Them
Adventures with Extremists
by Jon Ronson
Recommended by Edgar Wright and Nigella Lawson
Check price on AmazonProof-backed recommendation
Amazon availability
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
The book reads like a long magazine feature in which a reporter inserts themselves into extremist circles and reports back in conversational, often wry prose. It presents grounded, scene-driven portraits intended to convey how conspiracy narratives and group dynamics operate from the inside. The main limitation is repetition: similar encounters recur, which can make the middle sag and undercut broader takeaways. Expect recurring ethical questions about closeness to subjects and few prescriptive tools for readers seeking solutions.
Read this if...
- •a sociology student drafting a paper on radicalization who needs vivid, first-person scenes that the book uses to show how conspiratorial belief feels in practice
- •a journalist or longform writer studying immersion reporting who wants a readable example of moving between curiosity, access, and moral unease as the book frames it
- •a college instructor planning a seminar on media ethics who needs short, debatable passages the book supplies to prompt classroom discussion about tone and responsibility
Skip this if...
- •you want a systematic theory or clear solutions — the book offers narrative encounters, not analytical frameworks or how-to steps (no hands-on exercises)
- •you prefer detached, clinical reporting — the book's proximity and conversational sympathy will feel too close or comforting
- •you'll likely put it down when similar anecdotal episodes repeat and the middle slows; if you need tight structure, you'll lose interest
From the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry and So You?ve Been Publicly Shamed.A wide variety of extremist groups Islamic fundamentalists, neoNazis share the oddly similar belief that a tiny shadowy elite rule the world from a secret room. In Them, journalist Jon Ronson has joined the extremists...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:easy
Audience Fit
- a sociology student drafting a paper on radicalization who needs vivid, first-person scenes that the book uses to show how conspiratorial belief feels in practice
- a journalist or longform writer studying immersion reporting who wants a readable example of moving between curiosity, access, and moral unease as the book frames it
- a college instructor planning a seminar on media ethics who needs short, debatable passages the book supplies to prompt classroom discussion about tone and responsibility
- you want a systematic theory or clear solutions — the book offers narrative encounters, not analytical frameworks or how-to steps (no hands-on exercises)
- you prefer detached, clinical reporting — the book's proximity and conversational sympathy will feel too close or comforting
- you'll likely put it down when similar anecdotal episodes repeat and the middle slows; if you need tight structure, you'll lose interest
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 3 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Politics, and Psychology.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Nigella Lawson
“Such a wonderful book. I?ve been rereading it if I can call it that in audiobook form | Such a wonderful book. I’ve been rereading it if I can call it that in audiobook form | Them: Adventures With Extremists' by @jonronson is 20 this year. I'm not sure there's been a nonfiction book that was more of an ominous bellwether of what was to come... Required reading then, and shockingly ahead of its time, now.”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
Similar books
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy
The World as It Is
Ben Rhodes
Out of Control
Kevin Kelly
The Bully Pulpit
Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
Deepak Chopra
Billions and Billions
Carl Sagan
Anger
Gary ChapmanFactfulness
Hans RoslingHow recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.