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Jon Ronson

The Men Who Stare at Goats Paperback – Illustrated, October 13, 2009

by Jon Ronson (Author)

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Now a major film, starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges, this New York Times bestseller is a disturbing and often hilarious look at the U.S. military's long flirtation with the paranormal—and the psy-op soldiers that are still fighting the battle.

Bizarre military history: In 1979, a crack commando unit was established by the most gifted minds within the U.S. Army. Defying all known laws of physics and accepted military practice, 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. They were the First Earth Battalion, entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries. And they really weren’t joking. What’s more, they’re back—and they’re fighting the War on Terror.

An uproarious exploration of American military paranoia: With investigations ranging from the mysterious “Goat Lab,” to Uri Geller’s covert psychic work with the CIA, to the increasingly bizarre role played by a succession of U.S. presidents, this might just be the funniest, most unsettling book you will ever read—if only because it is all true and is still happening today.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

October 13, 2009
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.7 x 8.44 inches
ISBN-10

1439181772
ISBN-13

978-1439181775
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A hilarious and unsettling book.... Ronson comes off as an unusual cross between Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and "The New Yorker's" Seymour Hersh."

-- "The Boston Globe"

"Ronson sets his book up beautifully. It moves with wry precise agility from crackpot to crackpot in its search for the essence of this early New Age creativity.... "

-- Janet Maslin, "The New York Times"

About the Author

Jon Ronson is a documentary filmmaker and the author of Them: Adventures with Extremists. He lives in London.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Media Tie-In edition (October 13, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1439181772
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439181775
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.44 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,588 in Self-Help & Psychology Humor
- #1,987 in Political Intelligence
- #2,243 in Military Strategy History (Books)

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Jon Ronson

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Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of many bestselling books, including Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie, Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries, The Psychopath Test, The Men Who Stare at Goats and Them: Adventures with Extremists. His first fictional screenplay, Frank, co-written with Peter Straughan, starred Michael Fassbender. He lives in London and New York City.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

1,799 global ratings

5 star		54%
4 star		22%
3 star		16%
2 star		5%
1 star		3%

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Bill Weaver

What is a sensible chap to make of it all?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 19, 2022

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Disinformation (‘psyops’ as they mostly call it here) has always been and continues to remain the flip side of conspiracy theory. If you read other books about disinformation or ‘counterintelligence’ they will point out that to really ‘sell’ it you must include some elements of the truth alongside the false information. This is really not too difficult just by the very nature of communication, which always involves a reduction in complexity. Right about the time I started to expect it Ronson gets around to considering MK Ultra. Even more than Abu Ghraib, which is often perceived (wrongly) as the province of bumpkins gone bad, MK Ultra is the domain of the classic villain, the mad scientist. This is now also become the classic tale told of ugly Americans, even perhaps, evil, ugly and stupid Americans. MK Ultra also feeds many ongoing conspiracy tales. I wonder what this was like to read when it was current. Why didn’t I read it back then? I was really into evil-ugly-and-stupid-American theory back then. I recall watching a little of that movie a few years after the book but they removed most of the torture and replaced it with George Clooney. Now I wonder, was the movie just a feel-good cover-up for Ronson’s depressing and ultimately shallow book? The bit about Eric Olson’s dad is sad I agree, and disturbing. I also think most books and movies about this leave out the intense context of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain, unless to mention it in context of how ‘bizarre’ those times were. The CIA’s Frank Wisner for example had watched dissidents loaded onto train cars by the Soviets. The Berlin Wall was a real thing of concrete, barbed wire and machine guns. The Korean War too was a ‘hot’ war, with many casualties. Nonetheless, even more depressing is that this tale of woe has been used as part of an effort (but not by Ronson) to resurrect the old Korean War disinformation campaign (‘allegation’) that the US tested biological weapons during that conflict, an old charge leveled by the Soviets and the Chi-coms. This is left out of Ronson’s book in the section about Olson and MK Ultra. I’m not sure why. Did no one at the time mention it? There is a German documentary about the Olson case that makes this connection circa 2002 and Eric Olson discusses it as part of his understanding of the case in the semi-documentary Wormwood. Why did Ronson avoid shining his flashlight into this rabbit hole? You can read about this conspiracy theory online if you like. People are still arguing about it but many sources operating without “assistance” from the Soviets or China seem convinced that this was a false accusation against the U.S. I believe some historians have debunked it based on a review of Soviet era documents (see “No U.S. biological warfare in Korean War, Soviet documents show”, CNN, March 11, 1999). However, some independent sources do appear to accept it as fact so perhaps it is either arguable, or else an example of a successful disinformation campaign (or ‘psyop’). For this reason alone it seems odd that Ronson left it out of his book, which is essentially a tale of ‘magic’, illusion, trickery, or if you read it a certain way, psychic powers. Perhaps it is because it made Eric Olson’s tale somehow too ‘political’ or perhaps, less plausible. We are in ‘lab leak’ vs ‘natural origins’ territory suddenly. The Chi-com disinformation campaign is still going strong. Now having left Afghanistan what is the result of all this American money and military might? Reading this book now it seems all the psychics money can buy could still not win a land war in Asia and it is obvious that an open society is more vulnerable to disinformation than a totalitarian one. I’ve read the Taliban may soon allow women and girls to attend school, so there’s that. Ronson’s book about goats and the men who stare at them is ultimately very shallow, I guess is what I’m saying. Even at the time it was written, I think it was shallow. It resulted in an even more shallow film starring the quintessential shallow soap opera hunk turned Hollywood megastar, aka Mr. Clooney. No question about it, Ronson writes like a rollercoaster. It is super intense and a wild ride but over in minutes. Now my complaints seem superficial as well. Ronson is so very reasonable and persuasive it is difficult to argue against this work without seeming like a stuffed shirt or a gibbering fool. Still I wish he had further explored the idea from Huxley’s ‘perennial philosophy’ that shared experiences during wartime can lead to enlightenment. The weepy eyed generals as Ronson tells it remind me of the ‘riddle of steel’ from Conan the Barbarian, who if you recall from the film cannot cry. In the Terminator 2 movie extended edition they spend a lot of time teaching the terminator what it means to cry. Like the new age warrior monks in here, I imagine Conan transported to our time to become a self-help guru living in a mansion in Hawaii, commanding top dollar at executive corporate retreats across the globe. What is good in life? A mansion in Hawaii. Suddenly I am reminded of Dennis Hopper’s character from Apocalypse Now. An interview with the self-help guru Col. Kurtz, retired in his Hawaiian hilltop bungalow - could Ronson nail it? Certainly he is no Danny Casolaro. I have absolute faith in Jon Ronson’s ability to avoid falling too far down any dark rabbit holes. Perhaps he is mostly writing this to comfort himself. As he says about one conversation, “it was a relief to believe Colonel Alexander because it made me feel sensible again.” (p. 202) Yes that quote is taken a bit out of context but you can see here how context is a powerful tool. I notice this book seems less neurotic than the other I read by him, the later one about psychopaths. Has success been difficult for Mr. Ronson? Perhaps as one of the survivors of the Waco siege claims, “‘the FBI were just . . . idiots, and it was just chaos out there.’” (p. 188) I am sensing some ominous overtones of chaos versus control matching some of our current events even to this day. What is a sensible chap to make of it all?

