Book Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats (Jon Ronson)

"Remember that the crazy people are not always to be found on the outside.  Sometimes the crazy people are deeply embedded on the inside.  Not even the most imaginative conspiracy theorist has ever thought to invent a scenario in which a crack team of Special Forces soldiers and major generals secretly try to walk through walls and stare goats to death." - Jon Ronson

Being more familiar with the 2009 film adaptation, I keep forgetting that this is not a work of comedy.  I can't help but to approach this subject with the thought, "not sure if serious." The truth is, this book is a piece of non-fiction.  Everything in it is based on actual research.

That's right:  at some point, the military supposedly tried to invest in soldiers with psychic powers.  They wanted men who could walk through solid matter.  They wanted men who could become invisible in a crowd.  They wanted to use sound and subliminal messaging to influence enemies.  They wanted to use New Age techniques to quell wars.  And at the apex of this program, they wanted men who could stare at goats until they keeled over and died.

That is the premise of this book, and it's so far-out that it's hard to believe.  The book's narrative style makes it sound even more like a story than an actual piece of journalism (maybe that's the intention).  If nothing else, it is an interesting subject worth exploring.  At its best, it presents concepts that are wildly imaginative and unique, and to some it may reveal just how crazy the government can be.  The ideas start off sounding ridiculous and laughable, but as the book goes on and starts exploring the modern War on Terror, it unearths a darker side to the issue, in which the techniques of the First Earth Battalion are mutated into torture techniques.  It gets pretty serious and grim in the last half, and really, it's not all that funny anymore.

The book builds its narrative from a winding series of investigation and interviews, which unravels the concepts little-by-little, from the 70s to today, to show how things have evolved.  It is well-structured and coherent, and the book does a fine job of connecting the dots. 

This book is a pretty easy read, using a good style and pacing.  It's not too wordy, but still has enough depth and detail to make it seem creditable and real.  The book features a few illustrations and transcripts to help lend some authenticity.

I'm still not entirely sure if anything in this book is "real," but it's mere existence may be enough proof that truth is stranger than fiction.  If you have any interest in conspiracy theories or the paranormal, then this book might interest you.

4/5 (Experience:  Good | Content:  Good | Book:  Pretty Good)