Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries

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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 have actually been evangelical Christians all along, and rummages through the extensive archives of Stanley Kubrick.

It was a great book for a busy time in my life where I could only give 20 or so minutes a day to leisure reading. Ronson is a character himself his pieces, a highly neurotic, cynical one, but also one who also brings the perfect blend of insight and wryness to his personally felt observations. The stories progress into deeper territory but I was in no way prepared for the level of ick I would feel when reading about the credit card Mosaic program and the targeted marketing done to try to bury the debt ridden further in debt. The people he talks to in Lost at Sea are strange, and rather than indulge them, Ronson asks the tough questions and gets to the root of things. He is the author of many bestselling books, including Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie , Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries , The Psychopath Test , The Men Who Stare at Goats and Them: Adventures with Extremists .This collection of non-fiction stories takes a look at both those on the fringe of society (other-worldly Indigo children, psychics, robot-enthusiasts, and Jesus Christian cults) as well as issues that affect more ordinary people (like the economic collapse, unequal taxation as well as crime and punishment).

Ronson doesn't tell us how old King was during these assaults, only that the boys were between 14- and 16-years old, but since King was born in 1944 and the assault charges spanned 1982-1987, he must have been between 38 and 45 years old. It's a great read (or listen), that will give you a lot of material to ponder and talk about with your friends. The would-be killers, like all students in North Pole high school, answered letters from children all over the world addressed to “Santa, North Pole” under elfish pseudonyms.

If you haven't come across Ronson yet then you might like his writing if the weird and wonderful interests you or if you like the documentary style of Louis Theroux (who Ronson is inevitably compared with). A good example of this is the chapter entitled "A Message From God" where Ronson attends the Alpha Course. It's also very interesting to see how Ronson treats some of his subjects - he often expresses genuine sympathy and concern for their well-being, and seems to form lasting relationships with them. and one of the victims (who was, to his everlasting credit, more polite about the question that I would have been).

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.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 fool proof system to beat the Banker. Jon realises 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. Matt Taibbi, writing in Rolling Stone, could provide some bite and a welcome harder edge; David Foster Wallace (if still alive) could give more depth and richer characterizations; and Malcolm Gladwell could add more meaning and interpretation.

I loved reading about real life “superhero” Phoenix Jones as he patrols the streets of Chicago, trying to make drunk drivers eat tacos before getting behind the wheel, or discovering that the rap duo Insane Clown Posse have been covert Christians their entire careers, believing they were making converts of their listeners subliminally for 20 years. Putting aside for a moment the fact that the witnesses in this case were complaining about sexual assault, and *not* statutory rape, I just want to let it sink in that a supposedly-unbiased journalist decided to take space here to register the opinion that sexual crimes against 15-year-old girls shouldn't be prosecuted in the name of 'fairness'. He has the ability to ask questions people don't normally ask, and root out surprising responses or telling evasions. I can see why Ronson doesn't tell us this, though, because it rather hurts his continual suggestions that the sexual assaults must surely have been consensual and King must really only be guilty of a statutory crime, because King is so very personable. My brother in law is not a reader but I know he will enjoy the different quirky stories with Robson’s inimitable take on things.Lost at Sea” is a fascinating collection of oddball human stories that offers hours of riveting reading pleasure and is a must-read for all readers looking for extraordinary and entertaining non-fiction stories written in an accessible and compelling style. Aside from being incredibly readable, Jon has such a meek fly-on-the-wall presence in every story he tells and it brings such humanity to the craziness he endures. Apparently actual sympathy for the victims, or interviews with *their* friends and family, couldn't have been worked into the chapter.