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Jerusalen

Physics 3333

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 20, 2015

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Men Who Stare at Goats
I chose a book that seemed interesting, so I would want to finish it and still learn something from it. The book is called I chose is The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson. The book is a good read and kept me at the edge of my seat, for I bought the audiobook rather than the hard copy and the narrator does an amazing job at reading the book for you. I had watched the film when it came out, but after reading the book I found out that it was completely different than the book. There were some parts I had to reread because it transitions badly on some chapters, but overall it was a good book.
This book starts off saying that it is a true story, but I don’t know if I believe that or not. This book is about how the journalist, Jon Ronson, stumbles on the information about how the military and physiological worlds unite. He meets a series of men who tell him, in exact detail, how there are military psychic spies and how they have developed powers to do, what seems to be, impossible things. Chapter one beings in 1983 with General Stubblebine imagining running through the wall but of course fails to do so. Stubblebine is the chief of the secret military spying units and after banning his nose against the wall he thinks he passing through objects, such as walls, could be useful in the future and that is how the men staring actual goats begins. Jon goes on a series of interviews to find the men who started the group of men who were training to become psychic soldiers. He flies around the world to find as much information as he can, to make the story begin. He interviews men such as Guy Savelli, martial arts teacher who claims to have the Death Touch and to be able to kill goats by staring them to death. He interviews General Albert Stubblebine, who apparently believes, that walking through walls and levitation are possible if one is in the right mindset. He also interviews a man who believes his brother, Frank Olson, was murdered over fears he would reveal it to the press. At last he finds Jim Channon a cornel in the United States army, who wrote the “First Earth Battalion”. Jim is the one who started training men to obtain psychic powers; the manual he wrote explains how to pacify with the enemy with indigenous music with subliminal messages, positive energy, or discordant sound. Goats are used in the military more and more, he says. The goats are de-bleated so they will make no sound. He explains how the goats got to the military base and what they are essentially used for, but he wants more and he goes on the journey to find out more for himself and experience and record all of this in his book.
The book in itself is really good and interesting. I found humor in it to be really dark and twisted, but funny nonetheless. Jon Ronson knows that there is both and amusing and serious side to his research, and he lets the readers know when he is trying to be funny and when it is time to get down to business. Ronson has a way of making the reader become engaged and fully interested with what he writes about. Although, I do not know if to believe that the story is true. Maybe Ronson was having a dream or a vision of some sort, which led him to believe that those things did happen or that he has a really good imagination. He could have just researched all the information and made up a few names to tie up with what his research said. He sounds really convincing and at times I feel like the United States as a government does have a lot of secrets and will not disclose them, but I believe they do not disclose them for the Americans security. Ronson depicts the United States military operation in a way that, I can assume, only men high up in the military would be able to. He says things that are in a way disturbing, such as the soldiers who are being tortured with the song with subliminal messages. I imagine the United Sates military would have to do anything and everything to defend and defeat the enemy, but is the United States military really capable of all the things Ronson writes about? I had always put myself in the mindset that and army was suppose to help even those who were trying to hurt them, but now I think that that is what the government made me believe. Ronson clearly has a problem with George W. Bush and is not afraid to make that known to his readers. He blames the War on Terror on the president and, I feel that, he wants him to admit what he did. He thinks all of the War on Terror is a hoax and that the United States military is corrupt. The de-bleated goats are kind of a symbol to me in this book. The goats represent the soldiers who cannot speak of their psychic powers because they have been manipulated to keep their mouths shut.
I recommend this book if you are looking for a great non-fiction book. Ronson is a really good author and makes you see the side of things that maybe we should be looking at too. He supports his arguments with evidence that seems legit. He goes on a bizarre journey to find answers to the questions many have, but only he was willing to find out the answers. He uses the humor to engage the reader and keeps the reader hooked for the entire book. I would not recommend this book if you believe that there is nothing wrong with the United Sates government or any other government for that matter. I would also not recommend this book if you do not like to hear bad things being spoken about the former president George W. Bush. Overall I give the book a 5 out of 5 stars.

