Them: Adventures with Extremists

I couldn't put this book down! It is full of info that everyone must hear...about what is REALLY going on around us! And...after this read Ronson's other book "The Men Who Stare at Goats" it is even better!

As a confirmed bibliophile I buy on average 5 books a week (mainly second hand, mainly for reference purposes). I generally skim over the content before filing them for future reference. This is the only book that I have ever bought which I was hooked right into and compelled to read it from cover to cover. At every opportunity I was catching up with Ronson's latest escapade. Having enjoyed his t.v. series I didn't think that this book would add much to it. It not only adds to it but explains the background & context for much of want went on in Ronson's hilarious tv programmes. The difference with the book is that it is much more unsettling. We get a deeper clearer picture of "Them" and come to realise what a strange and somewhat disturbing place the world is. For this reason alone (apart from Ronson's excellent writing and sharp wit) this book is a must read - in particular for those with no inkling about conspiracy theories! Outstanding.

Camp-Jihad is but one of the destinations that Jon Ronson visits in his quest to see the world through the eyes of the agitated fringe -- to look at "our world" by moving into theirs, standing alongside "them while they glared back at us." And, exactly, who are they doing the glaring? There is Omar Bakri Mohammed, waging his own "holy war" against Britain, urging a fatwa on Rushdie, and releasing statements on behalf of Osama bin Laden; David Ickes, who may or may not be referring to Jews when he talks about lizards, but who clearly does attract anti-semitic followers; Thom Robb, trying to create his version of a "politically correct," 21st century Klan; Dr. Ian Paisley, screaming in Ronson's ears that "Germany is calling"; Mr. Ru Ru, disappointed at the quality of Ceausecu's goods on auction, but buying them anyway to make Romanians happy....; and so on. Each of the "families" Ronson visits are, like Tolstoy's unhappy families, weird for reasons unique to them, but all are connected by their fear, hatred and obsession with the coming "New World Order," represented by the "Bilderberg group," that select cluster of global elites allegedly conspiring to establish a world mega-state. Jon Ronson's guided tour of some of society's more eccentric sects makes for addictive reading. Them is, with the exception of a few parts (the interviews on Randy Weaver's death are especially disconcerting), a book as entertaining as it is informative. Read Them. Trust me, they're reading about you....

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.

It's rare to come across a book that's original, genuinely important - and very funny too. But Them, a series of interconnected essays by one of the UK's most important alternative journalists, is all these things, and it succeeds not merely because of its unexpected timeliness (Ronson's profile of Omar Bakhri Mohammed, Britain's very own Bin Laden, was actually written four years ago) but because the author, unlike other humorous journalists, gets out and does some first-hand investigation. In Bakhri's case, this extended to engaging in a (beautifully-observed) year long association with the extremist that saw Ronson - a self-proclaimed liberal Jew of no strong religious or political convictions - become the would-be revolutionary's unpaid chauffeur and make frequent visits to his home. The strikingly off-key relationship that developed between the two is tellingly portrayed in deftly-paced vignettes:'Next morning I sat in Omar's living room while Omar played with his baby daughter.'"What's your daughter's name?" I asked him.'"It is a difficult name for you to understand," said Omar.'"Does it have an English translation?" I asked.'"Yes," said Omar, "it translates into English as 'The Black Flag of Islam'."'"Really?" I said. "Your daughter's name is The Black Flag of Islam?"'"Yes," said Omar. '"Really?" I said.There was a small pause.'"You see," said Omar, "why our cultures can never integrate?"''Ronson, indeed, succeeds remarkably well in humanising the men (and they are, with only one exception, men) he writes about, and his book, though undoubtedly hilarious, is never played principally for laughs. Instead, its humour emerges from character and situation, and it is all the more effective for it.Ronson casts his net wide, visiting not only the US (setting for half the chapters in the book), but West Africa, Eastern Europe, Canada and Portugal too. His subjects include KKK leader Thom Robb, notorious new-age extremist David Icke (who believes that Queen Elizabeth is really a creature not dissimilar to one of the villains in 80s teleseries 'V' ), Gail Gans of New York's Anti Defamation League, and right-wing talk show host Alex Jones. Nor was his quest without danger - he finds himself tailed by sinister secret service men in the Algarve and - most spectacularly - unmasked as a Jew in the middle of a Jihad training camp. All in all, therefore, Them turns out to be an eye opening and admirable introduction to the wilder shores of contemporary belief.There are flaws - some of the chapters fit better into the developing narrative than others (Ronson's portraits of Ian Paisley and Mr Ru Ru, an enigmatic Saudi Arabian encountered bidding at auction for Nicolai Ceaucescu's shoes, both seem out of place), and there are few laughs to be had in 'Running Through Cornfields', a compassionate profile of Rachel Weaver, one of the survivors of the siege of Ruby Ridge (an event that remains all but unknown in the UK, but which turns out to be pivotal to the dev