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  • The Men Who Stare at Goats

  • By: Jon Ronson
  • Narrated by: Jon Ronson
  • Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,552 ratings)

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The Men Who Stare at Goats

By: Jon Ronson
Narrated by: Jon Ronson
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Summary

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.

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.

Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of many best-selling 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. His first fictional screenplay, Frank, co-written with Peter Straughan, starred Michael Fassbender. He lives in London and New York City.

©2012 Jon Ronson (P)2016 Audible, Ltd
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Critic reviews

"Few more earnest investigative journalists would have had the brilliant bloody-mindedness to get what he has got and hardly any would have the wit to present it with as much clarity." ( The Observer)
"Simultaneously frightening and hilarious." ( The Times)"

What listeners say about The Men Who Stare at Goats

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Army Games

This is a very enjoyable book about what lengths the U.S government and their army went to,to try and get the upper hand,some of their ideas are funny, others scary and some of their ideas had far reaching implications.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Both what I expected and what I didn't expect

The book left me somewhat confused. Jon Ronson has this style of telling his stories that always leave me asking myself: "How much of this can possibly be true?" you are treading the line of madness throughout and it's hard to tell if you are meant to believe what's been written as fact or just take it as conjecture. I like Jon's voice but I don't think it'll be everyone's cup of tea, it's not an actor's voice. I read this after having seen his TED talk about "The Psychopath test" and decided to listen to this book first. It hasn't deterred me from getting his other work but I won't be diving into it right away.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Mind-blowing how army operates

Very interesting. Presented and investigated so well. I really enjoy Jon Ronson's stories. Highly recommend.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good enough to keep going

The story had some funny sections, some that made you think, but I can't say that I was desperate to carry on with it every day. Happy enough to have listened to it but I doubt I will go back any time soon

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Classic Ronson

This is read in such a funny and natural way that it's hard to imagine how I'd deliver it in my own head if I were reading the book on paper.

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    3 out of 5 stars

More complicated than the film but interesting.

I bought this audiobook because I liked the film so much. This book is very interesting but does not hold together in a single strand. The author narrates the book himself, which I liked, and I shall be looking out for other books by Jon Ronson.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious!

Until I started listening, I was under the impression that it was fiction! I have been amazed and alternately amused and horrified at the revelations in this book.
It's easy to say "Oh, only in America!" ( as one does) but if they've been doing these things who knows what China, Russia ( and let's include the UK here) have been up to?
Narration was slightly monotonous, but had the ring of truth!
I would recommend you read this interesting book!

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wow. what a book!

jon ronson - what a dude. superb book - funny, horrifying, most definitely enlightening. thank you, jon

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Sounds like Julian Clary

Overall a good book. However, seriously let down by the authors narration. Sounds so much like Julian Clary I keep expecting him to refer to Fanny the wonder dog. That and his, I said, he said, they said approach.

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    4 out of 5 stars

probably not as good as his others, starts well

probably not as good as his others, it starts well but fades towards the end

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