Them [Paperback]

Jon Ronson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2002

Them: Adventures with Extremists is a romp into the heart of darkness involving twelve-foot lizard-men, PR-conscious Ku Klux Klansmen, Ian Paisley, Hollywood limousines, the legend of Ruby Ridge, Noam Chomsky, a harem of kidnapped sex slaves, David Icke, and Nicolae Ceausescu's shoes. While Jon Ronson attemps to locate the secret room, he is chased by men in dark glasses, unmasked as a Jew in the middle of a Jihad training camp, and witnesses CEOs and leading politicians undertake a bizarre pagan owl ritual in the forests of Northern California. He also learns some alarming things about the looking-glass world of them and us. Are the extremists right? Or has he become one of Them? This is a fascinating investigation into extremists of every stripe. 'A funny and compulsively readable picaresque adventure through a paranoid shadow world' Louis Theroux, Guardian 'Very entertaining and very frightening' Q magazine

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A funny and compulsively readable picaresque adventure through a paranoid shadow world' Louis Theroux, Guardian; 'Very entertaining and very frightening' Q magazine

About the Author

Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of three bestsellers: Them: Adventures with Extremists, The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test, and two collections, Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness and What I Do: More True Tales. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Picador (February 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330375466
• ISBN-13: 978-0330375467
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #770,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous investigation into conspiracy theory central, January 9, 2004

By 

Frikle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Them (Paperback)

This is a book written by a journalist about his humorous interviews with extremists, and the penetration of terrorist organisations. The point he gets across is that much of the extremist-hysteria is just that, and he does this by telling stories of the KKK knight who forbids his followers to use "the n word" so as not to tarnish their image and the Islamic terrorist in London who hands out pamphlets preaching jihad and gets people to take them by saying they're about sex.

Besides these scattered stories, there's an overall theme of thee author's attempts to unmask a greater conspiracy - one of a club to which belong most of the world's major leaders and businessmen. In the finale where he stumbles onto a ceremony...--read the book!

He seems to be serious and I don't know how much of this is true, especially the grand conspiracy. But it's very thought provoking. If you're not the type of person who would take him literally and think all extremists are this funny/stupid/harmless and that the fascist state is just spewing propaganda to have a scapegoat (a nice conspiracy in itself!) - then you'll really enjoy this book. If you are that types of person then no book can help you!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wry Look at Society, June 4, 2011

By 

BobK (Spokane, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Them (Kindle Edition)

I became a Jon Ronson fan with The Men Who Stare at Goats, more so when he wrote The Psychopath Test, and with THEM --a loyal fan dying for the next book he writes. THEM takes us on a journey through the outskirts of our society where the separatists, militias, and Ku Klux Klan members exist and thrive. He introduces us to sides of noteworthy people we only hear about, and sets out on a mission to find the secret Bilderberg Group who secretly controls everything in the world.

The book is jam packed with facts and stories that will inform you, make you wonder, and will make you laugh hard enough to choke. Ronson's delivery is remarkably the-guy-next-door and he speaks with you as to take you into his confidence where he reveals his real thoughts, hilarious as they are. This book is a good and very fast read, and one you will feel a bit of sadness for as it ends; readers want the entertainment to continue! This is the sort of man you could sit and speak with for hours and never find a boring moment if his books are any indication. Buy this book! (And read it!)

Jon Ronson's Amazon page is amazon.com/Jon-Ronson/e/B001H6KH4U/ref=sr_tc_img_2?qid=1307218796&sr=1-2-ent

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will believe..., June 9, 2011

By 

Matthew D. Cates "Matt Cates" (Iraq) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Them (Kindle Edition)

Ronson has iron balls!! The Borat of serious journalism and heir to the throne of Hunter S. Thompson. You do not have to be a conspiracist to enjoy this work... Ronson isn't one himself. He just followed the bizarre trail of crumbs left by all the nuts he interviewed...and learned they were not so crazy after all.