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Top reviews from other countries

Nicholas Smith

Another great Jon Ronson book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 13, 2017

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I have been reading my way through the various Jon Ronson books and sadly this was the last of his main books available (I do have the volumes of his shorter articles to keep me going though). Thankfully, this was another very strong book that often defies belief and were it not for Jon's sceptical voice throughout, it would be tempting to refuse to accept what is said. Amazing stuff and a real insight into the crazy stuff that becomes accepted over time and the question I wondered was whether any of it actually worked or delivered any tangible benefits. Another must read book. Highly recommended.

8 people found this helpful

N. Clarke

Terrifying, and prescient

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 18, 2013

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Jon Ronson's treatise on psychic spying has been somewhat diluted by its fictional film version, which conflates and dilutes many of the characters and episodes that feature in his original book. What is common to both, however, is the sense of unworldliness that possessed the US Government after 9/11 and the sheer weirdness of the solutions that were sought in order to overcome that challenge. It's just a pity that Ronson, as a talented outsider, can't really construct a linear narrative exposing the darker spin-offs of this weird science; the first half of the book is compelling but the second half consists of conspiracy theories that are only loosely related to the US psychic warfare programme. It is not his fault; a lot of this stuff would be buried far beyond the reach of an ordinary journalist, and the military machine being what it is, the endless buffer of bureaucracy will ensure that the real story is buried for many more years.

Ronson's attempts to patch together an evolutionary history of the "First Earth Battalion" put him at loggerheads with some of the strangest and most egotistical characters that have ever graced the pages of military history: far from being tight-lipped about their "powers" they seem to be on a partial ego trip and delight in drip-feeding tit-bits to journalists. Feted by gun-lobbyists and conspiracy theorists alike, it is scarcely credible that a standing army could have given some of these crackpots the time of day. Yet, damaged by its experiences in Vietnam and crushed by its failure to achieve a decisive victory in the "war on terror", US military policy has taken a number of disturbing turns that are the real source of worry here, beyond the comic opera of spoon-bending parties, goat abuse, and telepathy. Thanks to Ronson's work future generations will look back on these events as the consequences of doctrinal failure, rather than a scientific attempt to evolve military strategy beyond its current limits, which have proven to be all too fallible.

6 people found this helpful

S N

Another Great Jon Ronson Production!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 23, 2020

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Awesome read. Funny and frightening. It's an easy read and I do enjoy Jon Ronson's books. It's definitely a recommended read. Packed well only packaging is not recyclable so that's one negative. The other negative is the book cover advertised is not the published version I received. I don't mind buying second hand but I would like the product to match the description which includes the image shown.

J. Sweetman

The Scary Thing is that it might be TRUE

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 10, 2014

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This book is a likeable romp through the world of secret services, conspiracies and military research with a psychic and psychological, if not occasionally psychotic, bias. It is well written and features a number of larger than life characters. As a reader you have to decide whether they are completely barmy, slightly deranged, the victims of bizarre experiments and whatever. The twist in the book is that quite a lot of the ideas have come home to roost in the war on terror which shows that inhumanity can take any number of interesting forms. I quite enjoyed it but wasn't convinced by a lot of the evidence.

One person found this helpful

Jay

I adore Jon Ronson!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 2, 2014

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I was introduced to him whilst travelling Asia, by an Aussie. Which is weird considering I'm British and he's effectively been sitting under my nose the entire time.

So first I downloaded The Psychopath Test and before I was halfway through had downloaded The Men Who Stare At Goats and Them: Adventures with Extremists.

I'm normally a novel fan, but straightaway he had me hooked. I adore his writing style and I think I may have a tiny crush on him. Especially after watching his videos about the group of students who stole his identity.

Please hurry up and write more Jon!

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