Them: Adventures with Extremists
by Jon Ronson
List Price:
Our Price: $4.40
You Save: $10.60 (71%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.24 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Jon RonsonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-12-31
ISBN: 0743233212
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of Them: Adventures with Extremists
Book Review: A Unique Look at Extremists
Summary: 4 Stars
Them by Jon Ronson is a rare bird: a humorous book about extremists that focuses on the extremists as human beings rather than focusing on their often-bizarre beliefs.
In Them, Ronson adopts the "New Journalism" approach of Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, and Gay Talese; that is, Ronson recounts his personal experiences and records his subjective impressions of the people he is writing about. I think that this approach is very successful. I have read a few books about those on the political fringe; almost all of the books focus on the extremists' views. Ronson's focus on the extremists as people provides a fresh perspective.
One must give Ronson credit for going out and meeting these people. Many of them are not appealing, but Ronson approaches the story with a nonjudgmental, open mind. This must have been a particularly difficult assignment for Ronson; he is Jewish and many of the extremists he deals with are virulent anti-Semites. In fact, many of these people have, arguably, dedicated their lives to anti-Semitism.
Ronson's narrative is lively and he does not allow it to bog down and become tiresome. Readers will learn a bit about the mysterious Bilderberg Group and the strange ceremonies at Bohemian Grove in northern California. Them also helps show why extremist views can be attractive; for instance, Ronson explains how the U.S. Government's involvement in the violent confrontation at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, helped turned some seemingly-ordinary people into anti-government zealots.
Some readers will not like the fact that Ronson largely leaves it to them to draw their own conclusions; he acknowledges that it is often difficult to discern whether those on the fringes are dangerous or just unconventional thinkers. For instance, Ronson spends much time trying to find out whether Englishman David Icke is an anti-Semite using code words to cover up his true views; in the end, Ronson concludes that it is difficult to understand Icke's true views - as well as the views of many of the people he profiles.
I definitely recommend Them to readers interested in political extremism. It is an entertaining, humorous, thought-provoking book.
Politics Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Politics Books
Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journeyby Fergal Keane
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1997-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.44
Price in other shops:
The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yewby Kuan Yew Lee, Lee Kuan-Yeu, Lee Kuan Yew
Prentice Hall College Div; Published: 1999-06-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $115.00
The Political Science Student Writer's Manual (4th Edition)by Gregory M. Scott, Stephen M. Garrison
Prentice Hall; Published: 2001-05-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.25
Price in other shops:
Troublesby Tim Pat Coogan
ARROW (RAND); Published: 1996-11-21; Paperback; Book
My Silent Warby Kim Philby
Arrow Books; Published: 2003-11-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $37.92
The American City : What Works, What Doesn'tby Alexander Garvin
McGraw-Hill Professional; Published: 2002-06-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $28.99
Price in other shops:
At the Center of the Storm CDby George Tenet
HarperAudio; Published: 2007-05-22; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $1.40
Price in other shops:
Game Change CDby John Heilemann, Mark Halperin
HarperAudio; Published: 2010-02-23; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.96
Price in other shops:
Catastropheby Dick Morris, Eileen McGann
Harper; Published: 2009-06-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Gameby Christopher Matthews
Harpercollins; Published: 1989-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Call of the Weird: Encounters with Survivalists, Porn Stars, Alien Killers, and Ike Turnerby Louis Theroux
Da Capo Press; Published: 2008-05-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.06
Price in other shops:
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Workby Paul Babiak, Robert D. Hare
HarperBusiness; Published: 2007-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.96
Price in other shops:
Political Conspiracies in America: A ReaderIndiana University Press; Published: 2008-03-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.81
Price in other shops:
The 1838 Mormon War in Missouriby Stephen C. LeSueur
University of Missouri; Published: 1987-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.12
Price in other shops:
Debunking 9/ 11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Factsby The Editors of Popular Mechanics
Hearst; Published: 2006-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.33
Price in other shops:
A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society)by Michael Barkun
University of California Press; Published: 2006-05-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.70
Price in other shops:
Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Crazinessby Jon Ronson
Picador; Published: 2006-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.00
The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Crueltyby Simon Baron-Cohen
Basic Books; Published: 2011-05-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.92
Price in other shops:
The Men Who Stare at Goatsby Jon Ronson
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2009-10-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industryby Jon Ronson
Riverhead Hardcover; Published: 2011-05-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops: