• Them: Adventures with Extremists

  • By: Jon Ronson
  • Narrated by: Jon Ronson
  • Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (2,902 ratings)

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Them: Adventures with Extremists  By  cover art

Them: Adventures with Extremists

By: Jon Ronson
Narrated by: Jon Ronson
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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)

What listeners say about Them: Adventures with Extremists

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    4 out of 5 stars

A book for people who love podcasts

I found it utterly entertaining, and felt like listening to a friend rant for hours. I’ll admit not the greatest book ever, but it was massively entertaining(especially for nonfiction).

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Didn't Move Me

I finished this book, as I do most, but about halfway through it didn't keep my attention. It played while I did other things, listening only half-heartedly. I think I wanted to get into it, but it just didn't happen.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Jon Ronson does not disappoint.

Jon Ronson's perspective is both wildly entertaining and thought provoking. I love every one of his books but came back to this one because of current political events. The fringe is now in the White House, pretty scary.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

My second and last Jon Ronson-book

I listened to another book by Mr Ronson that I found quite interesting, but this one was a big letdown for several reasons and I decided to quit 2/3 in.
Too bad.

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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.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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What makes an extremist an extremist?

In true Ronson fashion, this book is immensely entertaining and deeply thought provoking. I listened to most of it in one day and was enthralled every step of the way.

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Fascinating us or them?

I thought this might be dated, but it isn't. It's relevant disturbing and at times very funny. Jon's reading is brilliant as always. As with so much of John writes, you can't help but asking yourself questions when reading. We thing we know the extremists, the "them" but maybe we are the "them".

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Boring

I was so bored listening to this. Had to force myself to finish this book.

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Sensational story telling

Great listen! As a follow up Jones Grove video is available for free on YouTube. Ron is alot of fun to listen to retell his stories. Can't recommend enough!

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    3 out of 5 stars

meh

I love Jon Ronson. His other books are so brilliant that they should be required reading in schools. But this one was so convoluted. Cool premise, but organized in a way that I did not follow.

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