Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries

By: Jon Ronson

Narrated by: Jon Ronson

Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Jon Ronson is fascinated by madness, extraordinary behaviour and the human mind. He has spent his life investigating crazy events, following fascinating people and unearthing unusual stories. Collected here from various sources (including The Guardian and GQ America) are the best of his adventures. Always intrigued by our ability to believe the unbelievable, Jon meets the man preparing to welcome the aliens to Earth, the woman trying to build a fully conscious robotic replica of the love of her life and the Deal or No Deal contestants with a foolproof system to beat the Banker.

Jon realizes that it's possible for our madness to be a force for good when he meets America's real-life superheroes or a force for evil when he meets the Reverend 'Death' George Exoo, who has dubiously assisted in more than a hundred mercy killings. He goes to a UFO convention in the Nevada desert with Robbie Williams, asks Insane Clown Posse (who are possibly America's nastiest rappers) whether it's true they've actually been evangelical Christians all along and rummages through the extensive archives of Stanley Kubrick. Frequently hilarious, sometimes disturbing, always entertaining, these compelling encounters with people on the edge of madness will have you wondering just what we're capable of.

This is an updated edition with new afterword, written and narrated by Jon Ronson.

©2012 Jon Ronson (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Intriguing collection!

If you could sum up Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries in three words, what would they be?

bizarre, witty, and thought provoking.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Each story takes on its own tone and reveals something altogether familiar and yet exposes the crazier/weirder side of our world.

Which scene was your favorite?

I think one of my favorite chapters was when Ron Jonson took on the role of bond in a road trip. It was pretty hilarious and interesting.

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

I did want to listen, but do to the nature of the book having different stories in different chapters it was easy to pause in-between the chapters.

These stories kept my attention

An engaging series of magazine type, personal interest articles. The stories were well written. The narration was top notch.

Very few mysteries

Essentially a collection of his journals, mildly interesting, sometimes funny, but not engaging. No mystery except perhaps the lost at sea story. Narration leaves something to be desired - one would not say it's his own work. I enjoyed it but bought it for the mystery, disappointed in that respect.

wonder, fun, insightful

Loved it. hard to put down. Ronson's dry wit and empathy make every story engaging, funny, and often touching.

Jon Ronson

Always fun to listen to a Jon Ronson book - especially when he reads! Really enjoyed this collection of essays.

Super

Another excellent composition, supremely honest and compassionate. Each person's story is larger than life yet mundane.

Love Jon Ronson''s Work

Jon Ronson always entertains and enlightens. At times I've laughed out loud; at times I've gotten teary. I've read several of his books and hope Audible gets more of his work

Pop Anthropology

A collection of Jon Ronson articles, read by Ronson, primarily concerned with what motivates people to do, um, unusual things. There are religious and health cults here, the cults of personality and celebrity, the occult (faux psychics and UFOs), predatory lenders and predatory sex, and all sorts of fringe behavior.

Ronson's M.O. is simple. He is a straightforward interviewer who knows how to get to the point while always making the interviewee feel like he's on their side. He's not about researching every angle or understanding everyone's side of the story. He is singularly focused on understanding his subject and their motivation. This can make him seem overly sympathetic to some bad people, but it's just his way of getting them to open up to him.

There are some clunkers here, but most are at least good and many are in fact stunning. My favorite is the chapter on Insane Clown Posse -- I could almost feel Ronson's jaw dropping along with mine. Also the Who Wants to be a Millionaire cheat, Stanley Kubrick's hoarding, and the school shooting conspiracy in North Pole, Alska, where it's Christmas all year round. It helps of course that Ronson's is reading his own material, even with his quirky delivery.

Quirky Stories - Unassuming Delivery

This book started out very strange but light hearted, which I soon learned is Jon Ronson's specialty. Based upon the book's cover graphic (yes -shallow but true), I expected a pompous & aggressive style, but was surprised by how unassuming Ron is. He seems to be a person who has a simple unthreatening way to investigate our human frailties and which seems to win people over. I had to stay with it for 2 or 3 stories before I started to pick up on Ron's unique outlook on the world. He tries to be objective in a true journalistic way. You learn that he is a well known reporter in England, but I do not think he ever says it himself. As a north american, many British characters are lost on me, but the personal stories are still intriguing and there is enough US content to keep my interest.Overall, I enjoyed his personality and see why he has become successful. I look forward to more stories.

Hilarious *and* empathetic

A fun listen. Jon Ronson found peculiar stories and told them without scorn... even though there are some real crazies in here! Each is funny and insightful, but I especially enjoyed the chapter on Insane Clown Posse.

I'd recommend to anyone who wants to hear outrageous stories told honestly and with a fair amount of wit.