Rating: 
Summary: Where Is This 'New World Order' Thing, Anyway?
Review: As many extremists and fanatics believe there is a secret world government - a New World Order - behind whose doors the world's fate is connivingly controlled, it must actually exist somewhere - at some location, - right? Thus was Jon Ronson's impetus for writing what would become this book. He wanted to talk to extremists so as to find out - and find - where the New World Order they talked so ravenously about existed.
At the risk of spoiling the suprise for you, he didn't find it. But the resulting book is a revealing, shocking, and hillarious account of Ronson's attempt.
Ronson recounts his meetings with a muslim extremist of the UK, several white supremacists, David Icke (a former British sports commentator who now believes the world is controlled by descendants of extra-terrestrial lizards), and a Papist preacher in Africa.
What does this motley lot have in common? They all very sincerely believe in the New World Order and that they know where it is and who is behind it. The probem is that each of them seem to have a different take on who is in it and where it is. A few of the more riveting chapters are to do with Ronson's accompaniment of an 'underground journalist' named Big Jim Tucker, who is planning on infiltrating this world government - the Bilderberg group - at their next meeting in a posh hotel.
I'm not sure I wiil be giving anything away when I tell you that Ronson ends as he began - with not a single sighting of the secret world government that everyone talks about but can't offer proof of. But his journey not only makes for a comical and exciting read, but an educating one as well. Rare is the person that an infiltrate and offer up a close up view of those we call 'extremists.' And rare is the person who, like Ronson, can show us in equal parts their fanaticism and their humanness (and how the two might be connected).
An excellent read from start to finish.
Rating: 
Summary: SAD.
Review: HOW DARE YOU GUYS INSULT DAVID ICKE.YOU ARE HELPING MANIPULATE THIS ASTONISHING AGENDER WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT.FIRST OF ALL YOUR MISQUOTING DAVE ON EVERYTHING,ITS REALLY TERRIFYING THAT PEOPLE HAVE SOOO GIVEN THEIR MINDS AWAY.THE FACT IS,HEAPS OF PEOPLE KNOW/KNEW OF WHATS REALLY GOING DOWN ON THIS PLANET.HERES A QUICK LIST OF SOME OTHER "EXTREMISTS":STEWART SWERDLOW,BRANTON,FRITZ SPRINGMEIER,COMMANDER X,JIM MARRS,PRESTON NICHOLS,PETER MOON ETC. NOW I DONT LIKE TO BRAG BUT THESE DUDES ARE A HELL OF A LOT SMARTER THAN UNCLE RONSON.
NEED A SOURCE WITH LETTERS AFTER HIS NAME? OKYDOKY, HERES A COUPLE: COURTNEY BROWN PH.D,DAVID M. JACOBS PH.D
NOW LISTEN UP...ALL THOSE ABOVE NAMES HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT THE REPTILIANS/SERPENT PEOPLE/CHITAURI ETC.PLEASE GET INVOLVED IN THIS AND OPEN UP TO THE AMAZING TRUTH.ITS ALL FACTS TO A CERTAIN POINT MY FRIENDS.NEED PROOF?GOT IT!
CUT THE COMEDY JON AND WAKE UP MATE.
YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT DAVID ICKE IS THE FIRST ONE TO ADMIT HOW BIZZARE THIS ALL IS.THE TRUTH IS WE ARE WAY BEYOND THE REPTILIAN DRAMA,SURE ITS AMAZING BUT PLEASE READ SOME DAVEY ICKE TO SEE HOW SWITCHED ON THE GUY IS,HE IS JUST LIKE YOU OR I. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT READING YOUR REVIEWS MERELY CONFIRMS WHAT DAVE AND OTHERS HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
"CONDEMNATION WITHOUT INVESTIGATION IS THE HEIGHT OF IGNORENCE." ALBERT EINSTEIN.
Rating:
Summary: surprisingly entertaining
Review: I expected this book to be informative, and it was. I didn't expect it to be written so lucidly, clearly, and rationally. The author is surprisingly nonjudgmental in his portraits of people who have been labeled extremists. While the author never sugar-coats the often despicable beliefs of his subjects, he manages to humanize them and to explain their idiocyncratic lives. Some revelations shocked me, many saddened me, and all of them made me want to tag along on Mr. Ronson's next outing.
Rating: 
Summary: Scary people are funny
Review: If I had told you on September 10, 2001 that a guy in the middle east thought that revenge for the Crusades was a justifiable reason to kill 3,000 people in New York you would probably shake your head and chuckle. It's that kind of wry sensibility that permeates Jon Ronson's excellent Them: Adventures with Extremists. Ronson is a British journalist who has taken up the task of immersing himself inside groups of extremists, people who believe that the world is under the control of faceless men who seek to destroy them and their way of life. He opens with an Islamist living in England who seeks to turn Britannia into a muslim state, and rails against the sexually charged pictures on pantyhose packaging - declaring that when England is a Muslim state pantyhose will still be sold but without the pictures. It will simply say "pantyhose". That sort of wry, British humor permeates the book as Ronson makes you almost sympathetic to the distorted world view of his subjects. You wince as he talks to the Klansman who is trying hard to convince his followers to stop using racial epithets so they can be portrayed as "kinder and gentler". There is also an interesting sub-story going on as Ronson discovers that Jews are the central points of these myriad conspiracies and while he is also Jewish he begins to wonder if groups like the Anti-Defamation League really exists as a front for this multinational "one world" group. He looks within himself to find out whether he has unwittingly joined into the conspiracy. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read and is a great read, made a little bittersweet now that we know how extremists can leap from quirky sideshows to truly dangerous men.
