisingly, doesn’t spend much time in the company of the most hateful or militant types of groups, such as neo-Nazis, so his character studies tend more towards crackpots and self-promoters. And this *is* a pre-9/11 book. Still the character studies are interesting.
Audiobooks narrated by their own authors are a mixed bag, but Ronson’s pleading voice adds a lot to the funnier parts, like when he talks about trying to “tone down” his Jewishness.
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- Dubi
- 13-04-2016
The Lunatic Fringe
Around 20 years ago, gonzo journalist Jon Ronson embedded himself with a series of figures on the lunatic fringes of politics and society, including a young radio host specializing in extreme conspiracy theories by the name of Alex Jones. Ronson went in with Jones to expose Bohemian Grove, a forest retreat for the world's rich and powerful, where supposedly pagan rituals took place as the participants planned their means of world domination.
Cut to today, where Jones has become mainstreamed, helped elect a president, and came full circle by getting himself banned from social media platforms for his continued espousal of lunatic and fringe ideas, most notoriously saying that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged by actors. Fortunately, other figures Ronson wrote about in 2001 got nowhere near that far, like the self-proclaimed son of god claiming that the world was run by giant shape-shifting alien lizards.
What makes these stories work so well is the way Ronson inserts himself into the world of people who should be wary of him. He has a way of portraying himself as naive, and he has a way of seeming sympathetic enough to be trusted, even though some of the people he embeds with should hate him for being Jewish, like the would-be pre-September 11 jihadist, a klan leader, and the aforementioned lizard guy, the belief being that when he says lizards he really means, you guessed it.
Add to that Ronson's own narration of his work, which perfectly conveys the tone that wins the trust of his subjects. He is always engaging, often hilarious. His books really are a treat, even if some of it is, beneath the humorous tone, quite scary.
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- Anna
- 23-12-2012
Well-read, witty and weird
I really enjoyed this audiobook, so much that I got my boyfriend hooked even though he's never listened to an audiobook before. Ronson reads very well, and his reading really makes the whole thing much funnier. This is a light exploration of extremism - some of the stuff is weird, but some very eye-opening, and Ronson never patronises his subjects, however odd they are.
Highly recommended - best audiobook I've listened to this year.
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- Ant
- 15-12-2013
A fabulous book, engaging and thought provoking
Jon Ronson spends time with extremists and details his adventures trying to find the hidden rulers of the world.
What I found so enthralling about this book was Ronson's writing style, he creates trust by being very open with the reader about his emotional state and motives for his actions. He then describes his meetings with people by adding small details, which, at first, seem meaningless until you realise he's detailing the body language of the participants to give you a much fuller picture of the interaction. The words are recorded, but also the emotional state of the individuals involved.
I found this book to be very well paced, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading of it and then the digestion of the information in it over the following few weeks.
This isn't simply a book about extremist views, it's about how the world works and how it is seen to work by different groups of people based on their biases. This in turn makes you confront your own internal biases and there effect on your perception of the world about you.
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- Jim Vaughan
- 11-02-2013
A Scary Ride to where "We" Become "Them"!
You have to admire Jon Ronson for his courage in mixing with Islamist extremists, the Klu Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists and... David Ike. What's even more astounding is he is Jewish!
Jon's guileless narration draws the listener in, so I became convinced "either he's lying, or the victim of an elaborate hoax - or there really IS a conspiracy of powerful elite -called the "Bildeberg group", who meet up in secret to rule the World". Moreover, it seemed that the only good guys fighting this evil conspiracy most of us have been brainwashed by the media into dismissing as "extremists".
Moreover, many of the people he meets are quite companionable, from the jocular Islamist Jihadist, to the self-effacing Grand Master of the Klu Klux Klan, who has banned the use of the "N" word.
This is a very entertaining book, with a serious message. Who is evil is in the eye of the beholder. This is a journey into a mirror image world of paranoia, conspiracy and suspicion that everything we think we know is wrong, and all our treasured beliefs are only what we are brainwashed from birth into thinking. It's a scary ride to the other side - where "We" might really be "Them".
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- jamo
- 04-10-2012
Good fun
I enjoyed the book. jonson is a good narrator. Its interesting and the subjects are well chosen. my only issue with it is that the sections are very clear and there is no real story arc. it comes accross as a collection of shorter pieces that all go together. This is fine and works but personally I like things to link up more. Well worth a go if your interested in the subject. I always like ronsons stuff
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- J. Casey
- 17-02-2015
Brilliant, bizarre & true
I love Jon Ronson & this is a clever and well researched. The narration is great -Jon is never mocking of his sometimes bizarre subjects
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- Boggy of Bucks
- 03-01-2013
Enjoyable
Jon Ronson's voice and manner of speech suits his work far better than other narrators. I loved this book.
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-08-2015
Great read
Jon ronson takes a look at different kinds of extremism. It is interesting to see what they have in common. Funny and entertaining!
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- Miss E J Bertenshaw
- 24-07-2015
Fascinating
Jon is such a lovely bloke and it's a pleasure to hear his tales and how he dealt with people with very different values and beliefs.
Some bits were more gripping than others.
Worth a go
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- Liz
- 23-12-2012
Fascinating
Jon Ronson is great at giving a real sense of sanity to these tales. Highly recommended.
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- Kaggy
- 10-04-2016
We fear 'Them' but who are they?
This is another hugely enjoyable investigation by Jon Ronson into the world of bizarre cults and very odd people. As usual I listened to this with one eye on my computer so I could Google some of the names mentioned. As ever all the information imparted by Jon proved to be true despite some really incredible elements. Jon's dry wit pervades this audiobook (which benefits greatly by his reading) and in particular I relished the startling exchanges with Ian Paisley and Denis Healey. The extremists comprise the usual suspects, extreme far right white supremacists, religious fanatics etc. but there is also some unexpected compassion for the people who are not necessarily bad but just generally unlucky in life or simply deluded. The finale of the book is quite spectacular and the bizarre Cremation of Care ceremony is very disturbing. This is an entertaining and informative book about a mad world and the people who are trying to make sense of it all. The very best of good luck with that one….
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