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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
HELL YEAH. A wild ride from start to finish. And as can always be expected from Ronson, beautifully and delightfully crafted. I am glad he’s still alive after all the shit he did and said in this book!
....do i believe in conspiracy theories now?!?!?!?! ahhhhhhhh
An interesting combination of traditional and new journalism. I was sometimes frustrated that Ronson seemed more willing to apply skepticism to mainstream narratives than to those of the extremists. Overall, though, I would say that the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts. That said, if one were going to read an excerpt from this book, I recommend chapter two, "Running Through Cornfields," about Ruby Ridge.
I think Jon Ronsen is incredibly talented and applaud his courage to plant himself in the middle of indisputable danger for the sake of a story.
And while I normally enjoy his skippidity-style, breaking his interviews/analyses, this book jumped around too quickly and I found myself wishing he’d dedicate more time to exploring one set of “Thems” than another.
I think the premise of this book is more important than ever and would advocate Ronsen do a second-edition write focused on the “Thems” in our current world.
And while I normally enjoy his skippidity-style, breaking his interviews/analyses, this book jumped around too quickly and I found myself wishing he’d dedicate more time to exploring one set of “Thems” than another.
I think the premise of this book is more important than ever and would advocate Ronsen do a second-edition write focused on the “Thems” in our current world.
I liked the stories - but I was hungry for more, maybe I was wanting to be shocked more
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Gonzo journalism? A new term to me but it's the approach Jon Ronson takes in this book. He contacted all types of extremist leaders- Muslim, Ku Klux Klan, an ultra-liberal movie director, a Northern Ireland loyalist and religious leader, and more. Then he just travels along with them. I learned about the Bilderberg Group's secretive meetings and Bohemian Grove in northern California. The chapter on Randy Weaver and Ruby Ridge was the most compelling in my opinion. Is the world run by a small shadowy group of prominent people? Are they actually alien lizards, or is that a code word for Jew? What's this about an owl ritual? I was amazed by what I learned from this book. It's a quick read, surprisingly humorous, and led me to google and learn more. I highly recommend it!
An interesting look inside some extremist groups, from the Klan to Al-Muhajiroun and even Ian Paisley.
Overall it was worth reading, but although I like Jon Ronson and his style of journalism, it frustrated me that he left so many racist and hateful things go unchallenged during his time with the people he documents in this book. I know his whole 'gonzo journalism' thing is to befriend them and, to some extent, join in, but it made for uncomfortable reading at times and I didn't feel I could give it four stars.
Overall it was worth reading, but although I like Jon Ronson and his style of journalism, it frustrated me that he left so many racist and hateful things go unchallenged during his time with the people he documents in this book. I know his whole 'gonzo journalism' thing is to befriend them and, to some extent, join in, but it made for uncomfortable reading at times and I didn't feel I could give it four stars.