Rating:
Summary: Are THEY really as extreme as you think?
Review: Jon Ronson spent a couple years looking for, interviewing and hanging out with people who are viewed by the mainstream as "wackos" or extremists. This book is the result of those years and it is one of the most entertaining and informative books I've read in years. The subject of the first chapter is Omar Bakri Mohammed, the so-called leader or Islamic Fundamentalists in Britain. After reading the chapter though, you get the feeling that Omar is all talk. He uses Jon for rides and makes him pay for things because he is broke and does not own a car. Conversations between Jon and Omar also prove that Omar isn't nearly as bad as he wants to be. Later chapters cover Ruby Ridge, the David Koresh incident in Waco, David Icke vs. the ADL and people who believe that a small group of men rule the world (Bilderberg Group.) Through every chapter, Jon manages to fit in and is able to interview his subjects in a very relaxed manner, thereby allowing them to speak freely with him. -- The Klu Klux Klan leader who won't allow his Klansmen to use the "N" word. -- David Icke, who believes that we are descendents of 12 foot tall aliens who now control us through select leaders. -- A writer for a conspiracy magazine who thinks everyone is following them or hiding something from them. -- Rachel Weaver, daughter of Randy Weaver (Ruby Ridge), who in great detail tells Jon the story from her point of view. (A sad story, no matter what side you may take) There are so chapters that don't quite fit in with the rest, but they are interesting anyway. In between laughs, you'll be discover that most extremists are not that different from me or you, they just took it further.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes creepy, mostly silly
Review: Jon's account of visiting with extremists of various sorts is engaging in the sense that he makes you wish you had the time to do what he did in writing the book. His style is glib and easy to read, which keeps the book flowing along. While the book seems to be written for humor, Jon also manages to make the folks he meet seem less scary because of how silly they all are. In a strangely comforting way, you find that many bullies really are cowards - and that's not a bad thing. Overall, a fun, easy read.
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: Ronson, a British journalist and documentary filmmaker, has written a book that is hilarious and entertaining. It's a sympathetic yet critical portrait of extremists ranging from crackpots like David Icke to Dr. Ian Paisley and Randy Weaver. He spends time with the Ku Klux Klan, the ADL, "bin Laden's man in London" Omar Bakri Mohammed, and lets them speak for themselves. What they all seem to have in common (except Weaver, who seems to have largely abandoned his conspiratorial views) is the belief that the world is run by a secret cabal that meets in a secret room. Ronson takes their claims seriously, and tries to track down this cabal--and succeeds in infiltrating the Bohemian Grove accompanied by right-wing nutter Alex Jones (comparing Ronson's account to Jones' is quite hilarious), as well as scoring an interview with one of the founders of the Bilderberg Group and getting an account of what goes on at their meetings. This book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, entertaining, and informative.
Review: Ronson, a British journalist and documentary filmmaker, has written a book that is hilarious and entertaining. It's a sympathetic yet critical portrait of extremists ranging from crackpots like David Icke to Dr. Ian Paisley and Randy Weaver. He spends time with the Ku Klux Klan, the ADL, "bin Laden's man in London" Omar Bakri Mohammed, and lets them speak for themselves. What they all seem to have in common (except Weaver, who seems to have largely abandoned his conspiratorial views) is the belief that the world is run by a secret cabal that meets in a secret room. Ronson takes their claims seriously, and tries to track down this cabal--and succeeds in infiltrating the Bohemian Grove accompanied by right-wing nutter Alex Jones (comparing Ronson's account to Jones' is quite hilarious), as well as scoring an interview with one of the founders of the Bilderberg Group and getting an account of what goes on at their meetings. This book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An Expose' on the Polarization of Thought
Review: This is a book that makes me wish I could give 'half stars'. Because it really is a three and a half star book. Oh well. As to the text itself, I found the style to be enjoyable to read, very dialogue centered, with lots of wry construction. The content of the book is an interesting journey into the world of those who think like nobody else. That the author is able to expose himself to such diametrically opposed viewpoints with such aplomb is a good life lesson for us all: would that we were all able to see beyond the rhetoric and see the 'others' as what they are: people. It is a little disarming to see that there are those who would give this book such low ratings (mainly due to blatant subscription to the worldview being exposed within the book), kind of lending credence to the idea that people believe what they want, regardless of any evidence. If you're not convinced that a secret New World Order runs the world, be sure to pick this book up for a light, entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is a great book. The writing is smooth and the content is funny. It is Gonzo journalism of the Hunter S. Thompson type - a journalist inserts himself into the story and let's it ride. Ronson is a Jewish British chap who spent time with various "extremists" who believe that the world is being controlled by a secret group. Ronson hangs out with Big Jim Tucker of The Spotlight as the two try to infiltrate the Bilderburger group and then successfully infiltrates The Bohemian Grove with Alex Jones. For those who don't know what that it is, it is an annual party of some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the United States who gather to let it all hang out - they get drunk and sacrafice an animal. 5 years ago, Alan Greenspan arrived at the grove by stepping off a lear jet with Malcom Forbes. He was wearing a hat with the words capitalist tool on them. Ronson spends time with a KKK self-help guru who says it is time to stop using the N word, Omar Mohammed - the self-proclaimed "Bin Laden's man in Britian who unmasks Ronson as a Jew at a Jihad camp, Harold Ickes who claimes that lizards rule the world, and a man name Mr. Ru Ru. And there is a poignant chapter with Randy Weaver and his family from Ruby Ridge. Ronson lets all of these characters speek for themselves and they hilariously put their egos on display. A fun book. There is a reason why there are so many reviews of it here.
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