Jon RonsonThe Men Who Stare at Goats

Men Who Stare at Goats I chose a book that seemed interesting, so I would want to finish it and still learn something from it. The book is called I chose is The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson. The book is a good read and kept me at the edge of my seat, for I bought the audiobook rather than the hard copy and the narrator does an amazing job at reading the book for you. I had watched the film when it came out, but after reading the book I found out that it was completely different than the book. There were some parts I had to reread because it transitions badly on some chapters, but overall it was a good book. This book starts off saying that it is a true story, but I don’t know if I believe that or not. This book is about how the journalist, Jon Ronson, stumbles on the information about how the military and physiological worlds unite. He meets a series of men who tell him, in exact detail, how there are military psychic spies and how they have developed powers to do, what seems to be, impossible things. Chapter one beings in 1983 with General Stubblebine imagining running through the wall but of course fails to do so. Stubblebine is the chief of the secret military spying units and after banning his nose against the wall he thinks he passing through objects, such as walls, could be useful in the future and that is how the men staring actual goats begins. Jon goes on a series of interviews to find the men who started the group of men who were training to become psychic soldiers. He flies around the world to find as much information as he can, to make the story begin. He interviews men such as Guy Savelli, martial arts teacher who claims to have the Death Touch and to be able to kill goats by staring them to death. He interviews General Albert Stubblebine, who apparently believes, that walking through walls and levitation are possible if one is in the right mindset. He also interviews a man who believes his brother, Frank Olson, was murdered over fears he would reveal it to the press. At last he finds Jim Channon a cornel in the United States army, who wrote the “First Earth Battalion”. Jim is the one who started training men to obtain psychic powers; the manual he wrote explains how to pacify with the enemy with indigenous music with subliminal messages, positive energy, or discordant sound. Goats are used in the military more and more, he says. The goats are de-bleated so they will make no sound. He explains how the goats got to the military base and what they are essentially used for, but he wants more and he goes on the journey to find out more for himself and experience and record all of this in his book.The book in itself is really good and interesting. I found humor in it to be really dark and twisted, but funny nonetheless. Jon Ronson knows that there is both and amusing and serious side to his research, and he lets the readers know when he is trying to be funny and when it is time to get down to business. Ronson has a way of making the reader become engaged and fully interested with what he writes about. Although, I do not know if to believe that the story is true. Maybe Ronson was having a dream or a vision of some sort, which led him to believe that those things did happen or that he has a really good imagination. He could have just researched all the information and made up a few names to tie up with what his research said. He sounds really convincing and at times I feel like the United States as a government does have a lot of secrets and will not disclose them, but I believe they do not disclose them for the Americans security. Ronson depicts the United States military operation in a way that, I can assume, only men high up in the military would be able to. He says things that are in a way disturbing, such as the soldiers who are being tortured with the song with subliminal messages. I imagine the United Sates military would have to do anything and everything to defend and defeat the enemy, but is the United States military really capable of all the things Ronson writes about? I had always put myself in the mindset that and army was suppose to help even those who were trying to hurt them, but now I think that that is what the government made me believe. Ronson clearly has a problem with George W. Bush and is not afraid to make that known to his readers. He blames the War on Terror on the president and, I feel that, he wants him to admit what he did. He thinks all of the War on Terror is a hoax and that the United States military is corrupt. The de-bleated goats are kind of a symbol to me in this book. The goats represent the soldiers who cannot speak of their psychic powers because they have been manipulated to keep their mouths shut.I recommend this book if you are looking for a great non-fiction book. Ronson is a really good author and makes you see the side of things that maybe we should be looking at too. He supports his arguments with evidence that seems legit. He goes on a bizarre journey to find answers to the questions many have, but only he was willing to find out the answers. He uses the humor to engage the reader and keeps the reader hooked for the entire book. I would not recommend this book if you believe that there is nothing wrong with the United Sates government or any other government for that matter. I would also not recommend this book if you do not like to hear bad things being spoken about the former president George W. Bush. Overall I give the book a 5 out of 5 stars.

The covert actions of governments often make for dark reading material, sombre, suspenseful, sometimes stomach-churning. And then we occasionally get a comedy, such as this short read. Written at the height of the War on Terror, the book retraces some of the more important episodes in covert operations and intelligence history. The author writes from the first person POV, and recalls many interviews with a touch of humor, if not sarcasm, irony and ridiculousness. The book focuses on the US, and the actions of the US military, the CIA, and occasionally other parties, but barely mentions work by the KGB, MI5/MI6, and other national intelligence agencies. No problem, the material he presents is interesting enough to keep the reader going, as I read the book cover to cover in one weekend. Overall, a great book to read. Even if you don't believe the book, it is still funny with some great dialogue between the author and his interview subjects.

This book isn't funny.Mind you, Ronson knows exactly what he's doing by presenting the book as "hilarious" - it starts out completely absurd, with the high-minded hippy ideals of a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran presented to a beleaguered military under siege. Jim Channon, seeking solace in the emerging human potential movement in California, struck a chord with the top brass, and the repercussions are still felt today.But instead of being used as a positive force for peace, the military twisted it into a force of evil. Ronson ties it all together: September 11, Heaven's Gate, sticky foam, Abu-Grahib, Waco, Art Bell, Projects STARGATE, MKULTRA, and ARTICHOKE, and yes, Barney. Goat-staring is the least of our worries.The thread running throughout all these seemingly disconnected blips in history is that they are a new form of psychological warfare that is innocuous, ruthless, and entirely effective. The Men Who Stare at Goats would be just another conspiracy-laden anti-government diatribe if it wasn't for the fact that Ronson always takes the next step as an investigative reporter. He finds people to back up the wild claims, interviews them, and often challenges their wild theories.The sad thing is, very few of these shadowy contacts hide their past. Almost unilaterally, Ronson calls them all out by name and they step forward, sharing a story that sheds a disconcerting light on America's human rights record. Where is the vigorous conversation, the protests, the discord over these revelations? The facts are right here before us - even photographic evidence -- but we laugh about Barney being used to torture prisoners and we shake our heads at the poor, misguided psychics. But outrage? There's no outrage. We save our vitriol for partisan debates in our own government.Eric Olson, son of Frank Olson, a military scientist who died under mysterious circumstances while working on MKULTRA, sums it up best:"The old story is so much fun, why would anyone want to replace it with a story that's not fun. You see...this is no longer a happy, feel-good story...People have been brainwashed by fiction...so brainwashed by the Tom Clancy thing, they think, 'We know this stuff. We know the CIA does this.' Actually, we know nothing of this. There's no case of this, and all this fictional stuff is like an immunization against reality. It makes people think they know things that they don't know and it enables them to have a kind of superficial quasi-sophistication and cynicism which is just a thin layer beyond which they're not cynical at all."Have you heard? There's a movie based on this book coming out starring George Clooney.It's a comedy.

A great read, very informative and funny.

Jon Ronson's The Men Who Stare At Goats is a surreal and eye-opening exploration of the U.S. military's foray into the paranormal and unconventional. Ronson's witty and investigative style makes this book an entertaining and thought-provoking look at the intersection of military, psychology, and the bizarre. It's a fascinating read for those who enjoy the unconventional.

The book is funny till the time you realize that its all true, the author is a very well known investigative reporter and then Yikes!!!! They actually did all this stuff and its creepy but if you are into that kind of a thing then its a really funny way to get to know about all these details, very good read.

the premise of psych ops in war is quite interesting, but the book fails to deliver

good read

Un documentaire drôle à se tordre de rire mais également très effrayant sur les méthodes expérimentales de l'armée américaine. Jon Ronson fait encore une fois mouche.