Them: Adventures with Extremists

By: Jon Ronson

Narrated by: Jon Ronson

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

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?

©2012 Jon Ronson (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"A funny, superbly controlled account of [Ronson’s] wanderings through the wonderland of fanaticism and delusion." (Brian Appleyard, New Statesman)

"This book is chilling and hilarious by turns. Ronson’s trademark laid-back attitude is a delight." ( Independent)

"A funny and compulsively readable picaresque adventure through a paranoid shadow world." (Louis Theroux, Guardian)

"Ronson plays up to his charming buffoonery... But he is an acute social commentator. He is compelling." ( Times Literary Supplement)

X-treme education on extremists!

Where does Them: Adventures with Extremists rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

THEM ranks in the top 10 of all the audiobooks I have listened to.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

I couldn't believe what Jon was willing to do to get an inside look at extremists. Would YOU go to the Aryan Nation Compound in Idaho or the Ku Klux Klan headquarters in the South and meet with their leaders if you were Jewish? No. Nor would I. He has courage that borders on insanity!

Which character – as performed by Jon Ronson – was your favorite?

Best moment in the book, bar none, is Jon's description of Thom Robb, the Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and his failed rally. My husband and I were both listening to the book and we laughed so hard we had tears rolling down our cheeks.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I definitely wanted to keep going.

Any additional comments?

This quote from the Wikipedia article about THEM says it best: "Ronson documents his journeys through the world with extremist tour guides and “the result is a funny, superbly controlled account of his wanderings through the wonderland of fanaticism and delusion".

20+ years later and still good

Very interesting, informative and entertaining. Ronson does a great job of balanced journalism. Highly recommend

A Very Interesting Plunge into Extremism

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

First, this book is narrated by the author, always a plus. Jon Ronson found a way to attach himself to some very interesting types, mostly religious zealots and New World Order types. Some of the information is quite astonishing. The author has a way of bringing the human element to these idealogy-driven types. SInce all of this is essentially a ramble through interviews and tagging along, it has a very in-the-moment feel about it. I could not stop listening. The author's fun voice is contagious and his wry observations about himself and these strange people he seeks out are compelling listening.

What other book might you compare Them: Adventures with Extremists to and why?

His genre is somewhat himself. In a weird way, he reminds me of Bill Bryson's first hand travels and stories about odd people.

Have you listened to any of Jon Ronson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. The Psychopath Test. They are very similar as the author tries to interview people on opposing sides of either mental health medical or religious zealotry. These books teach you quite a lot about archane topics.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Prophets are Phonies

Any additional comments?

Well worth the time and money. A very fun experience.

very entertaining and informative

I have friends that are true conspiracy theorists and it is not as entertaining as listening to this. I learned quite a bit.

a classic

This is a very even handed book of different "extreme ist " organisations. it is entertaining throughout and worth the purchase

Very interesting revelations. Gets muddied down

Basically the only message the book delivers is that it appears that there's one thing hate groups like white supremacists and ISIS have in common - they all believe there's a secret small group of people who run the entire world. That's a very interesting idea, and it could be a source of the problems we have with hate groups, especially in 2017.

But the rest of the book doesn't provide much else other than repeated reiterating of that one message. It gets a bit hard to follow at times with who the author is talking to simply because it keeps treading familiar territory. The last chapter offers some decent substance with the author's perspective on filming a Bilderberg meeting with Alex Jones.

The narration in the audiobook is a bit dry and monotone. Even when someone in the book laughs, the narrator just says "ha-ha" in an annoyingly dry way. The author doesn't have a very engaging voice, but it was just barely passable enough that I didn't need to stop listening.

Contains valuable information

Jon Ronson is, as always, delightful. His British humor is brought out in his reading of his book, so I always prefer to get his books on tape rather than in print, as so much is lost without his verbal delivery. As a gonzo journalist, he finds interesting stories and brings out their absurdity while conveying good information (if a little tweaked to emphasize the humor of the situation, even very dark humor). But Ronson's adventures with extremists really take a dark turn when you look at how out-there and extreme these people were when he wrote this, and how much more mainstream they've become since that time. It was Ronson who helped to give Alex Jones his first great exposure when they together infiltrated the Bohemian Grove. While Ronson merely exposes the ridiculousness of the rituals of those in power, Alex Jones ran with the story as a sensationalist exposure of alleged human sacrifice (it wasn't), which garnered him numerous crazy followers. Jones's popularity is not Ronson's fault, but Ronson's early relationship with Jones, as discussed here, gives the reader insight into Jones. Likewise Ronson's history of Ruby Ridge provides insight into some far-right extremism in the US. He debunks a lot of their paranoid rantings, too. He likewise provides insight into other extremist movements around the globe.

Still relevant in 2020

Jon Ronson has the rare gift of being able to talk to people of all kinds with curiosity and respect. His personal vulnerability makes him extremely relatable and funny as hell. I think the audiobook read by Ronson himself is the ideal format for his unique voice.

Illuminating story of modern conspiracy

Jon Ronson, seems to have dedicated much of his life to understanding and exposing the perspective of the people and groups that most people don't or can't engage. This is a valuable story that helped me to understand how people can become engaged into conspiracy.

Ha ha, that's all I have to say, ha ha!

I felt quite paranoid to the end but it was refreshing to know I'm not entirely the most delusional person in the world. Hail the lizard people!