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The Men Who Stare at Goats
 
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The Men Who Stare at Goats (Hardcover)

by Jon Ronson (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
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The Men Who Stare at Goats + Them: Adventures with Extremists + Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Picador; illustrated edition edition (5 Nov 2004)
  • ISBN-10: 0330375474
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330375474
  • Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 147,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known accepted military practice - and indeed, the laws of physics - they believed that a soldier could adopt the cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them. Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror. Ronson's highly acclaimed bestseller, THEM: ADVENTURES WITH EXTREMISTS, examined the paranoia at the fringes of Bill Clinton's America. THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS reveals extraordinary - and very nutty - national secrets at the core of George W Bush's War on Terror. With first-hand access to the leading players in the story, Ronson traces the evolution of these bizarre activities over the past three decades, and sees how it is alive today within US Homeland Security and post-war Iraq. Why are they blasting Iraqi prisoners-of-war with the theme tune to Barney the Purple Dinosaur? Why have 100 de-bleated goats been secretly placed inside the Special Forces command centre at Fort Bragg, North Carolina? How was the US Military associated with the mysterious mass-suicide of a strange cult from San Diego? THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS answers these, and many more, questions.


About the Author

Jon Ronson is a writer and television presenter. His column in the Guardian, 'The Human Zoo', ran successfully for many years. He has written and presented a number of television documentaries on subjects ranging from the Rev. Ian Paisley to the Ku Klux Klan to - the biters bit - TV critics. His first book, Them: Adventures With Extremists, which describes his encounters with some of the world's craziest megalomaniacs and conspiracy theorists, was published by Picador in 2001. It received highly laudatory reviews, and spent seven weeks in the top ten of the Bookwatch/Sunday Times bestseller list.

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Beware the Goats, 15 Aug 2005
By Ian David Curry "Legal Eagle" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Jon Ronson is probably better suited to the medium of text than the airwaves. His previous book, Them, was both a successful and interesting book, and an interesting TV programme. The only problem being that as a presenter Ronson is just not as funny or masterly as he appears in print.

This is his second outing in the world of the bizarre and deluded. Whereas 'Them' dealt with the world of extremists, from the militia men, ku klux klan of the USA to our homebread extremists, Men Who Stare At Goats deals with the US army's willingness to use all methods to secure victory in the cold war. All methods.

This extends to the training of the psycorp - a group of men being specially selected and trained to be able to walk through walls, stop the heartbeats of animals by a glance and become invisable (the title refers to the experiments carried out by these men on goats - I would like to say no animals were harmed in the making of the book, but you will have to read it to find out)

All of the wealth of information that Ronson provides is delivered in a trademark jaunty and incredulous style, which mixes healthy sceptisism with a willingness to believe the incredible. It makes for a very refreshing read in an area of science that is too often the reserve of those even more paranoid and crazy than the members of the psycorp.

The only criticism I have is that Ronson narrowed the field of inquiry so much that the book begins to drag. It becomes obvious that the US Army did little more than flirt with these ideas, and that they remain in the realm of fringe belief. He does hold out the hope that a pinch of the mind techniques are real. Whereas 'Them' was kept flowing by flirting with such different extreme groups, Men Who Stare At Goats is a touch too limited to maintain interest throughout.

If you enjoy Ronson's work, from his newspaper column to 'Them', or enjoy the style of comic writing that is also used by Bill Bryson amongst others, this will be a very enjoyable read. Just don't forget not to stare at any pets in the vicinity.

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Men Who Stare At Goats, 28 Nov 2005
This is the kind of book that contians information that most readers will find hard to accept. I am familiar with many of the subjects covered within, but even so it contained a lot of amazing ideas and discoveries that fascinated me. It was a professional, dedicated, serious look at secret government explorations into the world of the supernatural. In this way it could not be more different from Ronson's previous book "Them" which was nothing much more than a humourous micky-take (affectionate rather than aggressive). It's nice to see so-called "conspiracy theories" dealt with seriously for a change.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Dont stare too long, 8 Dec 2004
By J. Robinson "jr41990" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Right, first off, not the best written book, a bit dry but Jon's sense of irony brings a smile here and there. But the factual information alone is worth reading. Amazing. Could it be true? Well, it was a good supplement to the "Crazy Rulers of the World" and makes you think. Then you could get angry as you realize that, if it is true, then truely, the lunatics are indeed running the asylum!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read
I like the way this is written - a great deal of time/dedication/effort has clearly gone into putting it together and that alone justifies the read. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Fidelina

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read but not a deep political classic
British journalist Jon Ronson attempts to delve deep into what happened when senior people in United States military and intelligence embraced a whole lot of New Age rubbish. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Mr. Tristan Martin

1.0 out of 5 stars ...according to a guy in a bar who told me to look for this ex-General he knows from 'Nam
I bought and read this book quite some time ago (about mid-2006) and it says a lot about George Clooneys political views that he is starring in a movie based on it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Keogh

5.0 out of 5 stars staring at goats ....
a most excellent and entertaining read ..... and proof of the adage that truth is stranger than fiction .....
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. I. Commins

2.0 out of 5 stars No suspenders for your disbelief
I picked this book up in an airport bookshop, intrigued by it's cover tagline of "This story is about what happened when a small group of men - highly placed within the United... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dr. James Austin

3.0 out of 5 stars Crazy belief systems at the heart of government
This is written as a documentary exploration of some truly bizarre forms of research into alternative forms of killing, torture and manipulation by various governments, mainly US... Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Holland

5.0 out of 5 stars the goat broke loose
Extremely well written book; Ronson is really too clever and insightful to be a journalist. Ronson's accounts of the characters are very perceptive, he really has no problem... Read more
Published 4 months ago by David Francis Mccarthy

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy read about worrysome topic
I found the book a quick easy read, a little too easy! It was quite amusing and jokey, but the the subject was disturbing, especially when Guantanamo Bay was discussed. Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. McNally

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as Good as "Them" but Worth the Money
This book is without doubt worth the money, if only to gain an insight into how the Cold War mentality worked and how it influenced later thinking on warfare... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jon D

3.0 out of 5 stars Weirdness in fatigues
An enjoyably light read that doesn't try to over-claim for what is quite a slight piece of investigative journalism. Read more
Published 19 months ago by M. G. Wilson

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