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Are we all nuts or do we just do nutty things? New York Times Bestselling author Jon Ronson, author of THE PSYCHOPATH TEST, poses those question in his latest book, LOST AT SEA (Riverhead Trade Paperbacks; Fall 2013). |
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Lost At Sea |
In LOST AT SEA Jon writes about the dark, uncanny sides of humanity with clarity and humor, revealing how deep our collective craziness lies, even in the most mundane circumstances. In this up-close phone interview with Authorlink, Jon explains what motivates him to write about the disturbing aspects of our modern world. This collection of 26 stories is about real human beings with real names. The author spends weeks researching and writing each piece. He searches for characters with whom he can have empathy and those whose stories he believes will resonate with others. |
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At first glance this reader was inclined to toss the book aside for its violence and strong language. But a deeper read reveals Jon’s ability to write with a higher purpose and universality as well as humor. His warmth, sense of humor and wonderment of the world shine through in his personhood just as they do in his work. These stories investigate our collective craziness, from lifelike robots programmed with our loved ones’ personalities to the scientist designated to greet aliens when they arrive. Amateur nuclear physicists, assisted suicide practitioners, the town of North Pole, Alaska’s Christmas-induced high school mass murder plot all suddenly become more than about the fringe of society, or about people far removed from our own experience, but about all of us. Incisive and hilarious, poignant and maddening, revealing and disturbing—Ronson writes about our modern world, the foibles of contemporary culture, and the chaos that lies at the edge of our daily lives. Those who read beyond the weirdness will be in for a satisfying ride. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jon Ronson is an acclaimed author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. In addition to The Men Who Stare at Goats and Them: Adventures with Extremists, he is the author of two collections, Out Of The Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness and What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness. In his native UK, he writes regularly for The Guardian, presents the popular BBC Radio series “Jon Ronson On…,” and has made award-winning films for Channel 4Television. In the United States, his writing has appeared in GQ and many other publications. He regularly writes and presents segments on “This American Life,” has appeared on “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report,” “Conan,” “All Things Considered,” “Book TV,” “Studio 360,” “Coast to Coast,” “Glenn Beck,” and other programs. He lives in Manhattan with his family. You can find him online at jonronson.com or tweeting from @jonronson, where he has over 55,000 followers.
LOST AT SEA: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson Riverhead Trade Paperback; 9781594631955; $16.00; October 1, 2013 |
We Are All Nuts. . .and That’s OK: Jon Ronson on Lost at Sea (2013)
